Why theoretical physics? · 2:50am Nov 2nd, 2012
There's a brilliant little book called The Little Schemer which teaches concepts in functional programming using a dialog format. I've often thought a similar format would work well in theoretical physics. For years I've dreamed about the book I would have wanted to read when I was learning physics.
It's really hard to learn how to think, and it's something most books don't do well with. There is an inherent tension between a logical and economical presentation of a theory and a presentation that actually leads the reader through and forces him to think about every step. Most books seem to want to be a good reference or an elegant presentation. But there's a lot of room for creativity in discussing how to think about these things, and learning physics really is a journey because every step builds upon the previous. So why not present it as an adventure in a story?