Recommended physics reading, for Gringo the [not feeling so] great

[libalchris]

OK, so I came here thinking this was going to be just like any other atheist forum. Napoleon tried to clue me into the fact that it wasn't, but I'm an arrogant SOB so I basically dismissed his claim.

Anywho, here's the thing. I've noticed there are a lot of people here who are either physicists or know a great deal about the field. I, on the other hand, read some of these threads and feel like I've got an IQ of about -12.

So, what I'd like from you lovely people is to point me in the direction of some essential reading on physics. Now, I feel I need to point a few things out first. Whilst I am far from stupid, due to a childhood illness I have absolutely zero academic education. Virtually everything I know, I taught myself. So, with that in mind, I will be needing to start with baby steps. We're talking lying on my belly until I work out how to crawl.

If it helps to ease your mind that you won't be wasting your time; in every I do, within months of 'getting it' I excel beyond anyone in that area.

Thank you in advance.

While I'm not a physicist (yet, I'm about to attend college to become one)
I unfortunately can't recommend too awful much for the layman. Most of what I read is for someone with a heavy background in math. If you want to get a good math-based physics. You'll need to learn calculus (I recommend the calculus lifesaver and khanacademy.com series) and then you could read the textbook fundamentals of physics by halliday and resnick. Or if you're not a textbook guy there's The Feynman Lectures on Physics which I highly recommend.

If you don't want to go so far as calculus based physics, but know or are willing to learn high-school level physics, khnacademy.com also has a fantastic video series on physics, as well as cosmology.

All those listed above are for learning about plain physics, not more applied physics like cosmology. If you're looking for stuff like that, I could recommend "teach yourself cosmology" that requires very little math and is for the layman. I've also heard good things about "a brief history of time" though I have yet to read it myself.

Now, one video series that contains all sorts of great information in an easy to understand, math free format is cassiopeiaproject.com They have fantastic videos on the big bang, cosmology, the standard model of physics, relativity, quantum mechanics, and much much more. I HIGHLY recommend these, they're absolutely fantastic.

Hope that helps. Good luck!