What's on our Bookshelf? Physics/Astronomy Ph.D Students
TLDRIn this video, the host and Kelly share an update on their book collections, focusing on astronomy, math, and physics books accumulated during their academic careers. They discuss favorite textbooks, including 'The Cosmic Perspective' and 'Galaxy Formation and Evolution,' and delve into advanced topics like quantum mechanics and general relativity, highlighting key books like 'Goldstein Classical Mechanics' and 'Sakurai Quantum Mechanics.' The video serves as a comprehensive guide for students and enthusiasts interested in the scientific literature of these fields.
Takeaways
- 📚 The video is an update on the hosts' book collections, focusing on physics, astronomy, and mathematics textbooks and resources.
- 🌌 Kelly shares her collection of astronomy books, highlighting her favorites and their usefulness in her graduate studies.
- 📘 The hosts mention 'The Cosmic Perspective' as a frequently recommended book in their classes, indicating its importance in the field.
- 🤓 They discuss the value of certain books for specific courses, such as 'Galaxy Formation and Evolution' for cosmology.
- 📖 The importance of 'Radiative Processes in Astrophysics' is emphasized, as it is often cited by professors in the field.
- 🔍 The hosts share personal preferences for writing styles of authors, such as Barbour's approachable explanation of cosmology.
- 📚 The hosts compare different galaxy textbooks, discussing their depth and usefulness for research and study.
- 📐 The video touches on the importance of linear algebra and tensors in physics, with recommendations for specific textbooks.
- 📘 The hosts express varying opinions on different quantum mechanics textbooks, with some being more approachable than others.
- 🤔 They mention the challenges of understanding complex analysis and the usefulness of specific books to overcome these difficulties.
- 🚀 The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to suggest books that should be added to their collections for future updates.
Q & A
What is the purpose of the video?
-The purpose of the video is to provide an updated review of the books on the speakers' bookshelves, focusing on their collections related to physics, astronomy, and mathematics, acquired over their academic careers.
Who are the hosts of the video?
-The hosts of the video are the speaker and Kelly, both of whom have backgrounds in physics and astronomy.
What types of books are discussed in the video?
-The video discusses a range of books including astronomy, mathematics, physics, and specific areas such as galaxy formation, cosmology, classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and relativity.
Why does the speaker mention having two copies of 'The Cosmic Perspective'?
-The speaker mentions having two copies of 'The Cosmic Perspective' because they found it to be a go-to undergraduate textbook and had one redundant copy, which they got rid of.
What makes 'An Introduction to Cosmology' stand out to the speaker?
-'An Introduction to Cosmology' stands out because it is frequently mentioned by professors in the speaker's classes, and it is written in a way that makes the subject less intimidating.
How does the speaker describe the use of their large galaxy textbooks?
-The speaker describes the large galaxy textbooks as go-to resources when they need to look up information, with one being more frequently used than the other, but both containing comprehensive information.
Outlines
📚 Bookshelf Update: Physics and Astronomy Collections
The speaker introduces an updated 'what's on my bookshelf' video, showcasing new additions to their collection since their last video. They are joined by Kelly, who discusses her astronomy books, including undergraduate textbooks and specialized volumes on galaxy formation and cosmology. The speaker highlights the importance of certain books in their academic journey, such as 'The Cosmic Perspective' and 'Galaxies in the Universe,' and mentions their preference for specific books when researching. The paragraph concludes with a note on the utility of having multiple comprehensive galaxy textbooks for reference.
🔢 Mathematics and Physics Textbooks: A Deep Dive
This paragraph delves into the mathematical backbone of physics, with the speaker discussing their collection of calculus, linear algebra, tensor analysis, and differential equations books. They mention the practicality of practice problems and the importance of certain textbooks like 'Tensor Calculus for Physics' and 'Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering.' The speaker also touches on the usefulness of 'Conquering the Physics GRE' and transitions into the physics section, highlighting classical mechanics, electrodynamics, and quantum mechanics textbooks, including both undergraduate and graduate level resources.
🌌 Advanced Physics Textbooks: Exploring the Cosmos
The speaker continues with a deeper exploration of physics, discussing graduate-level textbooks on statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and field theory. They share personal opinions on the quality and utility of various books, such as 'Pathria' for statistical mechanics and 'Sakurai' for quantum mechanics. The paragraph also covers the speaker's experience with general relativity and quantum field theory textbooks, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of 'Peskin and Schroeder' and the modern approach of 'Schwartz'.
🌐 Theoretical Physics and Renormalization: A Comprehensive Review
In the final paragraph, the speaker focuses on the complexities of theoretical physics, particularly renormalization, with a mention of 'Renormalization' by John Collins, a book recommended by their research advisor. They also discuss other relevant texts and their significance in the field.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Physics Major
💡Grad School
💡Astronomy Books
💡Cosmology
💡Radiative Transfer
💡Galactic Astronomy
Highlights
Introduction to an updated bookshelf video showcasing new additions to the collection of books on physics and astronomy.
Kelly's participation discussing her astronomy books gathered during her grad school career.
Mention of 'The Cosmic Perspective' as a go-to undergraduate textbook with two copies owned.
Emphasis on 'Processes in Astrophysics' as a recommended textbook for astronomy students.
Highlighting 'Radiative Transfer' by Rybicki and Lightman as a frequently referenced book in classes.
Praise for 'Galaxies in the Universe' by Barbra Riedin for its writing style and approach to cosmology.
Kelly's preference for two comprehensive galaxy textbooks for in-depth information and reference.
Kelly's focus on galactic astronomy and the importance of AGN in her research.
Transition to discussing math books, starting with calculus and linear algebra textbooks.
Recommendation of 'Tensor Calculus for Physics' as a favorite textbook for understanding tensors.
Introduction of a complex analysis book to strengthen understanding of the residue theorem.
Highlighting 'Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering' as a widely recognized book.
Discussion of the physics section starting with classical mechanics textbooks.
Comparison between undergraduate and graduate level classical mechanics books, such as Taylor and Goldstein.
Praise for Griffiths' 'Electrodynamics' as one of the best-written physics textbooks.
Mention of Jackson's 'Classical Electrodynamics' and its use in graduate studies despite its reputation.
Introduction to quantum mechanics books with a variety of opinions on their usefulness and approach.
Recommendation of Sakurai's 'Modern Quantum Mechanics' for a formal approach to quantum mechanics.
Discussion of books on relativity, including Sean Carroll's 'Spacetime and Geometry'.
Highlighting field theory books and the comprehensive nature of Peskin and Schroeder's book despite its errors.
Recommendation of 'Renormalization' by John Collins for understanding infinities in quantum field theory calculations.
Closing with a request for comments on which books should be added to the collection for future updates.
Transcripts
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