So You Want to Learn Physics…
Susan Rigetti’s self-study roadmap lays out a textbook-driven path from high-school math through graduate-level physics. The guide emphasizes sequential prerequisites, rigorous problem solving, and accessible alternatives to formal university study.
So You Want to Learn Physics…
Author: Susan Rigetti | Published: 2021-04-20 | Generated: 2026-07-12 | Domain: susanrigetti.com Tags: ‘#physics’ ‘#selfstudy’ ‘#quantummechanics’ ‘#mathematics’ ‘#textbooks’
TLDR
This second edition presents a structured, independent curriculum intended to provide the conceptual and mathematical knowledge of undergraduate physics—and, through the graduate core, a master’s-level foundation—using standard university textbooks. It starts with high-school mathematics and introductory mechanics, then advances through electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, general relativity, and quantum field theory. Rigetti argues that serious learners outside universities are underserved, and that mastery depends on solving textbook problems rather than passive reading or laboratory access alone.
Key Takeaways
- Proven demand for rigorous self-study: Rigetti says more than 600,000 people used the guide over nearly six years; reader feedback includes learners who later entered undergraduate and graduate physics programs.
- Undergraduate sequence: The nine-stage curriculum moves through introductory mechanics, electrostatics, waves, modern physics, classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics/statistical mechanics, and specialized electives.
- Math is learned in parallel: Calculus begins alongside introductory mechanics; advanced engineering mathematics supplies linear algebra, complex analysis, ODEs/PDEs, and related tools needed for upper-level coursework.
- Problem solving is non-negotiable: The guide states that solving problems is the only way to understand physics; learners should attempt exercises repeatedly before consulting online solutions.
- Graduate study has a hard limit: Completing the graduate core can build master’s-equivalent subject knowledge, but a PhD also requires years of supervised research, a thesis, and program-specific examinations.
Images & Media
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Referenced Links
- First edition of “So You Want to Learn Physics” — Original version of the self-study guide.
- Khan Academy — Recommended refresher resource for pre-calculus mathematics and foundational science.
- Robert Ghrist’s Coursera courses — Free calculus courses recommended for learners struggling with introductory calculus.
- University Physics with Modern Physics by Young and Freedman — Primary introductory text reused for mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and modern physics.
- TASI Lectures: Introduction to Cosmology — Recommended graduate-level cosmology resource by Mark Trodden and Sean Carroll.