Praise for The Theoretical Minimum

“So what do you do if you enjoyed science at school or college but ended up with a different career and are still wondering what makes the universe tick? . . . Leonard Susskind and George Hrabovsky’s The Theoretical Minimum is the book for you. In this neat little book the authors aim to provide the minimum amount of knowledge you need about classical physics . . . to gain some real understanding of the world. . . . They do so with great success. . . . Along the way you get beautifully clear explanations of famously ‘difficult’ things like differential and integral calculus, conservation laws and what physicists mean by symmetries. . . . Messrs. Susskind and Hrabovsky’s book is a powerful exposition of why science is ‘real’ and a counter to the kind of wishful thinking employed by people who, for whatever reason, reject the scientific worldview.”—Wall Street Journal

“Very readable. Abstract concepts are well explained. . . . [The Theoretical Minimum] does provide a clear description of advanced classical physics concepts, and gives readers who want a challenge the opportunity to exercise their brain in new ways.”—Physics World

“Readers ready to embrace their inner applied mathematics will enjoy this brisk, bare-bones introduction to classical mechanics.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Q]uite good. . . . The style is breezy and colloquial, with lots of nice explanations of some of the basic concepts of physics. It’s wonderful to see Poisson brackets appearing and nicely explained in a popular book destined to be displayed at bookstores everywhere.”—Not Even Wrong (blog)

“What a wonderful and unique resource. For anyone who is determined to learn physics for real, looking beyond conventional popularizations, this is the ideal place to start. It gets directly to the important points, with nuggets of deep insight scattered along the way. I’m going to be recommending this book right and left.”—Sean Carroll, physicist, California Institute of Technology, and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe