Books that develop interest & critical thinking among high school students

Question

I heard about Yakov Perelman and his books. I just finished reading his two volumes of Physics for Entertainment. What a delightful read! What a splendid author. This is the exact book I've been searching for. I can use it to develop interest for science (math & physics) in my students.

His math books:

1. Mathematics Can Be Fun
2. Figures for Fun
3. Arithmetic for entertainment
4. Geometry for Entertainment
5. Lively Mathematics
6. Fun with Maths & Physics

His physics books:

1. Physics for Entertainment (1913)
2. Physics Everywhere
3. Mechanics for entertainment
4. Astronomy for entertainment
5. Tricks and Amusements

I want to get all the above books. Because books from author like this cannot be disappointing. But unfortunately not all of them are available. :(

I also read another amazing book How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method by G.Polya. This books actually teaches you how to think.

In the similar lines if you have any book suggestions (with very practical problems & case studies) for physics & Math (Please don't differentiate between math & physics here. If someone can develop interest in one of the subject they will gain interest in other.) please contribute.

Cross Post: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/10543/books-that-develop-interest-critical-thinking-among-high-school-students

Answer 1

I saw that some people wanted to learn physics after they saw

1. Project TUVA lectures by Richard Feynman
2. 10th classic classical mechanics lecture by Walter Lewin
3. Surely you are joking Mr. Feynman book by Richard Feynman

To get people interested you need to show them that doing physics is COOL and is FUN.

Answer 2

Back when I was in my final two years of high school, there are a handful of books (the first two with co-incidentally similar titles!) that I remember reading and enjoying:

• The Theory of Almost Everything by Robert Oerter - a great in-depth popular science book on 20th century physics and the goals of unification.

• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson - very much a popular science book (covering many aspects of science from physics to geology to taxonomy). As from any Bill Bryson book, you can expect a lot of humour, storytelling, and generally an entertaining read. The science content is less than some, but still worthwhile.

• Godel, Escher, Bach (GEB) by Douglas Hofstadter - this book is probably famous enough not to need an introduction. I actually read it in my earlier university years, but it's even more suitable for a keen final-year high-school student I'd think. It explores the very nature of the consciousness, thought, complexity, and beauty - and gives mind-opening insights fields as mathematical logic, music, art, AI, and physics.

Answer 3

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

University level, but very readable, with a focus on concepts. When I was in high school, these three volumes got me interested in becoming a physicist.

The set is pricey, but you can probably borrow a copy from your library. There are abridged versions too:

• Six Easy Pieces
• Six Not-So-Easy Pieces

One of the more recent editions of the Feynman Lectures includes "Feynman's tips on Physics", a real gem in which Feynman gives tips on how to approach solving physics problems.

Answer 4

try The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick

funny and smart!

Answer 5

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

Here's a fan art that gives a taste of the kind of critical thinking being present in the book (it is very very slightly NSFW so I didn't include it inline).

Answer 6

For those who don't already know a lot of physics, George Gamow's books are both informative and playful. Martin Gardner's books of his Sci Am Mathematical Games stimulate critical thought and are fun. Maybe also something by Steven Weinberg like The First Three Minutes.

Answer 7

Introducing Quantum Theory: A graphic guide is a very good graphical book. It really provokes one to study more and more in this area. It uses the Pilot wave theory which is a negative point. Neverthless, the pictures are really breathetaking! Physicists here explain their contributions & the problems by themselves! Being jealous at the Solvay Conference, the classical physicists even took their group photo!! I first came in light of Quantum arena by reading this. Price is very low.

Newtonian Mechanics by A.P. French, retd. MIT physics professor, is really as worthy as gold to have. It is designed to be a more or less self-contained introduction to Newtonian mechanics. Students with little or no grounding in the subject can be brought gradually to a level of considerable proficiency.

Answer 8

I second The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick, but I also have to add Einstein for Beginners by Joseph Schwartz. Those two books are probably the most responsible for getting me into my physics career.

I'd also give a big nod to Thinking Physics: Understandable Practical Reality by Lewis Carroll Epstein. This is a phenomenal choice for excellent physics questions that even beginners can tackle. The questions all really make you think.

Answer 9

I found this book is perfect for introducing high school students to an accessible and wide open research field:

• The Fractal Geometry of Nature

Given this book, plus a computer, a student is introduced to a world of everyday systems whose behavior has no theory, but should. Everywhere you look, you see open problems--- what is the fractal dimension of a cloud? How about a cloud way up high? What is the fractal dimension of a rock's surface? What determines it? A coastline? What determines it? A rip in a paper? A crack in glass? A self-avoiding random walk in 3d?

The fractal dimensions are usually much more robust than the detailed shapes, or the actual size of the fractal (the Hausdorff measure). Many models have the same exponents, and you can determine the fractal laws without a detailed microscopic model, because it usually only depends on the coarse features.

This book is a very good introduction to modern renormalization theory, in particular for motivating the study of this difficult and otherwise esoteric subject, a subject Mandelbrot played a large part in founding.

Answer 10

Certainly R. Penrose and Emperor's New Mind! It's extremely amusing, in-depth (compared to most popular science books) and very broad (like GEB, it touches many topics in Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics).

Penrose not only synthesises what's known, but presents many of his own findings and I find myself coming to the book from time to time as a reference. Finally, the book quickly becomes philosophical, discussing philosophy of mathematics, consciousness and cosmology. Author clearly indicates which ideas are merely his philosophical thoughts, which allows reader to disagree and have fun thinking about his propositions.

Answer 11

If it do not need to be a book, I recommend Michael Shermer's Skeptic Column in Scientific American Magazine.