Resources and Further Reading
General/Introductory Books
An algebra-based textbook that goes in depth on many physics topics without making it over complicated. It is an amazing and insightful book for those who are eager to learn physics concepts and their applications to the real world.
This calculus based textbook is the most recommended introductory text for physics olympiads and some have even made IPhO just by using this book and volume 2. Volume 1 is full of theory on all topics of mechanics as well as waves and thermodynamics. Additionally, at the end of every chapter, there are multiple choice questions to help strengthen your knowledge, questions to make sure your concepts are solid, exercises so you can practice applying formulas, and problems for more critical and deep thinking.
Physics Volume 2 5th Edition by Robert Resnick, David Halliday, and Kenneth S. Krane
This calculus based textbook follows from Volume 1 as it covers electricity and magnetism, optics, and quantum theory. Just like Volume 1, there are multiple choice questions to help strengthen your knowledge, questions to make sure your concepts are solid, exercises so you can practice applying formulas, and problems for more critical and deep thinking at the end of every chapter
An algebra-based textbook that goes in depth on many physics topics without making it over complicated. It is an amazing and insightful book for those who are eager to learn physics concepts and their applications to the real world.
This calculus based textbook is the most recommended introductory text for physics olympiads and some have even made IPhO just by using this book and volume 2. Volume 1 is full of theory on all topics of mechanics as well as waves and thermodynamics. Additionally, at the end of every chapter, there are multiple choice questions to help strengthen your knowledge, questions to make sure your concepts are solid, exercises so you can practice applying formulas, and problems for more critical and deep thinking.
Physics Volume 2 5th Edition by Robert Resnick, David Halliday, and Kenneth S. Krane
This calculus based textbook follows from Volume 1 as it covers electricity and magnetism, optics, and quantum theory. Just like Volume 1, there are multiple choice questions to help strengthen your knowledge, questions to make sure your concepts are solid, exercises so you can practice applying formulas, and problems for more critical and deep thinking at the end of every chapter.
Fundamentals of Physics, 10th Edition by David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker
This textbook is very similar to Physics by Resnick, Haliday, and Krane, except this textbook has 1/3 of the harder material taken out from the book. For this reason, it is recommended to read Physics by Resnick, Haliday, and Krane instead of this textbook. However, there are a few concepts such as Young’s Modulus which are only covered in this textbook.
Books Specifically for One Subject
An amazing and useful resource for olympiad physics. This book goes over forces and torques to oscillations as well as some more complex topics such as the Lagrangian, moment of inertia tensor, and relativity. In addition, it also goes over important problem solving concepts such as dimensional analysis and limiting cases which are very useful especially in the F=ma and USAPhO.
An Introduction to Mechanics 2nd Edition by Daniel Kleppner and Robert Kolenkow
This textbook is a commonly used book with Morin’s Introduction to Classical Mechanics in order to master the vast subject of classical mechanics. They start from the basics with kinematics and newton’s laws, and then build up to relativity and fictitious forces with problems at the end of every chapter for extra practice.
Electricity and Magnetism 3rd Edition by Edward M. Purcell and David J. Morin
An introductory textbook in many freshman courses, this textbook is one of the go-to textbooks for electricity and magnetism because it not only covers all aspects of electricity and magnetism, it also shows how they are intertwined due to special relativity. Additionally, the book provides questions and solutions for every problem for extra practice as well as exercises in order to help you master the concepts.
Introduction to Electrodynamics 4th Edition by David J. Griffiths
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Concepts in Thermal Physics 2nd Edition by Stephen J. Blundell and Katherine M. Blundell
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Modern Physics by Kenneth S. Krane
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Problem Books
Problems and Solutions in Introductory Mechanics by David Morin
This textbook is one of the most recommended textbooks for F=ma preparation due to a large variety of problems in classical mechanics and a similar difficulty level to the exam as well as the USAPhO exam because some problems require calculus. Additionally, each multiple choice and free response problems has a very comprehensive solution with steps to help you follow along. As a bonus, each chapter has a quick overview as a refresher for the topic of problems covered in that chapter, so you can jump right into the book even if you have forgotten a few concepts.
Problems in General Physics by I.E. Irodov
A problem book with more than 300 problems for each subject. Starting with mechanics, Irodov goes to E&M, optics, quantum mechanics, and more. These problems have a difficulty level close to that of USAPhO and is highly recommended for olympiad practice.
Pathfinder for Olympiad & JEE Physics by Arwind Tiwari/Sachin Singh
This problem book is an amazing text full of problems not only for JEE preparation, but also olympiad preparation used by many throughout the world.
This book is full of problems that require critical thinking and good problem solving skills. These problems really train your mind for the problems you will find in the F=ma and the USAPhO.
200 More Puzzling Physics Problems: With Hints and Solutions by Péter Gnädig, Gyula Honyek, and Máté Vigh
This book is a continuation of 200 Puzzling Physics Problems which is also full of problems that require critical thinking and good problem solving skills. These problems really train your mind for the problems you will find in the F=ma and the USAPhO.
Kalda Handouts by Jaan Kalda and Solutions by the physoly.tech team
The Kalda Handouts are known to be helpful by solidifying many competition physics concepts seen in USAPhO and IPhO through a large variety of concepts and corresponding problems as well as a large problem set which can be used as practice.
Past Exams and Physics Classes
Links to other comprehensive lists of physics olympiad preparation books
AoPS Physics Resources Page: This link has a large list of books for not only olympiad preparation, but also for more advanced topics such as general relativity and quantum mechanics.
AoPS Physics Community Post by Ashmit Dutta: This is another amazing list full of extra resources for physics competition including books, competitions, handouts, and others. Many of the suggested books come from his AoPS post.
Advice for Introductory Physics by Kevin Zhou: A highly recommended read for those who want to know how to start their competition preparation.
Physics Olympiad Discord: If you want to meet others with a similar interest in competitive physics, you should join this discord. The physics olympiad discord is where a group of many people interested in physics olympiads discuss problems and go over books in reading clubs. Additionally, they have a resources center full of amazing papers, articles, and books which will help you study physics even beyond the competition level.