The Theoretical Minimum
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Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Leonard Susskind, George Hrabovsky |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Popular science |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
Publication date | January 29, 2013 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 256 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0465028115 |
The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics is a popular science book by Leonard Susskind and George Hrabovsky. The book was first published on January 29, 2013 by Basic Books.[1][2][3]
The book was the first in a series which now consists of four books, covering the first four of six core courses devoted to classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, special relativity and classical field theory, general relativity, cosmology, and statistical mechanics. Videos for all of these courses are available online. In addition, Susskind has made available video lectures over a range of supplement subject areas including advanced quantum mechanics, the Higgs boson, quantum entanglement, string theory, and black holes. The full series delivers over 100 lectures, with some of the individual lectures having received over a million YouTube views.[citation needed]
The book is a mathematical introduction to various theoretical physics concepts, such as principle of least action, Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics, Poisson brackets, and electromagnetism.[3] It is the first book in a series called The Theoretical Minimum, based on Stanford Continuing Studies courses taught by physicist Leonard Susskind. The courses collectively seek to provide a basic understanding of each area of modern physics, including much of the fundamental mathematics.