The Theoretical Minimum

Oct 10, 2024 11:17 PM

Author:Leonard Susskind,George Hrabovsky

'For anyone who is determined to learn physics for real, looking beyond conventional popularizations, this is the ideal place to start. It gets directly to the important points, with nuggets of deep insight scattered along the way' Sean Carroll, physicist and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe

In this stimulating primer, world-class physicist and father of string theory Leonard Susskind and citizen-scientist George Hrabovsky combine forces to provide the ultimate master class in modern physics. Unlike most popular physics books - which give readers a taste of what physicists know but not what they actually do - Susskind and Hrabovsky teach the skills you need to do physics yourself. Combining crystal-clear explanations of the laws of the universe with basic exercises, the authors cover the minimum - the theoretical minimum of the title - that readers need to master in order to move on to more advanced topics.

In a lucid, engaging style, Susskind and Hrabovsky introduce the key concepts of modern physics, from classical mechanics to general relativity to quantum theory. Instead of shying away from the equations and maths that are essential to any understanding of physics, they provide a practical toolkit that you won't find in any other popular science book.

The Theoretical Minimum is a book for anyone who has ever regretted not taking physics at university, who knows a little but is keen to know more-or who simply wants to learn how to think like a physicist.

Reviews

What a wonderful and unique resource. For anyone who is determined to learn physics for real, looking beyond conventional popularizations, this is the ideal place to start. It gets directly to the important points, with nuggets of deep insight scattered along the way. I'm going to be recommending this book right and left

—— Sean Carroll, physicist and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe

Entertaining and illuminating. Excels at rooting the Internet in real-world locations. Full of memorable images that make its complex architecture easier to comprehend

—— Observer

An engaging reminder that, cyber-Utopianism aside, the Internet is as much a thing of flesh and steel as any industrial-age lumber mill or factory ... An excellent introduction to the nuts and bolts of how exactly it all works and a timely antidote to oft-repeated abstractions about "cyberspace" or "cloud computing"

—— Economist

Makes hard-to-grasp concepts easy to understand, even obvious. The history, in particular, is one of the best and most memorable I have ever read

—— New Scientist

A Quixotic and winning book with a knack for bundling packets of data into memorable observations. This valuable book leaves you with its share of unsettling visions, but there are comic ones too

—— The New York Times

For a full understanding of the Internet on every level, this book is a must-read

—— Techzone

A great, playful, wondrous read

—— ArsTechnica

Blum is perhaps the millennial generation's John McPhee, chronicling an arcane journey of deep relevance to everyday life. For non-techies, the book is a very accessible revelation

—— Forbes

All too awesome to behold. Andrew Blum's fascinating book demystifies the earthly geography of this most ethereal terra incognita

—— Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein

A brilliantly smart idea executed with investigative skill and flair. Readers will never send an email so carelessly again.

—— Independent Books of the Year

Compelling and profound. You will never open an e-mail in quite the same way again

—— Tom Vanderbilt, author of the New York Times bestseller Traffic

One of our best writers. A compelling story of an altogether new realm where the virtual world meets the physical

—— Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker critic

The Internet really IS a series of tubes! Who knew?

—— David Pogue, Technology Editor of The New York Times

At once funny, prosaic, sinister and wise, Blum's tale is a beautifully written account of the true human cost of all our remote connectivity

—— Bella Bathurst, author of The Lighthouse Stevensons

With infectious wonder, Andrew Blum introduces us to the Internet's geeky wizards and takes us on an amiably guided tour of the world they've created ... the Internet that Blum's beautifully lucid prose makes real turns out to be if anything a more marvelous place than the cloudy dreamland we'd imagined

—— Donovan Hohn, author of Moby Duck

An illuminating journey of discovery

—— Sunday Express

Total immersive reading

—— The Wharf

Root’s enthralling memoir…is the best true-life adventure story to come out of Africa for years

—— Sunday Telegraph

His is a funny, harrowing, beautifully written love letter to Africa

—— Christopher Hart , Sunday Times

In this captivating memoir [Root] documents his brushes in the bush and his passion for wildlife

—— Big Issue in the North

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Root has written the most extraordinary love letter to Africa – packed with drama and knowledge, tragedy and hope... A completely gripping and important study of this complex and disappearing natural environment

—— Sally Morris , Daily Mail

His is an extraordinary story laced with tragedy

—— Mail on Sunday

[Root's] life story, vividly related here, is crammed with incident and adventure. Curious, creative and fearless, he has diced with death on numerous occasions and been mauled several times in his efforts to capture the daily lives of everything from silver-back gorillas to leopards in the wild on film. A gripping account of a life well lived

—— Good Book Guide

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