The Theoretical Minimum

Synopsis

A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2013If you ever regretted not taking physics in college,or simply want to know how to think like a physicist,this is the book for you. In this bestselling introduction, physicist Leonard Susskind and hacker-scientist George Hrabovsky offer a first course in physics and associated math for the ardent amateur. Challenging, lucid, and concise, The Theoretical Minimum provides a tool kit for amateur scientists to learn physics at their own pace.

Summary

Chapter 1: Special Relativity

* Einstein's two postulates: (1) The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion. (2) The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their motion or the motion of the light source.
* Example: A passenger in a train moving at constant speed observes a beam of light traveling at the same speed as an observer on the platform.

Chapter 2: Energy, Momentum, and Mass

* Einstein's mass-energy equivalence equation: E=mc².
* Example: The energy released by burning gasoline in a car is equal to the mass of the gasoline multiplied by the speed of light squared.

Chapter 3: General Relativity

* Gravity is not a force but rather a curvature of spacetime.
* Example: A ball dropped from a height will follow a curved path due to the curvature of spacetime around the Earth.

Chapter 4: Elementary Particle Physics

* The Standard Model of Particle Physics describes the fundamental particles and forces of nature.
* Example: The Higgs boson is an elementary particle that gives other particles their mass.

Chapter 5: Cosmology

* The universe began with the Big Bang and is expanding at an accelerating rate.
* Example: The redshift of distant galaxies indicates that they are moving away from us, supporting the theory of an expanding universe.

Chapter 6: Quantum Mechanics

* Particles behave like both waves and particles.
* Example: The double-slit experiment demonstrates the wave-particle duality of light.

Chapter 7: Quantum Field Theory

* All particles are excitations of quantum fields.
* Example: The distribution of quarks and gluons inside a proton can be described by a quantum field theory.

Chapter 8: The Standard Model

* The Standard Model combines the fundamental forces and particles of nature into a single framework.
* Example: The weak and electromagnetic forces are unified into the electroweak force in the Standard Model.

Chapter 9: Cosmology and the Future

* The future of the universe is uncertain, but it may end in a "heat death" or a "big crunch."
* Example: The cosmic microwave background is a remnant of the Big Bang and provides evidence for the inflationary epoch of the early universe.

Chapter 10: The Ultimate Theory

* Scientists are still searching for a "theory of everything" that would unify all the fundamental forces and describe the entire universe.
* Example: String theory is one candidate for a theory of everything, but it has not yet been experimentally verified.