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Books like Understanding Physics

Loved Understanding Physics by Isaac Asimov? Here are 9 books with the same pull, and why each one fits.

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9 books

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  1. 1Cosmos

    Cosmos

    Carl Sagan

    A popular science book that tells the history of scientific ideas through the people who discovered them and explains the ideas in clear, everyday language.

  2. 2A Brief History of Time

    A Brief History of Time

    Stephen Hawking

    A popular account of physics ideas about space, time and the universe, written for readers without specialist training.

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  3. 3The Elegant Universe

    The Elegant Universe

    Brian Greene

    A clear introduction to physics ideas that explains difficult theories through the history of how they were developed.

  4. 4Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

    Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

    Carlo Rovelli

    A short, plainly written guide to major ideas in modern physics, aimed at readers who want the core concepts without heavy mathematics.

  5. 5Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland

    Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland

    George Gamow

    A playful introduction to physics ideas, including relativity and quantum theory, written for general readers.

  6. 6QED

    QED

    Richard Phillips Feynman

    Four lectures that explain the physics of light and matter in plain language, based on the author's own way of thinking about the subject.

  7. 7The Clockwork Universe

    The Clockwork Universe

    Edward Dolnick

    A history of how Newton and his contemporaries created the mechanical view of the universe, told through the people involved.

  8. 8Quantum

    Quantum

    Jim Al-Khalili

    A guide to the ideas of quantum physics that uses historical context and everyday examples to explain how the theory developed.

  9. 9The Making of the Atomic Bomb

    The Making of the Atomic Bomb

    Richard Rhodes

    A long narrative history of the physics of the atom and the people who studied it, from the discovery of radioactivity to the bomb.

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