nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpquhnx67vlf04mwtt7qrjyx47gpmtf3twz4nrfmx9lspw6rrv5gkhss5m2ru (nprofile…m2ru) nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqma387nsxvg7350532mnvyx8zz5a0grar0rmv3p4amyhmuq5z2v7she3yjd (nprofile…3yjd) - My friend Minhyong Kim once asked the famous physicist Victor Weisskopf how much math a physicist needed to know. Weisskopf answered "More."
In college I resolved to learn quantum field theory up to and including the Standard Model, and general relativity, since I wanted to understand the laws of the universe. General relativity was fairly easy because the basic equation, Einstein's equation is mathematically well-defined and you can just read a book and learn how it works. At least you can now. I read Misner Thorne and Wheeler's Gravitation, but I needed to study differential geometry on the side to understand the math in a more nitty-gritty, less poetic way. Nowadays Wald's General Relativity is the complete package, though it's probably best to read a few pop books written by real experts first:
Kip S. Thorne, Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy.
Robert M. Wald, Space, Time, and Gravity: the Theory of the Big Bang and Black Holes.
Robert Geroch, General Relativity from A to B.
Quantum field theory is much harder because many of the most important equations have no clear mathematical meaning, at least not after you leave the confines of 'free quantum field theories', i.e. those where the particles don't interact. Instead, you have to learn a network of different approaches, all related by nonrigorous calculations, each giving a different way to dodge the problems caused by our lack of understanding.
I did my PhD on quantum field theory, and still don't feel I understand it as well as I want.
I could give a lot of book recommendations, but no *one* book explains all the most important stuff.
John Carlos Baez /
npub17u…8pd6m
2025-01-03 21:52:28
in reply to nevent1q…vten
Author Public Key
npub17u6xav5rjq4d48fpcyy6j05rz2xelp7clnl8ptvpnval9tvmectqp8pd6mPublished at
2025-01-03 21:52:28Event JSON
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"content": "nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpquhnx67vlf04mwtt7qrjyx47gpmtf3twz4nrfmx9lspw6rrv5gkhss5m2ru nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqma387nsxvg7350532mnvyx8zz5a0grar0rmv3p4amyhmuq5z2v7she3yjd - My friend Minhyong Kim once asked the famous physicist Victor Weisskopf how much math a physicist needed to know. Weisskopf answered \"More.\"\n\nIn college I resolved to learn quantum field theory up to and including the Standard Model, and general relativity, since I wanted to understand the laws of the universe. General relativity was fairly easy because the basic equation, Einstein's equation is mathematically well-defined and you can just read a book and learn how it works. At least you can now. I read Misner Thorne and Wheeler's Gravitation, but I needed to study differential geometry on the side to understand the math in a more nitty-gritty, less poetic way. Nowadays Wald's General Relativity is the complete package, though it's probably best to read a few pop books written by real experts first:\n\nKip S. Thorne, Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy.\nRobert M. Wald, Space, Time, and Gravity: the Theory of the Big Bang and Black Holes.\nRobert Geroch, General Relativity from A to B.\n\nQuantum field theory is much harder because many of the most important equations have no clear mathematical meaning, at least not after you leave the confines of 'free quantum field theories', i.e. those where the particles don't interact. Instead, you have to learn a network of different approaches, all related by nonrigorous calculations, each giving a different way to dodge the problems caused by our lack of understanding. \n\nI did my PhD on quantum field theory, and still don't feel I understand it as well as I want.\n\nI could give a lot of book recommendations, but no *one* book explains all the most important stuff.",
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