Ask HN: Best physics book / what should I tell my children?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9749829

by facepalm • 11 years ago

2 6 11 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

At school quantum physics was mentioned, but I have no real clue about it. Bonding between atoms was explained with the Bohr model.

I fear I might be doing my kids a disservice by explaining the world to them in those terms, so I'd really like to get up to scratch to the current knowledge in physics. I don't need to be able to calculate stuff, but I'd like to have a general idea what is going on.

Possible? I already have the Feynman lectures, but they seem a bit long-winded to me. I never made it past the first book...

I have "The Road To Reality" by Penrose but I am not sure how current it still is?

amjd• 11 years ago

Fundamental of Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Walker is a good book. You should check it out.

facepalm2• 11 years ago

Thanks, I will!

gus_massa• 11 years ago

How old are them?

The Bohr model is ok. Is one of the most amazing achieving of the humanity. Enjoy it. Note: I'm currently publishing paper in Quantum Mechanics, (essentially: if you have a molecule and know know where are the atoms nuclei, you must simulate in a computer where are the electrons)

* The bad new is that it's impossible to understand Quantum Mechanics without a few Algegra courses (eigenvalues and eigenvectos) and a few Analysis courses (partial differential equations) and a few Physics courses.

Quantum Mechanics is confusing and unintuitive, but at least has a clear mathematical method to do the calculations. Most tries to explain the subject without math transform it to just confusing and unintuitive :(.

* The good new is that they can learn something interesting. Some ideas:

* Buy them a molecular model kit ( https://www.google.com/search?q=molecular+models&tbm=isch ) Let them play with it, learn the name/color of the atoms, build random molecules, (my daughter liked to build a dog). Later try to build real molecules (Wikipedia usually has the structure graphic)

* Try to explain that the bounds are really not sticks, and electrons don't go in orbits. [this is difficult, I hope someone can give a good book/link.]

* When I was young, I really like to see the graphs of the orbitals (I still enjoy that.) The math is complex, but if you ignore the math, the graph are still nice. ( https://www.google.com/search?q=orbital+chemistry&tbm=isch )

Try to read the explanation, and see the relation with the sticks model. Don't bother with the details, but get the general idea.

* There are some programs where you can draw the stick and ball molecule and it will draw the orbitals, but most of them are too difficult to use, and the conversions is not so easy because you have to run an intermediate program do the heavy calculations.

* And the orbitals are not real, they are only an approximation. The quantum details are even more weird. In chemistry they usually call this "resonance" and in physic they call it "correlation". (They are not the some concept, but both term describe the same problem.) The resonance articles has nice graphics and is a good approximation to the idea without math ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonance_(chemistry)#Resonanc... ), the math details are better explained in ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Configuration_interaction ) but it's too cryptic.

facepalm2• 11 years ago

Great idea with the molecular model kit, and I remember the graphs of the orbitals from school - they are nice.

The kids are too young for Quantum Physics, but I'll need some time to understand it myself first :-)

I think I can stomach the maths, but it probably won't be useful for the kids.

elssar• 11 years ago

I'd go to the bookstore and leaf through a few popular science books and get the ones that I liked the most.

Other than that, there are a lot of TV series and youtube videos/channels that do an excellent job of explaining science and maths. Dr Brian Cox does a brilliant job in his Wonders of the Universe,and Wonders of the Solar System series.

lambdaelite• 11 years ago

The Cartoon Guide to Physics might be what you're looking for.

Ask HN: Best physics book / what should I tell my children?

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