Top Must-Read Books for Well-Educated Minds | Math, Science, and More!

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In summary, the conversation is about recommended books for well-educated individuals to read, particularly in the fields of math and science. Some suggested titles include "Godel Escher Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter, "Road to Reality" by Roger Penrose, "Poincare Conjecture" by Donal O'Shea, "The Hole in the Universe" by K.C. Cole, "The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy" by Fulvio Melia, "Unknown Quantity" by Derbyshire, "Power Up Your Mind" by Bill Lucas, "Fabric of the Cosmos" and "Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene, works by Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins, "Theory of Complex Functions" by Rein
  • #36
ffleming7 said:
Yes! It is a very interesting look into Einstein's life. Walter Isaacson is a great writer and explains Einstein's seemingly complex ideas in terms anyone can understand. However, I am no expert.

I just read it. It's very well written and shows that it can be an advantage when non-physicists write popular works that involve a lot of physics. Isaacson had a team of physicists and science historians checking the technical details (including Greene and Krauss!) He quotes many intriguing papers from recent researchers into the history of Einstein's physics, so it's a great first-source for anyone wanting to look into how Einstein was thought to have developed his theories, based on the latest historical research. The personal stuff was also very interesting, and based on a lot of new material that was released quite recently.
 
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  • #37
malawi_glenn said:
if they don't contain exercises, then yes you can follow the forumulas and trying to get all the steps etc. Or find another textbook or excerixes somewhere else.

Physics is not a science that you gain knowledge by reading, nor math either. One has to practice and encounter difficulties and try to overcome them :)

so would you suggest such a practice book for relativity...

thanks in advance...
 
  • #38
I liked this short one by Ramana Maharshi: Who am I? (Nan yar?)

http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Ebooks/Ramana_Maharshi_Books/Who_Am_I.pdf
 
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  • #39
I would say Billions and Billions by Carl Sagan. It is a great science influential books. Also tackles some philosophical questions
 

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