<p>After 20 years of being a locksmith, I have decided that I want to get a college degree and I'll be starting next year! As part of my degree, I will be doing three physics courses which will cover engineering mechanics - statics, engineering mechanics - dynamics and a calculus-based course which will focus on the mechanics of particles, thermal physics and electricity/magnetism.</p>
<p>However my foundations are very weak so I'll need to start as if I know absolutely nothing about physics! Could I please get some physics textbook recommendations that are comprehensive, precise and to the point? I don't need everything to be in one textbook of course! If it's better to have a separate textbook for different fields of physics then so be it! :)</p>
<p>The most important thing to start with is to make sure your math is solid. A physics textbook isn’t going to walk you through the methods of algebra and calculus that are being used in it. Prior knowledge of these subjects is assumed to a great extent. </p>
<p>For introductory mechanics, Kleppner and Kolenkow is my favorite. This text is a legend. It’s the text used by freshman honors physics at MIT. </p>
<p>After K&K, Purcell’s Electricity and Magnetism is one of the best introductory treatments of E&M available. This is also used for freshman honors physics at MIT. </p>
<p>I’d suggest reading through some of the sample pages in the previews. These are very straight forward texts that don’t use a lot of ‘fluff’ and tend to focus more on theory, rather than application. They’re not always written in the conventional textbook format, which makes them difficult for some students. </p>
<p>If this style of writing isn’t to your taste, there are plenty of more ‘conventional’ introductory physics texts available. Freedman, Tipler, and Knight are all good options. Halliday and Resnick tends to be more reputable according to many people, but I feel like it lacks a bit in theoretical development. </p>
<p>Thank you both @AuraObscura and @comfortablycurt for your responses. The textbooks recommended sound excellent! However I haven’t touched a physics textbook for over 20 years so I do need to start from the absolute basics. As in, a textbook that even starts with ‘what is physics’? Even though those textbooks sound great, I don’t think I would be able to use them until I go through high school physics first.</p>
<p>Could you please recommend some high school physics textbooks that are comprehensive, precise and to the point? Preferably being calculus based. It would be interesting to hear what the top schools/students use as well. Then I can hopefully move on to college textbooks. My math ability is currently at zero but I am working on it.</p>
<p>If your math ability is at zero, then that’s where you really need to start. You need to have a functional knowledge of at least Algebra I and Algebra II, as well as a working knowledge of the basics of trigonometry to really do any physics at all. To really “do” physics, you need to at least have knowledge through Calculus I (the basics of differentiation and integration). It’s true that you can do some physics without using calculus, but to really ‘get’ physics, calculus is necessary. There’s no need to start with algebra based physics once the math is up to speed. I’m a physics major, and I have never taken a non-calculus based physics course before. </p>
<p>That being said, the key thing to focus on first is the math. Without having a working knowledge of the pertinent mathematics it’s really not possible to do any physics in any sense aside from rough conceptual understanding. Without being comfortable with at least basic algebra and trigonometry, just about any physics is going to be quite intimidating. The most important things to focus on are basic algebraic manipulations; essentially how to solve equations for a desired variable. The most crucial areas of trigonometry are right triangle trig (how to use sines, cosines, and tangents to solve right triangles), and the basics of vectors. This is key. Without vectors, there is very little physics that can really be done in more than one dimension. </p>
<p>@comfortablycurt Yes, I will be working on my math very soon! After I go through all the math you mentioned, should I be able to go through college physics textbooks? </p>
<p>The textbooks you mentioned sound great - they sound comprehensive, precise and to the point! However you said they were very theoretical. What books would you suggest I use if I want to practice applying my knowledge?</p>
<p>Also those textbooks will cover all of engineering mechanics - statics and dynamics as well as mechanics of particles, thermal physics and electricity/magnetism - right?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.lightandmatter.com/”>http://www.lightandmatter.com/</a> includes a light-math (high school or college biology major) physics textbook and a calculus-based (engineering or physics major) physics textbook on-line for free, if you want a more gentle introduction than the K&K and Purcell books.</p>
<p>It has a fair bit of the theoretical that the other version is lacking, and between the two volumes it covers everything that the introductory physics sequence covers. The lower level is supposed to be somewhat theoretical because Statics and Dynamics is where you learn the applied side. That comes very easily from the early courses.</p>
<p>Physics really doesn’t work if you don’t learn the calculus of it. Algebra-based physics is a whole lot of hand-waving.</p>
<p>All of the above are good references, but to be honest it’s better to just learn in the class. Books are better saved for when you already have a decent low-level understanding of the subject.</p>