First published 2013
Leonard Susskind tackles the challenge of teaching real physics to people who never took it in college. This Stanford physicist teams up with citizen scientist George Hrabovsky to create a hands-on physics course for dedicated amateurs. Rather than offering watered-down explanations that avoid mathematics, Susskind and Hrabovsky dive into equations and teach readers to actually solve physics problems themselves. They start with classical mechanics and build up the fundamental skills needed for more advanced study. The book stems from Susskind's popular Stanford continuing education lectures, which also appear on YouTube. The authors focus on the bare minimum concepts students must master before moving forward. This approach gives amateur scientists the tools to learn physics independently, without traditional classroom instruction. The Wall Street Journal named it a best book of 2013.
Genres: science, non-fiction, physics, academic
Vibes: educational, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: self-education, teaching
Setting: Stanford
Period: 21st-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Basic Books