# Anyone know of a comprehensive (and free) resource to learn Classical Physics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 2, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088 "2011-06-02T15:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MattProle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed8c4c/32.png) [@MattProle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattProle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/1 "2011-06-02T15:31:18Z")
As said in the title, I’m interested in learning Classical Physics. Not the high school / introductory college course version of classical physics, but the real deal. I’ve found bits and pieces of the Lagrangian / Hamiltonian formalisms, and thought they were quite elegant. Some lazy reading on Wikipedia / lectures on youtube have been useful for investigating several other concepts, like Chaos theory, Special / General Relativity, etc. So I know that the essence of Classical Physics may be encapsulated by these accessible resources, but I’d still prefer to engage a single coherent text for the more intense math. Anyone know where I can obtain such a resource? I’ve tried my local book stores / libraries, and all they seem to have is high school level textbooks and pop science (admittedly, the texts on Quantum Mechanics are pretty solid). ~ Mattprole ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/2 "2011-06-02T16:01:45Z")
The book I used my freshman year was Kleppner and Kolenkow’s **An Introduction to Mechanics** , which is still in print: > **[An Introduction To Mechanics: Kleppner,Daniel, Kolenkow,Robert: 9780070350489:...](https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Mechanics-Daniel-Kleppner/dp/0070350485)** > > Buy An Introduction To Mechanics on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders It does an excellent job of introducing mathematically-based mechanics, and the problems are nicely challenging. (If you get it, try a used copy. I can’t believe the new editions are &179 each!) I’d also reccomend Symon’s **Mechanics** : > **[Amazon.com: Mechanics (3rd Edition): 9780201073928: Symon, Keith R.: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-3rd-Keith-R-Symon/dp/0201073927)** > > Amazon.com: Mechanics (3rd Edition): 9780201073928: Symon, Keith R.: Books Goldstein’s **Classical Mechanics** is a more advanced text, which will get you into Hamiltonians and Laplacians and Lagrangians: > **[Classical Mechanics: Goldstein, Herbert, Poole, Charles, Safko, John:...](https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Mechanics-3rd-Herbert-Goldstein/dp/0201657023)** > > Buy Classical Mechanics on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders Also, have a look at the MIT RELATE teaching wiki. I contributed to it: [https://wikis.mit.edu/confluence/display/RELATE/RELATE+MechanicsWIKI+Home;jsessionid=DBD1D82AF86C82E47DAEF08273A9EEBA](https://wikis.mit.edu/confluence/display/RELATE/RELATE+MechanicsWIKI+Home;jsessionid=DBD1D82AF86C82E47DAEF08273A9EEBA) ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/3 "2011-06-02T16:07:15Z")
Wolfram can be a good source of physics info (Eric Weisstein’s World of Physics.) However, the topics are offered scattershot. For something more integrated and coherent, if I were you I’d get an old (and thus cheap) edition of a classical mechanics text, something like: [Amazon link for Marion/Thornton, old edition](http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0030973023/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1307030554&sr=1-4&condition=used) The lowest price is $7 for a used copy at the moment. Alternatively, you could find someone who took a classical mechanics course in college (physics/engineering major) and see if they have an old textbook you could borrow. ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/4 "2011-06-02T16:09:59Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Goldstein’s **Classical Mechanics** is a more advanced text, which will get you into Hamiltonians and Laplacians and Lagrangians: > > [Classical Mechanics: Goldstein, Herbert, Poole, Charles, Safko, John: 9780201657029: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Mechanics-3rd-Herbert-Goldstein/dp/0201657023) > [RELATE MechanicsWIKI Home - Modeling Applied to Problem Solving - MIT Wiki Service](https://wikis.mit.edu/confluence/display/RELATE/RELATE+MechanicsWIKI+Home;jsessionid=DBD1D82AF86C82E47DAEF08273A9EEBA) I’m not familiar with Symon so I won’t comment, but Goldstein is probably more advanced than MattProle would want to start out with. My preferred textbook for introductory upper-level Classical is actually Taylor’s Classical Mechanics, but as that’s a fairly new book, cheap used copies aren’t available yet. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/5 "2011-06-02T21:08:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’d also reccomend Symon’s **Mechanics** : > > [Amazon.com: Mechanics (3rd Edition): 9780201073928: Symon, Keith R.: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-3rd-Keith-R-Symon/dp/0201073927) Ugh. The problems in Symon still give me nightmares. I can’t begin to count the number of hours wasted, I mean spent, doing those. If the proffesor drew your card out of the deck of cards, you had to present the problem on the blackboard for the class. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/6 "2011-06-03T01:41:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m not familiar with Symon so I won’t comment, but Goldstein is probably more advanced than MattProle would want to start out with. Indeed, so I said. If he wants a mathematically-grounded text, my recommendation is Kleppner and Kolenkow. (Kleppner was actually my professor for my Advanced Mechanics course In which we used Goldstein. Later on I got to work with him, sorta, on the RELATE Wiki) ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/7 "2011-06-03T02:36:11Z")
> [@MattProle](#): > > As said in the title, I’m interested in learning Classical Physics. Not the high school / introductory college course version of classical physics, but the real deal. I’ve found bits and pieces of the Lagrangian / Hamiltonian formalisms, and thought they were quite elegant. Some lazy reading on Wikipedia / lectures on youtube have been useful for investigating several other concepts, like Chaos theory, Special / General Relativity, etc. > > So I know that the essence of Classical Physics may be encapsulated by these accessible resources, but I’d still prefer to engage a single coherent text for the more intense math. Anyone know where I can obtain such a resource? I’ve tried my local book stores / libraries, and all they seem to have is high school level textbooks and pop science (admittedly, the texts on Quantum Mechanics are pretty solid). > > ~ Mattprole I found Kleppner and Kolenkow’s An Introduction to Mechanics on ebay “like new” for $35. Thanks for pointer. I would like to find a sophomore or junior level text in Electricity and Magnetism. That was the next series I took after Mechanics. Any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![wickky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@wickky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wickky)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/8 "2011-06-04T02:42:06Z")
Try here: [Search | MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials](http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/) ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-comprehensive-and-free-resource-to-learn-classical-physics/584088/9 "2011-06-04T03:04:33Z")
I like to use the [Kahn Acadamy web page](http://www.khanacademy.org/#physics). Its free and fabulous. Its not a textbook, but an excellent, comprehensive source.