Understanding Physics
by Isaac Asimov · first published 1966
93% recommend7% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A notation-light walk through mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism and atomic physics, told through the history of discoveries. Suits laypeople, curious teens, and students wanting a friendlier supplement.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
While many of us understand complex theories of criticism or finance, we cannot explain why the lights go on when we flick a switch or how a radio works. In this reader-friendly, unabridged edition of three of his best-selling books, renowned science writer Isaac Asimov demystifies physics, teaching the fundamentals in a manner easily understood by lay people. Including the complete text of Motion, Sound and Heat, Light, Magnetism and Electricity, and The Electron, Proton and Neutron, this volume will guide you through the evolution of physics from its early Greek beginnings up to the modern t
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…there's no denying they're found together. I did many things "effortlessly" in school because I started learning them years before. I read (and studied and reread) an Isaac Asimov book on basic physics ("Understanding Physics") in junior high, so is it any wonder physics came "effortlessly" to me in high school? I started learning high school chemistry from a "Chemistry the Easy Way" study guide a year and a half before I…
on “What does it feel like to be stupid? An anonymous Quora user explains.” ↗I learned quite a lot reading "Understanding Physics" by Isaac Azimov. It covers just about every level of basic through college level physics, and unlike textbooks it is actually readable.
on “Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?” ↗…Strange Theory of Light and Matter; Penrose The road to reality; Greene The elegant universe; Greene The fabric of cosmos; Greene The hidden reality; Hofstadter Gödel, Escher, Bach; Asimov Understanding Physics; Ivanov Easy as pi; Boyer a history of Mathematics; Robbins What is Mathematics?; Russel principia mathematica;
on “Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?” ↗http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Physics-Magnetism-Electr... was a surprisingly good alternative to my high school physics text. He wrote more than stories and essays. (And it really ought to be free: 50 years old, by a writer 25 years dead…
on “A List of Isaac Asimov's Books” ↗Understanding Physics by Isaac Asimov is a great book that discusses Newtonian mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and atomic physics. It presents it by discussing the history of the discoveries and experiments that…
on “Quantum Leaps, Long Assumed to Be Instantaneous, Take Time” ↗I was going to suggest "Understanding physics" by Asimov. I think "On physics" is a collection of essays where "Understanding physics" is more a complete bottom-up treatment like Petzold's "Code".
on “Ask HN: Books Similar to Code by Charles Petzold?” ↗I was 15 when I read Issac Asimov's book Understanding Physics. That one book caused a radical change in me. Even though I had always found math and science enjoyable, I was struggling at the time with the Physics 1 class I was taking in high school. I read the book…
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗I originally learned electricity from Isaac Asimov's understanding physics, volume 2 when I was 13(?). I don't remember the details, but it clearly worked and helped me in all future education. If you want to try and learn some basics, and then try apply them, both AoE (mentioned…
on “Ask HN: What are some good resources to learn how electricity works?” ↗Isaac Asimov's _Understanding Physics_ is older (1966) but is meant for the general reader or to supplement a textbook. It uses algebra and only a little trig. J. D. Bernal's _A History of Classical Physics_ (1972) begins with ideas from…
on “Notes Regarding Dupuis’ 1910 Elements of Astronomy [pdf]” ↗If you can find a copy of “Understanding Physics” by Isaac Asimov, that is an excellent place to start.
on “A 9-line summary of textbook physics” ↗…physics textbook at high-school level, which I learned from as a teenager. (Not in school, of course. IIRC it was more illuminating than my actual high-school physics text.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_Physics
on “New Horizons: Nasa spacecraft speeds past Pluto” ↗I was a big fan of his fiction work when I was a kid, but my favorite book from him was "Understanding Physics". It's an easy to read, notation-light, plain language book that covers pretty much every physics-related topic a layperson could care about.
on “A List of Isaac Asimov's Books” ↗His book "Understanding Physics" is amazing. Similar in spirit to Petzold's "Code" that is often praised on HN.
on “In 1870, Lord Rayleigh used oil and water to calculate the size of molecules” ↗…website and this well known saying). He's well known for his Sci-Fi but he got a PhD in chemistry, taught himself astrophysics, and even published in the area. He even had written physics texts. I found Understanding Physics quite enjoyable when I was younger but yeah, it isn't the same level of complexity I saw while getting my degree, but it's not aimed at University students. Anyways, I'm just saying, he's speaking as…
on “Research in psychology: are we learning anything?” ↗Understanding Physics? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41819.Understanding_Phys...
on “In 1870, Lord Rayleigh used oil and water to calculate the size of molecules” ↗