Extra Reading
Reading beyond Level 3 or Scholarship textbooks can provide a more holistic understanding of physics and witnessing the thought process of those more knowledgable than oneself can aid your critical thinking skills, something essential to Scholarship Physics. Hence, quickPhysics NZ has compiled a brief extra reading list, perfect for the holidays.
Authors
Stephen Hawking
Reading a book by one of the greatest physicists of all time may sound a bit daunting, but Professor Hawking manages to perfectly intertwine his interesting physical discoveries and theories with equally interesting personal anecdotes, making for surprisingly light reading.
- A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes
- Brief Answers to the Big Questions
Walter Lewin
Yes, this is the second time Lewin has popped up here on the quickPhysics NZ website, the other being under the Useful Links tab, and for good reason. Lewin makes physics exciting, enthralling and makes the reader want to learn more, the hallmark of a brilliant teacher.
- For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics
Reading a book by one of the greatest physicists of all time may sound a bit daunting, but Professor Hawking manages to perfectly intertwine his interesting physical discoveries and theories with equally interesting personal anecdotes, making for surprisingly light reading.
- A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes
- Brief Answers to the Big Questions
Walter Lewin
Yes, this is the second time Lewin has popped up here on the quickPhysics NZ website, the other being under the Useful Links tab, and for good reason. Lewin makes physics exciting, enthralling and makes the reader want to learn more, the hallmark of a brilliant teacher.
- For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics
Dean Rickles
A bit closer to home than Professors Hawking and Lewin, Rickles is a professor of the history and philosophy of modern physics at the University of Sydney. A strange occupation, one might think, teaching the history and philosophy of modern physics, but it does begin to make sense once you begin to read his works. Rickles present questions that can keep you up at night, but provides explanations in an easy-to-follow, introductory way.
- The Philosophy of Physics
Richard Feynman
Often stated as essential reading for anyone interested in physics, reading Feynman's works will undoubtedly grow a passion and intrigue. It is a no brainer to try and learn from one of the greatest minds physics has ever seen.
- The Feynman Lectures of Physics Volume I
- The Feynman Lectures of Physics Volume II
- The Feynman Lectures of Physics Volume III
Steven Weinberg
Winning the Nobel Prize in Physics, Weinberg is obviously a brilliant physicist. Do not get caught up in the fact though, as his writing is logical and clear to all readers. Like Hawking, Weinberg manages to perfectly weave in the stories of the people who have given us the physics we have today.
- The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe
