[mrjangles]

I can tell immediately that you have never actually picked up a physics textbook. The main reason is that most physicists only have the most elementary understanding of the mathematics underlying what they are doing. This is for historical reasons because usually the physics came first, then the mathematicians came and cleaned everything up. The result is that every physics textbook teaches you exactly what you need to know and not a thing more.

Most physicists wouldn't understand group theory or lie groups any better than an undergrad having done the first 3 weeks of an algebra course. I'm telling you this because by listening to too much popular physics rather than actually reading a physics textbook you are going well on your way to becoming one of these people from the article.

Anyway, Gerard 't Hooft made a great little website to help people in your situation.

https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/theorist.html

[schoen]

That's cool! The web site itself notes that it is officially moving to

https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~gadda001/goodtheorist/index....

and that the old address may become unavailable in the future (so it seems worth documenting the new address here).