This is the ultimate master class in modern physics. World-class physicist and father of string theory Leonard Susskind and citizen-scientist George Hrabovsky combine forces in a primer that teaches the skills you need to do physics yourself. Combining crystal-clear explanations of the laws of the universe with basic exercises (including essential equations and maths), the authors cover the minimum that readers should master. They introduce the key concepts of modern physics, from classical mechanics to general relativity to quantum theory, and provide a practical toolkit that you won't find in any other popular science book.
Leonard Susskind (born June 1940) is the Felix Bloch professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics. His research interests include string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics and quantum cosmology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the US, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an associate member of the faculty of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and a distinguished professor of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.
George Hrabovsky is the president of Madison Area Science and Technology (MAST), a nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific and technological research and education. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
"So what do you do if you enjoyed science at school or college but ended up with a different career and are still wondering what makes the universe tick? [...] The Theoretical Minimum is the book for you."
– John Gribbin, Wall Street Journal
"A pleasure to read [...] a beautiful, high-level overview of the entire subject"
– Physics Today
"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."
– Sean Carroll, author of The Particle at the End of the Universe