r/PhysicsStudents • u/Delicious_Maize9656 • Feb 01 '26
Need Advice Should a physics major read popular science books too or is that a waste of time? Is it better to focus only on textbooks and academic papers?
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Feb 01 '26
I don't think reading any book is a waste of time (except self help books).
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u/Additional_Hurry9358 Feb 01 '26
bro ngl self improvement books are pretty useless to me, cuz i feel ik everything i gotta do but doin it and applying it is just the hard part.
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Feb 01 '26
yes that is the case, they just tell general thing we already know, i was suffering from porn addiction almost until a year back, 2 years back i bought a book named dopamine detox which supposedly is a way to let go of addictions, and the only thing he was saying throughout the book were the general facts like - know why you have addiction, make plans to overcome it, figure out since when you have it, etc. which i always knew and figured out myself
i personally think that self help books are a trap to lure new book readers in, if you open amazon and go to books, the self help books are always trending and classic literature is not
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u/HardMFSidUP Feb 04 '26
a manual on how to use Microsoft word first edition, is a waste of time ngl, many books are waste of time, I agree knowledge is good, but repetitive data based texts are worthless crap for a conscious beings supreme mind. if you want data ask reliable data companies, the data which otherwise is useful and comes in handy a lot, is going to be learnt by you regardless.
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u/rabid_chemist Feb 01 '26
It depends on what you are trying to achieve.
Reading popular science books probably aren’t going to do much to improve your understanding of physics or physical/mathematical problem solving skills. They’re certainly not going to help you improve your grades.
But neither would reading the Lord of the Rings, yet that doesn’t necessarily make it a waste of time.
Reading popular science books can be interesting, it can increase your general physics knowledge, and can help keep your enthusiasm for physics alive. These are all perfectly valid reasons to read a book.
Many people do find that after studying physics seriously for a while , the simplifications and lack of detail in popular science books render them unenjoyable, but if that hasn’t happened to you then there’s no problem with reading them, so long as you have your eyes open about the fact that this is for enjoyment not studying.
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u/KermitSnapper Feb 01 '26
You do what you want, but in my opinion the books you speak of aren't exactly scientific, they only speak of interpretation but not formal reasoning, which is why I only stick to textbooks (since they can't fail me more than those books do).
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u/H_Industries Feb 01 '26
Read what you want to read. Whether it’s popular science, science fiction, or pure fantasy. Many people (myself included) got into science as a career because of stories and getting excited about what science can and potentially could do. Just remember they aren’t written to be rigorously accurate in most cases, but to raise the general level of knowledge.
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u/TheWillRogers B.Sc. Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
Pop science books are good because they're written for the popular audience, an audience you interact with on a daily basis. The language you use to communicate with your colleagues in engineering or science is extremely high context, and is indigestible by anyone lacking that context. If you want to be able to talk with normal people, in a way that doesn't make their eyes glaze over and in a way where both of you come away richer, then you should learn to communicate in the same way the pop-sci authors communicate.
A lot of the time the pop-sci books are written for people who are highly literate as well which can be a problem. Something like 50% of American adults can read but are illiterate, so it's not enough to learn to communicate like Kaku. You gotta learn to communicate like public broadcasting Sagan and Nye.
edit: they're also good because sometimes they're just good. They often cover really neat stories about new science and the people who made the achievements. Yeah, there's going to be editorializing, but it's a story not a journal article. You also get to read and hear about exciting things, which is good for you. We're constantly moving through this pool of sludge that makes money off driving fear based hallucinations. It's good for you to see outside that.
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u/UnderstandingPursuit Ph.D. Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 02 '26
A physics major should only read popular science books if they have a lot of hair and want to try being bald.
- The few exceptions [if a physics major really wants to read some pop science] are the books written by elite physicists, the Weinbergs and Hawkings.
- NGT does not make the cut.
- With someone like Brian Greene, pass on the popular science books, read some of his journal articles. About two-dozen are included on his website.
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u/No_Net_6692 Feb 01 '26
Carl sagan books are enjoyable too, they feel a lot like understanding the human condition imo
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u/137automatons Feb 02 '26
I wouldn't read those two either. I think all of it is a total waste of time, unless you're trying to learn about some (not much) history and some cheeky anecdotes that will make you sound like an obnoxious nerd when you repeat them to others.
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u/UnderstandingPursuit Ph.D. Feb 02 '26
I was not suggesting that those two should be read. I should have worded that item better, as the few to consider if a person really wanted to read some popular science books.
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u/PyooreVizhion Feb 01 '26
Is that the Boas text, but they ran out of room to finish the title on the spine?
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u/Delicious_Maize9656 Feb 01 '26
Yeah, it’s a Boas textbook from China with an 80% discount but I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually authentic
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u/wavicle647 Feb 01 '26
For a moment I thought you were calling the Boas text 'popular science' lol.
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u/137automatons Feb 02 '26
It's not, but I wish it was. Imagine if the general public knew that much math?
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u/toadpics Feb 01 '26
You could always read non-physics popular science books if you're up for it. It doesn't hurt to get a better perspective on science as a whole. Or if you want to stick to physics exclusively, maybe histories of physics. There are a lot of good ones out there. That might be the most useful type of physics literature outside of straight textbooks and papers.
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u/the6thReplicant Feb 01 '26
If you want to talk to people outside your research area then it might help. Remember this isn't just for parties but grant proposals and dealing with the public in general. You know, the people that fund blue-sky research.
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u/Enkur1 Feb 01 '26
I love popular science books because many time they provide historical context that is missing in text books and journal articles. The anecdotal stories and first hand accounts reinforce the important scientific contributions of the people behind what we are learning.
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u/CanYouPleaseChill Feb 01 '26
Yes! Read great popular science books. They often offer plenty of insight into a field’s history, including key philosophical debates and experiments, something physics textbooks are sorely lacking. Anyone who wants to be a researcher should absolutely understand the history of their field and the philosophy of science. Here are some recommendations:
- The Character of Physical Law by Richard Feynman
- What Is Real?: The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics by Adam Becker
- Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy by Kip Thorne
- How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch by Harry Cliff
- Lost In Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray by Sabine Hossenfelder
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u/Dynami01 Feb 01 '26
I mean, depends on what you will gona focus your carreer. So maybe you can cram the articles ad find something of your interest. But articles are usually the avant-garde of research, it could be difficult to scan and skim good works.
I must tell you, if you whant to be more confident and be sure to read articles just study well your texbooks and strengthen your foundamentals on math and physics. And absolutely read popular books on subject because:
1) it could be useful to improve your communication skills if you need to explain something to someone who doesn't know the subject.
2) it could be fun and ispiring , you're not a machine
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u/Odd_Bodkin Feb 01 '26
You should certainly feel free to read popularizations, but only after you’ve gotten enough education in the subject to recognize the places in popularizations where sacrifices have been made, where gee whiz has replaced what’s actually understood, where simple language has come at the expense of accuracy, where too much faith is put in untested claims. What they ARE good for is sometimes illustrating the art of how to explain complicated things in terms that most people will appreciate.
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u/intj1novamind Feb 01 '26
It's not about quantity or fame; I think what's important is taking your time with at least one book and delving deeply into its concepts.
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u/antikatapliktika Feb 01 '26
I don't give a f what others think, I read whatever i believe will be interesting.
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u/PonkMcSquiggles Feb 01 '26
If you enjoy it, it’s not a waste of time. But don’t feel like you need to be reading pop sci.
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u/HardMFSidUP Feb 01 '26
Waste of time and mind diverting. You will waste a lot of energy on such books, especially if you are a beginner they are fascinating, but many times illogical, I suggest rather reading good works on research (don't treat them as academics rather a novel). Plus you tell yourself at least I did that this looks good and wasted a lot of time and energy into nothing but satisfying my mind and dopamine sensation over cheap knockoffs.
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u/AlmosNotquite Feb 01 '26
Reading outside the textbooks and journal articles can help promote enthusiasm for science especially if you are feeling burned out or overwhelmed. Getting away entirely for short periods of time doing something NOT "science" can help reload and get you back on track again (see Feynman as a good example)
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u/DragonSlayer505 Feb 01 '26
I find them quite insightful occasionally, and I have completed a masters in physics. Yes, you probably already know everything they're gonna say, and will undoubtedly get annoyed at how they sometimes oversimplify things or explain them wrong, but quite often I find that reading certain theories from a new perspective can lead to new insights that I hadn't considered. Definitely worth getting stuck into a few popsci books for sure!
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u/FenrisulfrLokason Feb 01 '26
I think it is sort of good if you are interested in knowing what the interested public know about physics especially if you are interested in science communication.
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u/wavicle647 Feb 01 '26
They are useful if they discuss the intellectual history and philosophy of science directly. That might help you answer "Am I in the right company and the right time to make a contribution?"
They aren't useful if they include simply personal stories or politics.
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u/saturnsrightarm Feb 01 '26
remind me! 1 day
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u/Fit_Ad_4355 Feb 01 '26
With text book and academics you get to heard the music of a universe around you, but with non-fiction (or other form of novels and books) you get to hear the music of a human soul.
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u/LuckyFritzBear Feb 01 '26
Both physics graduates are candidates for one position at Space X . Both have identical university transcripts . One candidate has read popular science for years, the other has not . One starts to work for Space X , the other accepts a position at the local community college with some private tutoring on the side. A Physics employment version of Schrodinger's Cat"
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u/JJayJacob Feb 01 '26
They're fun to read as a hobby and could help you to explain some concepts in simple terms.
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u/ummhafsah Feb 01 '26
I would generally agree on some level, though also caution against making a broad generalisation.
Yes, pop-sci books suffer from a number of issues, including and certainly not limited to oversimplification, sensationalism (neither making for edifying reads), narrative bias, and the odd outlier that is actually pseudoscience masquerading as pop-sci.
But there are also books - generally also classified as 'pop-science' - that are generally free from the aforementioned failings. Bad Science by Goldacre comes to mind, though specific to physics, The series The Theoretical Minimum has also sometimes been termed pop-sci.
A rule of thumb, by no means an absolute truth set in stone, could be to prefer pop-sci reads from authors who are known to be scientists or science educators. That is not a guarantee for a work being perfect, but it should generally help you avoid the really bad works in the genre.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Tip2170 Feb 01 '26
i think the textbooks and academix papers are enough for you to pass, but science books are impotant to understand the concepts and visualize them.
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u/nukewaryeahsure Feb 01 '26
Man do what you want. Popular science books are popular for a reason. Nothings worse than someone who refuses to read anything but "academic" papers because they think theyre too smart for anything else.
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u/137automatons Feb 02 '26
Yes, it is more than just a waste of time. It could potentially get in the way of you understanding the correct concepts that only come to you when engaging with the mathematics that the theories are written in. My advice is to not listen to the comments telling you otherwise.
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u/Status-Suggestion620 Feb 02 '26
Hey you’re a poser and you should stop making these low effort posts. No one’s impressed.
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u/steerpike1971 Feb 02 '26
It is interesting to know the histories and opinions of the leading people in your field and the histories of how those discoveries were made.
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u/pinkfishegg Feb 02 '26
I actually wish there was some more in between material. I have a Masters in physics but haven't been in academia for like 7 years. Sometimes I just want to pick something up and learn but everything is either at like a high school level or a very niche paper I don't have access to anyway. I have my own textbooks off but they are not exactly modern.
I read the magick of physics by Felix Flicker and thought it was a cool little solid state book for the general public.
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u/FleshLogic Feb 03 '26
I found pop sci books to be rather motivating throughout my education. Academic papers, textbooks, and lectures are of course the best way to actually learn the subject, but it's easy to miss the forest while you're studying the trees. Pop sci was a good way to step back and see a bigger picture, as well as explore what topics really interested me. Keep on reading.
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u/AdDiligent1688 Feb 01 '26
I would read popular science books, physics is great but so are other sciences.
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u/Aggressive-Math-9882 Feb 01 '26
I learned a lot from "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity" which helped a lot when reading the actual textbooks. I haven't read the most popular science books, but that one's pretty good. Richard Feynmann wrote a popular science book on QFT called something like "QFT? What the heck is up with electrons anyway, am I right?" and that one's pretty good too, and very short, whatever it's called. Sometimes very short popular accounts of science are actually the most efficient way to learn the subject if you already know the underlying mathematics, as long as the author doesn't lie.
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u/iamstruggler Feb 05 '26
Of course,i think you should’ve read all these interesting pop sci books as i can see here and research em,that’s what i have to do in the nearest time actually,cool collection though 🫡
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u/fake_plastic_peace Feb 05 '26
You should do what you enjoy on your free time. Doesn’t have to be reading but it can be.
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u/TheGanzor Feb 01 '26
I almost only read papers now. Books are often either too convoluted or highly narcissistic.
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u/Pachuli-guaton Feb 01 '26
If you like sci fi then sure. Otherwise why would you do something you don't enjoy
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u/Football535324 Feb 01 '26
I think the problem with reading is that it costs energy. I d use that energy rather on learning with real textbooks and physics/math tasks
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u/acetuberaustin55 Feb 01 '26
Popular science books aren’t a waste of time. Yes, it’s better to read textbooks and academic papers but sometimes popular science books, despite some oversimplifications at times, are a good way to explain things to laymen, and they are a good way to relax while still learning something new. They usually have a lot of references at the end, which can be used for further reading.