Fundamentals of physics

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1. rramadassJul 2026
   Some classic soviet-era physics books which one can use as a good supplement to the listed textbooks.

   1) Physics for Entertainment by Yakov Perelman (2 vols) - https://mirtitles.org/?s=physics+for+entertainment Great to motivate oneself and learn to think in physics terms.

   2) Fundamentals of Physics by B.N.Ivanov - https://mirtitles.org/2018/04/21/fundamentals-of-physics-iva... Nice overview which approaches physics "from atoms to matter".

   3) Physics for Everyone by Landau and Kitaigorodsky (4 vols) - https://mirtitles.org/?s=Physics+for+Everyone A nice overview of all the major domains in physics.

   4) General Methods for Solving Physics Problems by B.S.Belikov - https://mirtitles.org/2015/12/07/general-methods-for-solving... This is a great book which teaches you by walking through the solutions of various physics problems using a general methodological framework.

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2. senorcrabJan 2026
   Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:

   - University Physics by Young and Freedman

   - Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker

   - Modern Physics by Krane

   You might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.

   For a nonrigorous introduction/overview:

   - The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose

   If you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:

   - Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau

   Note that Landau is extremely difficult.

   If you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:

   - Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara

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3. codinhoodJan 2026
   > Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker

   I strongly recommend this textbook. I used in college, and it's really good. There are a lot of problems for each chapter, I suggest doing them as they help a lot.

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4. rramadassSep 2025
   Man, this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I just love books, have a large collection of my own (though obviously not on the scale of the article) and am always on the lookout for offbeat books (old/new/whatever) on any subjects that i find interesting. With Internet Archives/Project Gutenberg/etc. you can of course have your ebook versions but there is nothing like having a hard copy in hand.

   The right book at the right time can often be transformative opening up your mind to new ideas/possibilities and leading to better knowledge and wisdom.

   For example; reading Bergen Evans' The Natural History of Nonsense (https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.77094) from 1946, one of the earliest books on skepticism w.r.t. people's irrational beliefs/thinking/behaviour teaches you the importance of critical thinking for yourself which is arguably even more important today. A good review from Goodreads here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2099042654

   Another good collection are the excellent science/mathematics books from the erstwhile USSR many of which are now available at https://mirtitles.org/ A subset of those titles are available in hard copy form from low cost publishers on Amazon India. Checkout for example B.N.Ivanov's Fundamentals of Physics (https://mirtitles.org/2018/04/21/fundamentals-of-physics-iva...) and Roman Podolny's Something Called Nothing: Physical Vacuum: What Is It? (https://mirtitles.org/2013/11/24/something-called-nothing-po...) both of which are interesting takes on aspects of Physics.

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5. antegamisouAug 2023
   Halliday & Resnick Fundamentals of Physics is what we used in AP as well as in freshman year at college. Covers most sections one needs to be familiar with to be physics literate (solid/fluid mechanics, waves, thermo, electromagnetism, optics, relativity).
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6. __rito__May 2023
   If I have to choose one book, it would be Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker.

   I came across this Physics textbook in Junior year in High School.

   Before reading this book, Physics, and Science in general, was merely "better subjects" for me, and tools to top the class, frontiers where I could excel, and by remembering formulas.

   This is the first time when reading something was really, truly fun.

   This was the first time I had the pleasure in learning.

   My whole outlook towards learning changed. Learning should be fun. And this has served greatly in my life.

   This book not only made Physics enjoyable, but instilled in me a lifelong attitude of fun in learning and expecting fun in learning.

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