The Theoretical Minimum
| Company type | Book series and lecture program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education, Publishing |
| Founded | January 29, 2013 |
| Founder | Leonard Susskind |
| Headquarters | Stanford , United States |
| Products | Books, Online lectures |
The Theoretical Minimum: Essential Knowledge to Begin Studying Physics is a popular science publication authored by Leonard Susskind and George Hrabovsky, released on January 29, 2013, through Basic Books.
The Theoretical Minimum refers both to a book series and a continuing-education lecture program based at Stanford University, which gained widespread attention via YouTube. It originated with What You Need to Know, later republished as Classical Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum.
By early 2023, the collection comprises four volumes addressing the initial four of six foundational courses in: classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, special relativity, and classical field theory. All related lecture videos are accessible online. Additionally, Susskind provides further lectures covering advanced quantum mechanics topics, the Higgs boson, quantum entanglement, string theory, and black holes. The entire series includes over 100 lectures amounting to around 200 hours of content, with some individual videos exceeding one million views.
What You Need to Know book summary
This volume offers a mathematically rigorous introduction to fundamental theoretical physics principles such as the principle of least action, Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics, Poisson brackets, and aspects of electromagnetism. It represents the inaugural text in the Theoretical Minimum series inspired by Stanford Continuing Studies courses led by physicist Leonard Susskind. These courses aim to furnish essential theoretical knowledge and mathematical tools necessary for grasping contemporary physics.
Core Course 1: Classical Mechanics
Released in 2014 by Penguin Books under the title Classical Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (ISBN 978-0141976228), this book is accompanied by comprehensive lecture videos available online and an additional resource website.
Core Course 2: Quantum Mechanics
The second installment, authored by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman, was published in 2014 by Basic Books as Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (ISBN 978-0465062904). Full lecture recordings can be found online.
Core Course 3: Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory
This volume, issued in 2017 by Basic Books and written by Susskind alongside Friedman, addresses both special relativity and classical field theory. Complete video lectures are accessible online.
Core Course 4: General Relativity
The most recent publication, co-written by Leonard Susskind and André Cabannes, appeared in January 2023 focusing on the general theory of relativity. Corresponding lecture videos can be viewed online.
Core Courses 5-6
Video presentations for the courses on:
are offered online, along with supplementary written materials [1].
Supplementary Courses
Leonard Susskind provides further lecture series that delve into more complex subjects, including:
- In-depth quantum mechanics
- The Higgs boson
- Quantum entanglement phenomena
- Relativity theory
- Particle physics fundamentals, covering the Standard Model, supersymmetry, and grand unification theories
- String theory concepts
- Cosmology alongside black hole studies
These additional courses are accessible as online video presentations.