Space-Time-Energy
Facilitating the Acquisition and Use of
Advanced Scientific Knowledge by Elementary, High School and College Students
and the interested public at Large
Space-Time-Energy was created in 2008 for the purpose of disseminating scholarly information. In particular, in recognition of the difficulties which elementary, high school, and college students, as well as the interested public, face when attempting to acquire advanced scientific knowledge and become proficient in its use, the goal of Space-Time-Energy is to provide guidance which will facilitate this process, by enabling individuals to follow an appropriate path leading from the most basic principles to the most advanced that takes them from a state of unknowing to their desired learning objective.
Learning Plan for the Aspiring Physicist
It is the hope of Kazuo Ota Cottrell, the founder of Space-Time-Energy that his organization will eventually be able to provide suitable guidance to individuals interested in any area of science, at any level. Toward this end, the first project of Space-Time-Energy is to provide guidance which will enable an individual who aspires to be a physicist obtain the necessary level of competence, even though the finances for a formal education through the graduate level may not be available. The organization corresponding to the usual manner in which this learning process is approached is presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Typical 4-Year Program for Learning
Undergraduate Physics
|
Time Frame |
Language Topic |
Science Topic |
|
Year One Semester One |
Differential Calculus |
Newtonian Mechanics, Fluids, Thermodynamics |
|
Year One Semester Two |
Integral Calculus |
Electricity and Magnetism, Intro to Modern Physics |
|
Year Two Semester One |
Vector Calculus |
Waves, Modern Physics Classical Mechanics |
|
Year Two Semester Two |
Differential Equations |
Solid State Physics Advanced Classical Mechanics |
|
Year Three Semester One |
Linear Algebra & Matrices Group Theory |
Electricity and Magnetism Astronomy |
|
Year Three Semester Two |
Partial Differential Equations & Boundary Value
Problems |
Electrodynamics Relativity |
|
Year Four Semester One |
Complex Variables |
Quantum Mechanics I Astrophysics |
|
Year Four Semester Two |
Probability and Statistics |
Quantum Mechanics II Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics |
One advantage of self-study is the ability to work at
a more leisurely pace. On the
other hand, a motivated individual can work at an enhanced pace, and cover
more topics. In Table 2, we present
a plan of guided study for a highly motivated individual. Once started, completion of the studies
described in this plan is intended to require the same amount of time as the
typical 4-year program outlined in Table 1 above. A complete bibliography of the required books will be available
in January 2010 and will be posted following Table 2.
Table 2a: 4-Year Plan for Physics Self-study
(September 2010 – August 2014)
|
Time Interval |
Mathematical
Topic |
Books |
|
Before embarking |
Problem solving Proofs Algebra |
Polya, How to Solve It. Velleman, How to Prove It Solow, How to Read and Do
Proofs |
|
Time Interval |
Physical Topic |
|
|
Before embarking |
Historical background Motivation |
Spielberg and Andreson,
Seven Ideas That Shook the Universe Speyer, Six Roads From
Newton Segr. From X-Rays to Quarks Newton, What Makes Nature
Tick? Stauffer and Stanley, From
Newton to Mandelbrot Lawrie, A Unified Grand Tour
of Theoretical Physics Penrose, The Road to Reality |
Table 2b: 4-Year
Plan for Physics Self-study (September 2010 – August 2014)
|
Time interval |
Topic |
Books |
|
Fall 2010 |
General Physics Mechanics and Waver |
Serway and Jewett MIT Series, vols. 1 and 2 Berkeley Series, vols. 1 and
3 |
|
Spring 2011 |
General Physics Modern Physics Thermodynamics Electricity and Magnetism |
Serway and Jewett Tipler, Modern Physics Berkeley Series, vol. 5 |
|
Summer 2011 |
Mathematics Review Physics Review |
Kleppner and Ramsey, Quick
Calculus Schey, div grad curl and all
that Dawkins, Differential
Equations Course Notes Shankar, Basic Training in
Mathematics Swartz, Used Mathematics Swartz, Back-of-the Envelope
Physics Armstrong and King,
Mechanics, Waves, and Thermal Physics Berkeley Series, vols. 2 and
4 |
|
Fall 2011 |
Classical Mechanics Electricity and Magnetism |
Fowles and Cassiday,
Analytical Mechanics Feynman Lectures, vol I Marion, Classical Dynamics Goldstein, Pool, and Safko,
Classical Mechanics Landau and Lifshitz,
Mechanics Griffiths, Introduction to
Electrodynamics Fleisch, A StudentÕs Guide
to MaxwellÕs Equations Duffin, Electricity and
Magnetism Feynman Lectures, vol II. |
|
Spring 2012 |
Classical Mechanics Electricity and Magnetism |
Jos and Saletan, Classical
Dynamics Fetter and Walecka,
Theoretical Mechanics Lorrain and Corson,
Electromagnetic Fields and Waves Marion and Heald, Classical
Electromagnetic Radiation Jackson, Classical
Electrodynamics Schwinger, DeRaad, Jr.,
Milton, Tsai, Classical Electrodynamics |
|
Summer 2012 |
Introduction to Quantum
Mechanics Physics Review Mathematical Methods |
Transnational College of
LEX, Who is Fourier? Transnational College of
LEX, What is Quantum Mechanics? Wangness, Introduction to
Theoretical Physics, vols. 1 and 2 Hestenes, New Foundations
for Classical Mechanics Doran and Lasenby, Geometric
Algebra for Physicists Hildebrand, Advanced
Calculus for Applications Churchill, Fourier Series
and Boundary Value Problems Churchill and Brown, Complex
Variables and Applications Byron, Jr. and Fuller,
Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics Margenau and Murphy, Te
Mathematics of Physics and Chemistry Wyld, Mathematical Methods
for Physicists |
|
Time Interval |
Topics |
Books |
|
Fall 2012 |
Special Relativity and
Fields Quantum Mechanics |
Landau & Rumer, What is
Relativity? Taylor and Wheeler,
Spacetime Physics French, Special Relativity Schwarz and Schwarz, Special
Relativity Soper, Classical Field
Theory Landau and Lifshitz, The
Classical Theory of Fields Barut, Electrodynamics and
Classical Theory of Fields and Particles Suranyi, QM Study Notes Griffiths, Introduction to
Quantum Mechanics Mandl, Quantum Mechanics Saxon, Elementary Quantum
Mechanics Bransden and Joachain,
Introduction to Quanutm Mechanics Winter, Quantum Physics Greiner, Quantum Mechanics,
and Introduction |
|
Spring 2013 |
Thermodynamics and
Statistical Mechanics Quantum Mechanics |
Fermi, Thermodynamics Zemansky and Dittman, Heat
and Thermodynamics Kittel and Kroemer, Thermal
Physics Reif, Statistical and
Thermal Physics Tolman, The Principles of
Statistical Mechanics Landau and Lifshitz, Quantum
Mechanics Cohen-Tannoudji, Diu and
Lalo, Quantum Mechanics, vols. 1 and 2 Dirac, The Principles of
Quantum Mechanics Feynman Lectures, vol. III Sakurai, Modern Quantum
Mechanics Greiner and Mller, Quantum
Mechanics, Symmetries Roger, EinsteinÕs Other
Theory |
|
Summer 2013 |
Physics Review More Mathematical Methods |
Bayman and Hamermesh, A
Review of Undergraduate Physics Joos, Theoretical Physics Weinreich, Geometrical
Vectors Schutz, Geometrical Methods
of Mathematical Physics Hestenes and Sobczyk,
Clifford Algebra to Geomertic Calculus Jagerman, The Mathematics of
Relativity for the Rest of Us Heinbockel, Introduction to
Tensor Calculus and Continuum Mechanics Lovelock and Rund, Tensors,
Differential Forms, and Variational Principles Lawden, An Introduction to
Tensor Calculus, Relativity and Cosmology Cartan , The Theory of
Spinors |
|
Time Interval |
Topics |
Books |
|
Fall 2013 |
General Relativity Advanced Quantum Mechanics |
Schutz, Gravity Weyl, Space-Time-Matter Schutz, A First Course in
General Relativity Adler, Bazin, and Schiffer,
Introduction to General Relativity M¿ller. The Theory of
Relativity Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler,
Gravitation Wald, General Relativity Sakurai, Advanced Quantum
Mechanics Dyson, Advanced Quantum
Mechanics Greiner, Quantum Mechanics,
Special Chapters Greiner, Relativistic
Quantum Mechanics, Wave Equations |
|
Spring 2014 |
Quantum Field Theory |
Zee, Quantum Field Theory in
a Nutshell Greiner, Quantum
Electrodynamics Greiner, Field Quantization Lahiri and Pal, A First Book
of Quantum Field Theory Dirac, Lectures on Quantum
Mechanics |
|
Summer 2014 |
Lie Groups Gauge Theory Feynman Diagrams and Path
Integrals Quantum Field Theory in
Statistical Physics |
Lipkin, Lie Groups for
Pedestrians Gilmore, Lie Groups, Lie
Algegras, and Some of Their Applications Moriyasu, An Elementary
Primer for Gauge Theory OÕ Raifeartaigh, The Dawning
of Gauge Theory Mattuck, A Guide to Feymnam Diagrams
in the Many-Body Problem Schulman, Techniues and
Applications of Path Integration Doniach and Sondheimer,
GreenÕa Functions for Solid State Physicists Abrikosov, Gorkov, &
Dzyaloshinski, Methods of Quantum Field Theory in Statistical Physics Fetter and Walecka, Quantum
Theory of Many-Particle Systems |