Making the best out of your physics career

Greetings, Fellow Science Enthusiast!

First of all, thanks for subscribing to our newsletter. If you want to unravel the mysteries of the ‘study of nature’ aka physics, you are at the right place.

But, we are gonna kick start this journey by exploring the various platforms which are wholeheartedly dedicated to this field, and will definitely play a role in developing your interest, paving the way to a bright future in physics.

Today, I will tell you about the best sources and the ways to enjoy physics.

Top Physics Books You Must Read

“What an astonishing thing a book is”, said Carl Sagan, emphasizing on the benefits of reading for young minds. There are countless best sellers which have inspired many of the world's best physicists to ponder upon out-of-the-box solutions to the biggest mysteries of the universe. The list is too long but here I mention ten of my favourite ones:

1. Six Easy Pieces - Richard Feynman

2. Six Not-So-Easy Pieces - Richard Feynman

3. A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking

4. Cosmos - Carl Sagan

5. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - Neil D. Tyson

6. Quantum - Manjit Kumar

7. The Grand Design - Leonard Mlodinow and Stephen Hawking

8. Physics of the Impossible - Michio Kaku

9. The Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene

10. Alex's Adventures in Numberland - Alex Bellos

By the time you finish your post-graduation, I hope your perspective to approach scientific problems would have changed tremendously. Start reading these books today!

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Top Science Shows to Watch

Here I list five edutaining shows which are worth watching:

1. You Have Been Warned 

   A panel of scientists explains the science behind the world's most viral videos.

2. Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman

   Explores the mysteries of human existence that have puzzled mankind since the beginning of time.

3. How Universe Works

   Various world-renowned physicists present their fascinating theories about how the universe came into existence out of nothing.

4. Cosmos - A Spacetime Odyssey

   Based on Carl Sagan's bestseller Cosmos, Neil deGrasse Tyson explores the history of our universe as to how the order was separated from the chaos.

5. Street Science

   Tim Shaw conducts spectacular scientific experiments on the street that revolve around science, physics, and engineering.

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Top Youtube Channels to Learn Physics

Learning becomes much more fun if you can visualize all the scientific stuff happening in those boring textbooks. These five channels will assist you to understand fundamental concepts visually and hence more easily:

1. Professor Dave Explains

   What can this guy not teach? Ranging from Science to Mathematics, History to Economics, his videos cover the best explanation for almost everything happening around us. My personal favourite, this channel is the best resource for self-education in existence. Subscribe Here

2. Minute Physics

   Short Videos by Henry Reich explaining phenomena related to everyday life and amazing theories of the universe. You will fall in love with the way he explains even the most gruelling things with great ease. Subscribe Here

3. TedEd

   I can spend the whole day learning from their videos. TED's youth and education initiative aims to spark and celebrate the ideas and knowledge-sharing of teachers and students around the world. Subscribe Here

4. 3Blue1Brown

   Created by Grant Sanderson, the channel focuses on higher mathematics with a distinct visual perspective. Topics covered include linear algebra, calculus, and artificial neural networks. Subscribe Here

5. Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell

   This channel focuses on minimalist animated educational content, using the flat design style. It discusses scientific, technological, political, philosophical, and psychological subjects. Subscribe

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How to Live your Life as a Physicist

Here I give some practical tips on how to enjoy your journey en route to being a physicist:

1. Read A lot of Books

   Throughout your course, you are going to read several books with a lot of technical knowledge embedded in them. To be able to think creatively, you should also read books which teach you how to think, those which familiarize you with the most complex ideas with great ease. Ten such books have been listed earlier in this article.

2. Learn to Code

   Gone are the days when science was only limited to pen and paper. With the advent of technology, today we can check the validity of our scientific ideas with help of supercomputers. Programming is today an important component of a physicist’s daily work.

3. Join Science Clubs

   Joining science clubs will introduce you to many fellow physicists and mentors, and you will learn a lot working in a team.

4. Do Internships

   Internships are a great way of getting the first-hand experience of teaching and research-related activities. Doing internships will allow you to know about a great deal of work before you join a research institute as a full-time job.

5. Take Part in Competitions

   There are several competitions that give you a great opportunity to showcase your talent and learn several new techniques. Asteroid Hunts and Google’s Summer of Code are among the most popular ones.

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I hope that you have taken notes and will follow the above advice. As you have now chosen this difficult yet fascinating field, I wish you will soon have your Eureka! moment. The Force will be with you. Always.

Happy learning!