Self study Definition and 208 Threads

I just graduated from high school and will begin university physics classes in 2 months. Even though I got decent grades, I feel as though there are still some gaps in my knowledge. I have Calculus by Stewart and University physics. Which one should I start reading and hope to complete in 2...

I was wondering if anyone knows of good self study books to help me in school. I am going to be a sophomore next year and trying to be extremely prepared. Here are the classes: Chemistry Honors World History AP Algebra 2 Honors European History AP English 2 Honors Spanish 3 Honors Thanks...

Hello, I'm taking the GRE this comming fall. Unfortunately my university doesn't do QM until your senior year. Which means I won't see much QM in school until after I take the GRE. I want to study up some this summer to increase my chances of getting a good score. What book would you suggest...

micromass submitted a new PF Insights post Problems with Self-Studying Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

Is there a one-stop textbook for physics major students, a single book that teaches you the required math for a particular physics subtopic before teaching you the physics (or teaches you both the math and physics together)? I find standard undergraduate textbooks, such as Classical Mechanics by...

I am interested in learning about the classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics as my current research in the mathematics and microbiology will involve them. I found Landau/Lifshitz series on Amazon, which seems to cover the main branches of physics. Unfortunately, I did not...

I've noticed that my routine for studying mathematics, physics, chemistry etc. isn't doing me any good. It seems that no matter how much effort i put into studying the material, I am always one step behind and my test scores come back horrible. My current routine will be to read through the...

Hi people! I am a high school rising senior who is looking to self study electricity and magnetism over the summer. Particularly, my aim is to take the ap physics c electricity and magnetism exam as a result of this self study but also to realize if I want to work with hardware/electrical...

Dr. Courtney submitted a new PF Insights post Resources for High School Physics at Home Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

micromass submitted a new PF Insights post How to self-study analysis. Part II: intermediate analysis Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

micromass submitted a new PF Insights post How to Self-study Algebra: Linear Algebra Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

I'm going to reinforce my physics knowledge via self study in my spare time, the amount of time available is varying since I'm a parent and have a full-time work... My math background: Real and complex analysis, linear algebra (abstract, but finite-dimensional), basic abstract algebra, number...

Hello, I want to learn biology from stratch for a hobby, I never studied it in school good enough so I want to do it now, should I go through entire Campbell Biology to grasp basic stuff? I want to note that I want to focus on bioinformatics as I progress One more thing to note is that I want...

So I am in the area in between years 10-11. I am currently on exchange and I have a lot of time so I thought I would study for year 11's topics so that the next few years would be easier. The main subjects I wan't to focus on are Biology and Chemistry. I had bought a book without doing any real...

Hi all, I consider myself a physics self-studier (although I've taken the introductory physics series and more in college), and I'm looking for an introduction to statistical mechanics. My thermal physics class used Schroeder's "Thermal Physics" text, which touches slightly on stat-mech at the...

Hey Physics Forums! I am a self taught individual, who would like to learn more about physics. My goal in life is to virtually understand every physics principal we know, and become extremely good at all forms of physics. I will be reading physics books over the next 30 years, so that i can...

Hi, I am looking for a way to self study calculus. I am an eighth grader doing more than grade level stuff, so I am a COMPLETE beginner and need a book which starts with like the 'abc's' of calculus. I know geometry, Algebra 1 & 2 really well, but am not the best at Trig or Precalc, so if there...

Hi, I'm really only in the forum to help my wife (as my questions will show). for 5 years after graduating from an ivy league as an electric engineer she took care of our kids instead of working, and is now going to do a masters in EE to "get back in the game". she's doing some prep work (5...

micromass submitted a new PF Insights post How to Self Study Geometry. Part I: Pure Geometry Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

micromass submitted a new PF Insights post How to Self Study Analysis. Part I: Intro Analysis Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

Hello I am currently a sophomore in high school and am looking to graduate early next year. I need to take 4 additional classes this summer at my local community college in order to satisfy all the courses I need in order to graduate early. To give my self a boost I was looking into taking the...

Hey, I'm one of those people who's been trying to learn Physics for ages before finishing high school (writing it down like this really makes me sound like some hopeless nerd with nothing better to do..) but never got around to doing it because my calculus knowledge sucks so much. :-) My...

Currently a junior in high school taking Pre-Calc. Next year I'll be taking Calc 1, Statistics, and MAYBE Calc 2 (if it's offered in the second semester). I'm wanting to learn more math than I currently am however. I love math, and I want to have a very strong background before I go into...

What would a recommended track be for someone that has had next to no exposure to physics? I was thinking of going this route after taking taking the single variable calculus course(paired with Calculus Made Easy by Thompson) on OpenCourseWare: Feynman Lectures Vol. 1 An Introduction to...

Hello everyone, I am currently a sophomore in high school (year 10 by the US system), with two years before I graduate to university. Last year, I began to learn calculus and physics on my own because they interested me. There is more to this story, but basically I seem to be at a crossroads now...

Hi all, I am looking to learn C by myself since it is a programming language that is used in my micro controllers class that i am going to take during the upcoming Spring semester at my university. I was wondering how i should go about doing this? I was thinking of using book The C Programming...

Hello everyone, I'm an undergraduate double majoring in physics and math. I have one year left after this one, then I plan to go to grad school for theoretical physics (not sure what field yet). My professor keeps suggesting the physics side of quantum computing as a good career route and I'm...

Hello, So I'm in high school and I wanted to self-study programming. In summer I completed the course Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python on edX . I really liked it. I was wondering what I should do next and from where? Should I learn a different language (C , C++ and...

I've been trying to self study the section on de Rham cohomology in Guillemin and Pollack's book Differential Topology. The section is in a sense hands on: most of the results are presented as exercises scattered throughout the section, and some hints are given. I've hit a road block in a few of...

Dear Physics Forum advisers, I am a collegiate junior with double majors in the mathematics and computer science. I bought a classical-mechanics book written by Herbert Goldstein in order to aid my current undergraduate research, grow my curiosity in the physics, and prepare for upcoming...

Dear Physics Forum personnel, I am a college student with double majors in the mathematics and computer science. I recently got interested to the art of quantum mechanics course through my current undergraduate research in the theoretical computer science, where my near-future project will...

Dear Physics Forum advisers, I am an undergraduate student in US and an inspiring applied mathematician in the fields of theoretical computer science. I recently have been reading a book called "Joy of Learning" by Hironaka Heisuke, a mathematician and Fields Medalist (1970); the book seems to...

Hello, before I start off, I apologize for asking a question which I am sure has been asked hundreds of times before: but I felt there is just way too much information out there which is a little confusing, so I am here with the hope of getting some personalized suggestions. I am currently a...

I am a current High School senior intending on majoring in Physics in college. Last year I took IB Physics SL and got a 4 on the test but kept my head above water on all the unit tests. I'm currently taking AP Calculus BC and am doing very well. I have exhausted all other science classes in my...

Dear Physics Forum friends, I am a college undergraduate in US with double majors in the mathematics and computer science. I have been doing research in the theoretical computer science, and I recently got interested in the quantum cryptography. Since I cannot take any physics course until...

Ladies and Gentlemen of PhysicsForum, This is an awesome venue filled with great resources. I look forward to expanding my abilities within the realm of sciences by using the resources listed here and occasional consultation with the really generous posters who are far more experienced than I...

Dear Physics Forum friends, I am a college junior who is currently conducting the undergraduate research in the theoretical computer science. I wrote this post to seek you recommendation on the books that separately treat the graph theory and combinatotics, both in theory and applications. I...

I'm a highly determined (and slightly stubborn) high school freshman who wants to learn enough mathematics to conduct mathematics research with a mentor. Looking on the internet, I found a program called MIT Primes, where students can be matched with graduate students/professors at MIT to...

I'm a high school freshman who's been interested in higher mathematics for an embarrassingly long time, but hadn't been exposed to resources for self-study until the 8th grade. I'm currently reviewing mathematics from previous years in order to prepare to start AP Calculus AB in the coming...

I am preparing myself for a BSEE starting next year. I have just finished Stewarts Calculus for Calc I,II,III and Diff Eqs up to solving 2nd order non-hom diff eqs by undet. coeffs, variation of parameters and power series. In high school some 15 years ago I saw some very basic linear algebra...

Dear Physics Forum advisers, I am currently looking for an introductory textbook that covers the number theory without being too focused on the algebraic and analytical aspects of NT. My current underaduate research in the theoretical computer science and the Putnam preparation led me to the...

Hi all! Where are some good places on the Internet where I can learn about physical cosmology? Specifically any good websites that are devoted to physical cosmology that you know about?

Dear Physics Forum advisers, Could you recommend books that treat the multivariable calculus from a theoretical aspect (and applications too, if possible)? I have been reading Rudin's PMA and Apostol's Mathematical Analysis, but their treatment of vector calculus is very confusing and not...

I'm trying to relearn physics the summer. I've been studying some basic calculus and I've enjoyed it. But I'm going back to solving problems that don't involve any calculus, such as kinematics (like using the suvat equations). Now the problem is I'm having a very difficult time solving some...

Dear Physics Forum advisers, Today, I got two gifts from my research mentor: "Topics in Algebra" by I.N. Herstein and "Abstract Algebra" by Dummit/Foote. I am very happy and grateful for his gifts, but I already have been studying the abstract algebra through Michael Artin and Hoffman/Kunze...

Dear Physics Forum advisers, I am a college sophomore in US with a major in mathematics and an aspiring mathematician in the computational complexity theory. I have been reading some math books on different topics, such as analysis and abstract algebra. As a former microbiology major, it is...

Senior in Fall. Is a full course on vector analysis necessary: Stockes theorem, Green Theorem, differential forms, etc. I feel like Griffith's Electrodynamics gives a sufficient overview of Vector analysis in Chapter 1 covering all you need. I've only taken the required Calc 1 - 3 sequence +...

Dear Physics Forum personnel, I am going to start studying the analysis texts (Rudin-PMA, Apostol-MA, Pugh-RMA) on the first week of August. I have a good proof skills through working on Artin's Algebra and Hoffman/Kunze's Linear Algebra, but I unfortunately only took computational 1-variable...

So, having seen micromass's marvelous thread on how to self study mathematics I was wondering whether someone could create a similar thread just about physics? Because it would be really helpful to get advice on how to approach the subject and which textbooks to use and maybe it could be divided...

Dear Physics Forum personnel, I would like to investigate the depth of single-variable calculus by reading either Courant/John's "Calculus and Analysis" or Apostol's "Calculus Vol.1". Of course, I know the best route of action is to go to mu university library, but I just found out that all...