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Customer Reviews (5)

Good
Softcover, with the front cover a little curled. The overall quality is fine, and the content is without doubt worth reading.

classic
This is a classic on path integrals by one of the founders of the subject, finally in Dover edition.

Return of a classic
It is wonderful to see this extraordinary work back in print, especially in this attractive low cost Dover edition.As an added bonus, the myriad misprints that plagued the original 1965 printing (and caused me such grief when I first read it in high school) have been corrected.

The path integral approach, so clearly explained in this volume, derived from Feynman's graduate research at Princeton where he applied variational principles to quantum mechanics.This, in turn, was motivated by a seminal 1932 paper of Dirac.

At the time, the formalism appeared to provide only an elegant means of deriving the wave equation without achieving any new results.But elegant mathematics always seems to have a way of finding application in physics.Just look at how formerly "obscure" topics like Lie algebras and differential geometry have become part of the essential language of particle physics.And path integral methods have proved useful in fields ranging from quantum electrodynamics to acoustic propagation.

Like all of Feynman's works, this text combines sound, if unconventional, mathematics with remarkable physical insight.There is still no better introduction to the topics treated here.This book is required reading for anyone wishing to understand quantum mechanics (at least in so far as anyone can understand quantum mechanics) and who intends to pursue more advanced topics.

Heartily recommended!

If you liked volumes I and II of the Lectures...
The Feynman Lectures deserve their status as classics, bringing novel insights and clarity even to topics that one would think ancient and musty (e.g. his exposition of radio waves). I'm not sure I would recommend them as undergraduate texts, since there may be too much wizardry where the solutions depend on deep insights or unexpected symmetries, with perhaps too few examples of brute calculation and no exercises to be worked by the student. However, they are unsurpassed when used to supplement the usual treatments or just to appreciate the beauty of the subject. For some reason, I never had the same feeling toward Volume III (Quantum Mechanics). In part, I think this is because he was trying too hard to reconcile the usual Schroedinger description with his own version of Quantum Mechanics, namely the least action/ path integral approach used in this text. Without the same constraint here (although he does very elegantly derive the wave equation from the least action principle), I experienced the same sense of wonder and awe that I felt from his earlier treatment of mechanics and electricity/magnetism. Although it's only my personal opinion, I would recommend this as the true successor to volumes I and II of the Lectures.

A must have for anyone interested in Particle Physics or String Theory
It is a gospel for all physics students that this masterpiece is finally available as a Dover edition. Written by Feynman himself, this book explains the path integral approach to quantum mechanics in a way that is understandable to every beginning quantum mechanic. Path integrals are integral (sorry, bad English) to the study of quantum field theory and string theory, and you must be a master at it if you would like to work in either of these fields. Purchase this book at once and start working!
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Product Description
This book first teaches learners how to do quantum mechanics, and then provides them with a more insightful discussion of what it means. Fundamental principles are covered, quantum theory presented, and special techniques developed for attacking realistic problems.The book's two-part coverage organizes topics under basic theory, and assembles an arsenal of approximation schemes with illustrative applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (113)

It's a book
The book came in a good amount of time for use. It was a little more beat up than expected, but it's a book and it works just fine as a book. The author is very good. A little dry though. I like my physics with a good amount of humor.

Never received it
I sent a message to Infinity Book Store inquiring on the status of the delivery when I didn't receive my item after nine days. I sent several e-mails, and each time they told me to wait a few more days. Well, after a month, I requested a refund. Let's see how long this will take. Apparently they don't call themselves Infinity for nothing! What upsets me the most is that I lost valuable study time.

Very good introductory book
I used it for a basic QM class. This book is very clearly written, well understandable. Problems are almost solvable. If you follow the class this book will help you.

Sent international edition instead of US edition pictured
The book was in good condition but was not the edition I expected to receive.I expected the US edition and instead got the international edition--not the same quality of binding or printing.

OK intro to QM
This is a pretty decent introduction to QM.Not many prereqs are assumed which is good.Ch. 4 is organized a bit strangely (angular momentum is presented after the hydrogen atom).However, you will probably have to read a more advanced book to move on to QFT. ... Read more

Product Description
This textbook covers, step-by-step, important topics in quantum mechanics, from traditional subjects like bound states, perturbation theory and scattering, to more current topics such as coherent states, quantum Hall effect, spontaneous symmetry breaking, superconductivity, and basic quantum electrodynamics with radiative corrections. The large number of diverse topics are covered in concise, highly focused chapters, and are explained in simple but mathematically rigorous ways. Derivations of results and formula are carried out from beginning to end, without leaving students to complete them. With over 200 exercises to aid understanding of the subject, this textbook provides a thorough grounding for students planning to enter research in physics. Several exercises are solved in the text, and password-protected solutions for remaining exercises are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521877602. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Thanks Prof. Desai!
A very generous author sharing his knowledge and guiding you through a modern exposition of Quantum Mechanics.
Great book!.
Please keep on writing!
The publisher should have used lighter weight paper. This book weighs a ton!
Amazon should give this text greater visibility!

Former student's review.
Caveat:I have not yet obtained my copy of the book.I can only write from my experience with the draft, which were essentially lecture notes used as the core text for graduate quantum mechanics at UC Riverside.

I took Professor Desai's quantum courses, and also electromagnetics from him.

His book is the extension of lecture notes provided to his students and developed over several iterations of teaching graduate quantum mechanics.The nice thing is he is including new material on more advanced topics we did not have time to cover when I took his lectures.

I have studied from many texts.Shankar, Sakurai, and Liboff.I'm glad that Desai's book is now available, and am looking forward to getting my copy.

I can say that Professor Desai lets the math speak for itself.Compared to other physics authors, Professor Desai is habitually explicit and concise.Looking at the table of contents, Desai is covering more real-world topics in dedicated chapters than a current popular text, and leading the student to second quantization, with only 200 pages more.He's following the example of Schiff.

And there are some nice pedagogical features to the book as well.Gauge theory is treated early on in Desai.So you're basically gaining knowledge useful for both E&M and quantum in one course of study.Since the student isgoing to be taking both at the same time, this is good.This "dual gain" is also present with Desai's treatment of Green's functions and path integration, which will carry over to E&M also.This is what I experienced taking his course.


The book is a definite buy, that's easy... the real question is what wine to drink while reading it?

Extremely Detailed Mathematics, Everything Derived for You
As a student of Dr. Desai's, I've had first-hand experience with working through this textbook, in the context of the author's own lectures. This book is extremely good for working through derivations of various quantum mechanics concepts, and mathematically, is quite rigorous. I think this book would be most useful for the graduate student theorist, who is perhaps not as interested in experimental application of quantum mechanics as an experimentalist.

The end of chapter problems are at times esoteric and mathematical, applying linear algebra to deconstruct an operator with no quantum mechanical context, however, often, the mathematics from these problems appear far ahead in the text. I would recommend the student also use another textbook to gain a more 'experimentalist' perspective on quantum mechanics.

This book contains some errors (it is only in its first edition). At times the errors are minor, but other times they can be more significant. The most common error seems to be false equation references, or a missing 'h-bar' and factors of 'c'. Very occasionally (I have seen one or two within the first 300 pages) there is a serious error, such as using an angular momentum vector instead of a magnetic field vector.

I think this book is an excellent resource, and is almost completely self contained. It will teach you the tools and mathematical back-bone of quantum mechanics, but leaves rigorous applications of the subject to the student's imagination.

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Product Description
Quantum behavior encompasses a large fraction of modern science and technology, including the laws of chemistry and the properties of crystals, semiconductors, and superfluids. This graduate-level text presents the basic principles of quantum mechanics using modern mathematical techniques and theoretical concepts, such as hermitian operators, Hilbert space, Dirac notation, and ladder operators. The first two chapters serve as an introduction to quantum theory with a discussion of wave motion and Schrödinger's wave mechanics. Coverage then details the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics.Throughout, basic theory is clearly illustrated and applied to the harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, the hydrogen atom, the variation method, perturbation theory, and nuclear motion. This volume is the ideal textbook for beginning graduate students in chemistry, chemical physics, molecular physics and materials science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent textbook
Despite its title, this book contains few applications to chemistry.What distinguishes it from most QM texts is the absence of physics-specific applications like solid state, and the careful, step-by-step process by which the author derives results.I'd recommend it to anyone (chemist, physicist, whatever) who wants to know nonrelativistic quantum theory.It's also a handy reference for a few subjects that have wide use outside QM, like group velocity and spherical harmonics.The style is a bit dry, and I doubt that I'll ever read it cover to cover, but as a textbook it's hard to beat.

Fantastic explanation of theory with math
This is exactly what I was looking for when I wanted to put a face to some of the more complex theories and physics that I've been studying on my own about the fundamentals of some string and quantum mechanics theories. He starts from the beginning and goes nice and fast, however its nice small steps he takes, you can read it at any pace but its a LOT packed into it.I'm just glad he was able to finish it without going crazy :)Thanks for taking the time to split up the math and put it all together into one source.This makes it much easier to apply some theory with this kind of background.The math is easily layed out and forshadowed.the formulas and values are explained as they are used and each propogation is shown and explained.It assumes knowledge of physics but explains anyway.I'm not a graduate student, but I can understand it anway, great work. ... Read more

Product Description
The more you learn about quantum physics, the more you wonder: who is really creating your reality? Fear not: Dr. Quantum, superhero of spiritual science, is here to help you Meet the Real Creator—You! Join this champion of modern thought (sometimes known by his alter ego, Dr. Fred Alan Wolf) on a quest for truth through the strange reality of quantum physics. Listeners will discover how we participate in the manifestation of each moment, why the universe only seems to be beyond our ability to control, and how we can use the principles of cutting-edge science to truly take charge of our lives. On this four-part journey into understanding, Dr. Quantum will unravel such mysteries as: • Your "spiritual elephant"—who is really in control of your life from a quantum perspective?• Quantum heaven, quantum hell—if we create our own reality, why do things happen that we don’t want?• "If I have a soul, why doesn’t it do something?" How to open a dialogue between your "self" and "soul."• Is there one soul, or are there many? A quantum perspective on the nature of self and other. Whether he’s rescuing listeners from confusion about subatomic subtleties or breaking down the barriers between science and spirit, Dr. Wolf sets the standard for bringing quantum physics down to earth—and into our lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Entertaining and Relevant to Everyone
I LOVE the way that Fred Alan Wolf speaks on this book. There are so many Audiobooks out there that simply talk at you. In this he annunciates and has fun talking about quantum physics and its relativity to the consciousness of man. Great audiobook. Very Recommended!!!

A gem!
This is a review of the audiobook.I have purchased more than a dozen fine audiobooks and this one is now number one on my list. Wolf reads his own book and some of the strait-laced may be a bit put off by a herr professor who in spots sounds like a manic comedian. And maybe a few aspects of the argument could have been more developed and the point underlined. But this is a popular introduction on how quantum physics relates, or has similarities, to a spiritual understanding of the worldand as such, I think, is a spectacular success. Wolf uses metaphor, analogy and word pictures to bring his point across, signs of a good writer. He deals in profound ideas and though he may make it seem like a sleigh ride, it aint that easy to do. There is speculation here and assumptions so if you're looking for a scientific explanation of quantum physics this audiobook is not for you. Materialists and spiritualityphobes, you'll hate it! But for me, Wolf is a supremely wise old coot full of vim and vigor and joy of life. A gem.

Utter Rubbish
It's amazing how this guy can rave on and on for hours without actually saying anything. Here's a scientist that never seems to have heard of the scientific method. Very disappointing! The non-sequiturs and leaps of logic are astounding.

Very Good Book.
I liked this book. Fred Alan Wolf is a exuberant speaker. I wish i would have had him as a teacher.

Don't miss this one!
I listen each day. I am enjoying listening and learning more about the world and myself. ... Read more

Product Description
'An excellent text....The postulates of quantum mechanics and the mathematical underpinnings are discussed in a clear, succint manner.'--American Scientist, from a review of the First Edition The author introduces major additions and updates key presentations in the long-awaited new edition of this classic text. New features of the Second Edition include an entirely rewritten mathematical introduction, a discussion of Time-reversal invariance, and extensive coverage of a variety of path integrals and their applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

Outstanding Textbook for a QM Class
I was fortunate to have a professor use this book for a QM class! Although I don't "understand" QM, this text was the one that allowed me to solve homework problems, gain insight into the theory, and prepare me for field theory classes. Mandel & Shaw was a seamless transition from this text and I am glad my professor chose this book. Grad or undergrad, this QM book will help you more than you realize.

Chapter one is amazing -- all the math prep you need for the rest of the book. Few books can brag about such a feat but Shankar can! Good treatment of Dirac and statistics rivaled by few QM books. The homework problems are carefully selected and make for a challenging class.

Quantum mechanics
I will make it real simple. It has been over a half of a year since I bought this book. When I first got it, it seemed really hard, you have to really read this book line for line. With the help of scham's outline, quantum mechanics and quantum mechanics demystified I got through it without a teacher. It now seems real easy and I cannot understand why I had trouble. One review says it breaks down after chapter seven. Well it does not. Only after I started doing quantum field theory did I start to understand why this book is written the way it is. Plain and simple this book prepares you for QFT. All other Quantum Mechanics books seem easy after going through this book. Only after doing QFT do some of the chapters in this book now make sense. The chapters starting with 10 are a preparation for QFT. A good Physics book is one that prepares one to go on to harder subjects. This book does just that. Read it slow and understand it step by step, I had to re-read some chapters 3-4 times. You need strong linear algebra and partial differential equations skills. Go on youtube MIT offers linear algebra and differential equations courses, free. OFT is hard but this book paved the way. You have to derive the equations along with the author and fill in the missing steps to really get the most from this book. Good luck, not really just really hard work.

The best graduate level quantum text
This is by far the best graduate level quantum textbook available.The information is very clear, and the book is easy to read.I would say that an undergraduate course using Griffiths and a graduate course using Shankar will give you all the quantum you'll ever need (for most physicists).This book is also a great reference text.I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants/needs to learn quantum mechanics at the graduate level.

Excellent for Self Study
As other reviewers have remarked this is an excellent book, and if you are interested in really learning quantum mechanics, this is where I'd recommend you start.

Here are some of the things I particularly liked about this book, and some of the ways I thought it could have been better.

The first chapter provides the necessary mathematical background for quantum mechanics. It is a long chapter, but very well done. Regardless, make no mistake, you should not attempt this book at all without a solid background in differential equations and linear algebra. This chapter is very helpful though as a review and for fixing notation. I also approved of its stated goal: to put the math first rather than trying to interleave it with the physics. Physics is hard enough without trying to tackle the math and the physics at the same time.

Chapter two is a quick review of classical mechanics. Advanced classical mechanics. If you are not already comfortable with the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of classical mechanics before you attempt this book, well you probably shouldn't attempt this book. But if you are, this chapter is an excellent and concise review done with an eye towards quantum mechanics.

Chapter four presents quantum mehcanics in a postulatory manner, and builds the subject deductively from there. Of the quantum mechanics books I've read, the ones that proceed in this fashion tend to be clearest, and this one is no exception.

Chapter five presents a collection of one dimensional problems. This chapter is one of the few that I felt could have been better. I did not think there was enough discussion of tunneling and scattering, which struck me as odd. Certainly I have seen other introductions to quantum mechanics do a better job with these topics.

Chapter ten is on systems with more degrees of freedom and covers the tricky subject of identical particles in quantum mechanics. It is a very clear treatment.

Chapters twelve and thirteen extend the treatment to three dimensional systems and the Hydrogen atom in particular. While good, I thought the author could have done a better job building intuition for the special functions that appear in this section of the book, like the spherical harmonics. The author even states that many other books provide graphs and additional information for these very important functions. Ok, so why not this one as well? For a book that is so complete in so many other ways, this omission seemed odd.

Chapters fourteen and fifteen cover spin and the addition of angular momentum. Challenging topics in quantum mechanics. For the most part the discussion is very lucid, and among the best I've seen.

Chapters sixteen through eigthteen cover approximation methods. They are superb. Chapter eighteen is a particular standout here. The discussion of the quantization of the electromagnetic field is outstanding, and very unusual in an introductory book.

Chapter nineteen is on scattering, and is probably the clearest introduction to this (rather tricky) subject I have seen.

Chapter twenty is on the Dirac equation. Almost never seen in an introductory book, this is again an outstanding feature of this work.

Finally, as other reviewers have mentioned, this book discusses path integrals in two chapters: eight and twenty-one. These discussions are five star worthy. This topic is also highly unusual in an introductory book, but as the author points out it is of central importance in contemporary physics.

The last chapter -- twenty-one -- is definitely the most advanced in the book. It disusses the Quantum Hall Effect, the imaginary time formalism, the connections between quantum mechanics, quantum statistical mechanics, and classical statistical mechanics via path integrals, and ends with discussion of fermionic path integrals which are central to quantum field theory. All of these are advanced topics, and the author does an excellent job preparing the reader to tackle them. Kudos!

There are numerous problems throughout, most of which are rather simple.

This is an excellent book for anyone looking really to sink their teeth into QM.

.....Better -> Best -> This book!!!
Neils Bohr once said : "if you are not shocked by quantum physics, you don't understand it." . And here is the promise: read the book and you get nothing less than a 20000 Volt DC....One in a million of its kind. The author looks to have penned down questions/problems that he faced while studying quantum mechanics.. Read the complete book and every question of yours would be answered..Scattering theory though could have been a bit better..Overall, this book could be compared to the works of Feynman and Kramer.. ... Read more

Product Description

With contributions by many of today's leading quantum physicists, philosophers and historians, including three Nobel laureates, this comprehensive A to Z of quantum physics provides a lucid understanding of the key concepts of quantum theory and experiment. It covers technical and interpretational aspects alike, and includes both traditional topics and newer areas such as quantum information and its relatives. The central concepts that have shaped contemporary understanding of the quantum world are clearly defined, with illustrations where helpful, and discussed at a level suitable for undergraduate and graduate students of physics, history of science, and philosophy of physics. All articles share three main aims: (1) to provide a clear definition and understanding of the term concerned; (2) where possible, to trace the historical origins of the concept; and (3) to provide a small but optimal selection of references to the most relevant literature, including pertinent historical studies. Also discussed are the often contentious philosophical implications derived from quantum theory and its associated experimental findings.

This compendium will be an indispensable resource for all those seeking concise up-to-date information about the many facets of quantum physics.

Product Description
This edition has been completely revised to include some 20% of new material. Important recent developments such as the theory of Regge poles are now included. Many problems with solutions have been added to those already contained in the book.


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Customer Reviews (14)

Good book, more classical notation
I like all Landau books, but in quantum mechanics I'd rather see more Bras and kets than wave functions.

Good Book, Hard read
This is a great book to reference if you already have some mastery of Quantum Mechanics.Does not who any math, but has many illustrating and difficult examples.

Marvellous
If one wants to understand Quantum Mechanics then she or he should read this book.

great book
this is very great theoretical quantum book. Although you cannot start learning quantum mechanics from this book, But for extended theoretical studies, in the concept of quantum mechanics in general, and also in specific fields. I recommend this book. This book is number 5 of my quantum books, it is so far the most consistent, but I understand also this is because quantum is not a strange subject to me any more. I really recommended forgraduate students, or undergraduates who have good understanding of the mathematical calculation for basic quantum.
great book after all.

Contents - Great, Print Quality - Really Bad
It is really a shame to have such a classic text with a typesetting that makes much of the mathematics almost unreadable.For example, the authors often use either a tilde, hat (carat), and dot (period) on top of operators, sometimes in combination.These are so badly rendered that you have to derive their identities from the context of the surrounding discussion.Frequently parts of characters are missing as if an old typewriter with a worn ribbon were used. I have 2 other volumes in this series (Mechanics andStatistical Physics Part 1) which do not suffer these defects.My 2-star rating is in no way a reflection of the contents nor the authors, which get 5 stars (based on the prose and the equations I CAN read). ... Read more

Product Description
This brilliantly innovative textbook is intended as a first introduction to quantum mechanics and its applications. Townsend's new text shuns the historical ordering that characterizes so-called Modern Physics textbooks and applies a truly modern approach to this subject, starting instead with contemporary single-photon and single-atom interference experiments. The text progresses naturally from a thorough introduction to wave mechanics through applications of quantum mechanics to solid-state, nuclear, and particle physics, thereby including most of the topics normally presented in a Modern Physics course. Examples of topics include blackbody radiation, Bose-Einstein condensation, the band-structure of solids and the silicon revolution, the curve of binding energy and nuclear fission and fusion, and the Standard Model of particle physics. Students can see in quantum mechanics a common thread that ties these topics into a coherent picture of how the world works, a picture that gives students confidence that quantum mechanics really works, too. The book also includes a chapter-length appendix on special relativity for the benefit of students who have not had a previous exposure to this subject. Also available is an accompanying, detailed Instructor's Solutions Manual for adopting professors. ... Read more

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Tough Test Questions? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time?

Fortunately for you, there's Schaum's.

More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum's to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solvedproblems, and practice exercises to test your skills.

This Schaum's Outline gives you

• Hundreds of examples with explanations of quantum mechanics concepts
• Exercises to help you test your mastery of quantum mechanics
• Complete review of all course fundamentals

Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time--and get your best test scores!

Topics include: Mathematical Background; Schrodinger Equation and Applications; Foundations of Quantum Mechanics; Harmonic Oscillator; Angular Momentum; Spin; Hydrogen-Like Atoms; Particle Motion in an Electromagnetic Field; Solution Methods in Quantum Mechanics; Solutions Methods in Quantum Mechanics; Numerical Methods in Quantum Mechanics; Identical Particles; Addition of Angular Momenta; Scattering Theory; and Semiclassical Treatment of Radiation

Schaum's Outlines--Problem Solved.

Product Description
This book is a clear and comprehensive introduction to quantum field theory, one that develops the subject systematically from its beginnings. The book builds on calculation techniques toward an explanation of the physics of renormalization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Kindle Edition Review
The typesetting is terrible in the kindle edition:
1) Equations appear as a (low quality) scan- they are rather gray and the resolution is bad.This is a problem for sub/superscripts in particular.
2) The math symbols in the text vary widely in quality; some are correctly identified and treated as text, but others as scanned images- even within the same equation.This is a problem because the scanned parts are not lined up with the text-like symbols, making things appear as sub/superscripts when they are not.Also, consistently, right brackets (<) are three times the height of other things, including | and left brackets (>), which makes Dirac's notation difficult to read in a glance.

Hammer, saw and screwdriver
This is the ideal book to use a basis for learning QFT. That isn't to say that it's the only book that you'll need or that it can replace a course on QFT, but the good thing about the book is that it shows you how to actually calculate things. So my way of using this book is to go try to do a calculation until I run into an idea that the book does not explain well. At this point, I turn to some other book for more details. Quite a few times, the other books are not necessarily books on QFT. Ideally you want to be in a short course on QFT that shows you what the ideas in QFT are so that you can go crazy, compute a scattering amplitude and learn the details of the tricks involved in the calculations from a text. Which brings me to the the topic of backup texts to help understand things that this text does not treat well. A great set of supplementary notes for understanding the ideas involved in QFT are David Tong's 'Lectures on Quantum Field Theory' ([...]) that are freely available on the net. Unfortunately, they don't go very far but another great set of notes are Michael Luke's version of Sidney Coleman's 'QFT Lecture Notes' ([...]) that are also freely available on the net. A good text for more basic QFT stuff is Franz Gross' 'Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory' (http://www.amazon.com/Relativistic-Quantum-Mechanics-science-paperback/dp/0471353868/). Gross' book assumes less knowledge on the part of the student and spends a lot of time on the EM field and the K-G and Dirac equations. A good supplement for (mostly) classical fields and gauges is 'Geometry, Particles and Fields' by Bjorn Felsager (http://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Particles-Graduate-Contemporary-Physics/dp/0387982671/). At a much more elementary level is Davison Soper's 'Classical Field Theory' (http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Field-Theory-Dover-Physics/dp/0486462609/). Special relativity and electrodynamics are covered well by Asim Barut's 'Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles' (http://www.amazon.com/Electrodynamics-Classical-Theory-Fields-Particles/dp/0486640388/). A good book for a more laid back, overviewing, historical, pedagogical and well-written view of QFT is Steven Weinberg's 'The Quantum Theory of Fields: Vol I, II & III' (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Theory-Fields-Foundations/dp/0521670535/), although, like most texts written by Weinberg, it's great and scholarly for people who already know some QFT but probably not a good text for someone seeing it all for the first time. Finally, mention must be made of the excellent, but sadly out of print, text on QED by Josef Jauch and Fred Rohrlich 'The Theory of Photons and Electrons' (http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Photons-Electrons-Relativistic-Mathematical/dp/3540072950/). Jauch and Rohrlich cover most of QED but none of the developments involving the Weak or Strong Force because they were not understood at all the time of the publication of the first edition of the book (1955). An update in 1976 included more QED but the death of Josef Jauch prevented it from becoming a full-blown QFT text.
In conclusion, you'll probably wannt Peskin and Schroeder as a sort of 'hammer, saw and screwdriver' text (a carpenter's basic tools are hammers, saws and screwdrivers) but you'll need to go grab other tools every now and then.

Mixed feelings about it...
Having started reading QFT as an undergrad from textbooks like Mandl and Shaw, I was reluctant to use this one, even while it was the recommended textbook of a graduate course in field theory. The main reason for this was that Peskin and Schroeder (P&S) makes practically no effort to make contact with the rest of the (vast) literature on the subject. If you have read some other QFT book it is very-very difficult to go through P&S and vice-versa. I remember trying to use in some occasions this book for some calculation and ending up completely confused, because the notation and normalization conventions where different from everybody else. So after these first sad encounters I quickly dismissed it and decided to use other books for QFT instead.
Unfortunately, P&S seemed to remain the standard reference and everybody else seemed to have read it, so from some point on, I decided to give it another chance, so I wouldn't feel I was intellectually isolated. Thus, I bought the book and spent a couple of months reading through most of the text. This time I decided to not just read the parts I considered new, but start from the very beginning and keep going, doing every in-between calculation. Surprisingly, this time I could understand what was going on and managed to advance very fast through the chapters.
I realized though that my initial impression remained true. The book is very idiosyncratic in its presentation method and many topics are treated here in a way you won't find anywhere else. This can be actually very useful, if you have already some familiarity with the material and you want to gain some further insight.
The chapters of P&S have an obvious flaw though, which is why I couldn't follow the text on my first attempt: They are not at all self-contained. The book will present some small, one paragraph argument, which at the particular point seems rather tangential to what you are reading, then 400 pages latter, in a different chapter and subject, there comes a reference to that argument which now appears to be of outmost significance. So, you have to go back and see what is it that you missed. Apparently, unless you are reading the book without stop and start to finish, there is no way to avoid these frustrating self-references (and even if you are reading full-time, it takes about two weeks to advance 400 pages and by that time, you have most certainly forgotten half of the things you 've read). Many chapters suffer from the same problem and this renders the book almost useless as a reference, Every time you have to look up something which is a little more advanced than the Dirac equation, you end up encountering some reference to a previous passage, which then references another and so one, until you have to read again half of the book to find what you where looking for.
There are also parts where an argument on a subject (like the Ward-Takahashi identity) can extend through many chapters and many pages. It is not uncommon in P&S to find discussions which continue for more than 10 pages. By the time you reach the end, you have almost forgotten what you where trying to prove in the first place. And this is another problem of the book. It has a tendency to present subjects which are in fact difficult and obscure as long discussions, without giving a hint in the beginning about what the result will be and expecting from the reader to make up his own mind about what actually has happened over the past 10 pages. Even when the exposition is interesting and engaging, it still may leave the reader perplexed in the end. The book also makes no distinction between which parts are "considered" easy and those that are supposed to be more difficult. This is very frustrating for the reader, since he may end up struggling too much over an easy part for no reason, then the next moment not paying the attention needed to truly follow a more profound section. It is always easier to learn once you are told what to expect.
This trend seems to plague particularly the exposition of renormalisation techniques. P&S spends almost 200 pages discussing one-loop renormalisation in QED in chapters 6 and 7, then comes back to discuss renormalization more formally in Chapter 10, then 11 for renormalization with spontaneously broken symmetries, then 12 for the renormalization group. After nearly 400 pages or reading, you only have heard of Minimal and Modified Minimal Subtraction only once and in passing, without explanations or examples of how to use it. And for the record, after all this theoretical talking of renormalization, this is what you need the most in order to do some actual calculation of your own! Instead, you are left to more or less figure it out yourself after all these 400 pages.
Having read almost the entire book, and having struggled to adapt to its notation, I thought I could at least use what I had just learned to read papers and do some research. Alas, the only papers I could read and understand using P&S, where those of Peskin! And of course, this is because everybody else doesn't use his notation. In a field as technical as QFT, notational conventions are very-very important and if you can't stick to a common language, you only make your life more difficult with no reason.
Overall, I think there is no good evidence for someone to read this book and I am surprised this has become the standard reference on the subject. More surprising still, is the fact that the very professors who use it as recommended textbook in their courses of QFT almost never use its notation in their lectures or notes (from my experience in several universities, including the US). In my opinion, there is no all-encompassing textbook on QFT at the moment (Weinberg's trilogy also suffers from the same problem, it is very idiosyncratic). Maybe there will never be one again (like Bjorken and Drell once was), since the field has grown considerably over the years and has now become huge. So the only way to learn field theory is to read from many different books, depending on which has the best treatment for each topic. And in this case interoperability and notational consistency is far more worthwhile and rewarding than just striving for originality. Mandl & Shaw is perharps still the best introductory book and Bjorken & Drell has its merits. Greiner is the perfect reference for calculations on the early topics of field theory, like the Klein-Gordon, Dirac and Maxwell field and canonical quantization. His exposition of path integrals and the effective action is also a lot more coherent and to the point than P&S. Books on gauge theories like Aitchison & Hey, Huang and especially Cheng & Li are probably the best sources for more advanced topics on renormalization. Lie groups and the Standard Model. Leader & Predazzi also have a great chapter on the renormalization group. Coleman's lectures are also a must read. Finally, Zee's book is an excellent read if you actually want to know what it all really means.

poor
even years later now i still really dont like this book.
there is a gap in 1st year grad courses and this book.
Among other things i specifically dont like:
1) there is a shallow discussion of lie algebras
2) The notation can leave a newcomer confused in a field where clarity is essential to pedagogy
3) field theory isnt just QED and the standard model
4) there is a lack of nonperturbative topics
5) lack of fancier math
6) quantization is done entirely wrong, as if [x,p]~i came from nowhere. which leads to a convoluted (albeit original) tour through quantizing a dirac field
7) often the diagram and value of it are just stated in clever time and space saving ways which is detrimental to pedagogy again...
...the list goes on

I prefer:
1) ryder was easy for me to read when i started
2) bertlmann "anomalies" which is a book about much more than that
3) makeenko
4) A. Zee'stour of QFT
5) for getting into nitty gritty i liked ho kim an pham's particles book.

there are a lot of other good choices. mandl n shaw, srednicki, lowell brown's book, pokorski's, the whole series by greiner...those are also better in my view.

i think people only use this book because peskin is well known. the book doesnt have much merit from my perspective.

Perfect.
I received the book as it should be: knew. And it cames before the estimated time. ... Read more

Product Description
Developing a theory that seamlessly combines relativity and quantum mechanics, the most important conceptual breakthroughs in twentieth century physics, has proved to be a difficult and ongoing challenge. Thisbook details how two distinguished physicists and Nobel laureates have explored this theme in two lectures given in Cambridge, England, in 1986 to commemorate the famous British physicist Paul Dirac. Given for nonspecialists and undergraduates, the talks transcribed in Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics focus on the fundamental problems of physics and the present state of our knowledge. Professor Feynman examines the nature of antiparticles, and in particular the relationship between quantum spin and statistics. Professor Weinberg speculates on how Einstein's theory of gravitation might be reconciled with quantum theory in the final law of physics. Highly accessible, deeply thought provoking, this book will appeal to all those interested in the development of modern physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great book
Feynman's lecture is the simplest and the most intuitive explanation of the connection between spin and statistics that I have ever seen! This is a very readable book, no knowledge of quantum field theory is required, but a good understanding of relativity and quantum mechanics is essential for understanding the book. I think every physicist should read these lectures, although very simple, they add a lot to our understanding and even to our knowledge of fundamental physics.

Summary of Paul Dirac Memorial Lectures
This book is a summary of 1986 Paul Dirac memorial lectures delivered by physicists, Richard Feynman and Steven Weinberg. This book requires the knowledge of undergraduate level physics and perturbation theory, and it is described in two chapters; the first is by Feynman under the title "The reason for antiparticle." This section describes the first attempt of Dirac in 1928 to "wed" newly discovered quantum mechanics and theory of relativity. When relativity was included into Schrodinger's pure wave equations, the relativistic equation (Dirac equations) would only be satisfied if there were two solutions corresponding to positive and negative energy states, and in the case of the electron, an electron with a positive charge was required for negative energy state. Thus the existence of antiparticles (positron) was predicted as a direct result of combining the relativity with quantum mechanics. Paul Dirac was also able to explain the origin of the electron magnetic moment and spin. Feynman postulated one of the revolutionary thought in quantum field theory, that antiparticles could be viewed as particles going back in time. This should not be taken as a physical reality in which cause - effect sequence could be revered. Because during the Lorentz transformation the time sequence of two events gets reversed, one of them could not have been the cause of the other because the two events are outside each other's sphere of influence. In frame A, if event 1 occurs first and event 2 occurs after event 1, but in frame B, event 2 occurs before event 1. This is possible in relativity because the time ordering of two events is not an absolute concept; one event can be in the past of another event in one frame, and in its future in a different frame. An observer in frame A will see an electron before event 1, an electron between events 1 and 2, and an electron after event 2, but in frame B, he will see one electron before event 2 and only one electron after event 1.

In the second part under the title, Toward the final laws of physics, Steven Weinberg discusses the developments in physics to explain physical reality with one set of physical laws. This has lead to several unsuccessful theories to unify relativity and quantum physics, finally leading to String theory.

Paul Dirac believed that physical laws should have mathematical beauty. Both Feynman and Weinberg have made beautiful theories. Weinberg played a key role in the unification of electricity and magnetism with the weak forces of radioactivity, and Feynamn expanded the understanding of quantum electrodynamics; they were best suited to deliver the Paul Dirac memorial lectures.

1. Paul Dirac: The Man and his Work
2. Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac: Reminiscences about a Great Physicist
3. Dirac: A Scientific Biography
4. Lectures on Quantum Mechanics
5. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)
6. Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character
7. Positron Physics (Cambridge Monographs on Atomic, Molecular and Chemical Physics)
8. Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist's Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature
9. QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Princeton Science Library)
10. Cosmology

Tougher than the Lectures on Physics
When I readThe Feynman Lectures on Physics including Feynman's Tips on Physics: The Definitive and Extended Edition, I was hoping to understand the reasoning behind the exclusion principle, and was disappointed to find that RPF felt that this was too complex for undergraduates, so he asked them to take it on faith for the moment.

Here he is talking to a more advanced audience, and explains it - he was right, it's tough.I'm still struggling to understand it, but I have confidence that this is a good book to help.

[Added nearly a year later] Having reread the book several times, I finally understand Feynman's lecture!As is often the case, once I understand the principle, I see relationships to various other things I had not fully understood before.

I should also comment on Weinberg's lecture: he's talking about more speculative areas than Feynman, which is perhaps one reason I found him less enlightening than Feynman, but in a rather vague way I follow what he's saying.Certainly these are fascinating ideas, but they don't sing to me like Feynman's lecture.

Recommended
From Richard Feynman, with love. Need more to be said? Read it, and read it again. This one can be read all over again once in a while and does not get boring.

Great Lectures.Requires Math Background.
This short book, Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics, offers two lectures: Richard Feynman's The Reason for Antiparticles and Steven Weinberg's Toward the Final Laws of Physics. These two talks comprise the 1986 Dirac Memorial lectures at Cambridge University. Both presentations are cogently structured and make fascinating reading.

The talks were directed at an advanced audience, one that was familiar with quantum mechanics. Unlike many popular presentations by Feynman and Weinberg, these lectures are not suitable for the general layman.

However, these lectures are accessible to a persistent (perhaps, stubborn) layman with a calculus background and a deep interest in particle physics. I am not a physicist, but I did take my share of physics, chemistry, and math courses several decades ago. I encountered Schrodinger's equation in more than one class, but not relativistic quantum mechanics. However, having recently read Bruce Schumm's wonderful review of particle physics (titled Deep Down Things), I was sufficiently motivated to work my way through both Dirac memorial lectures.

Richard Feynman's lecture, The Reason for Antiparticles, is decidedly the more difficult. Feynman first demonstrates that quantum mechanics and relativity together require the existence of antiparticles, and then shows that they also establish the spin-statistics connection. Within a few pages advanced mathematical expressions appear and then persistently stay in the foreground for nearly the entire talk.

Although understanding Feynman's mathematics is critical for a full and deep appreciation of his exposition, with careful, repeated readings the stubborn layman will have sudden moments of enlightenment and can come away with a deeper understanding of antiparticles and spin statistics.For readers engaged in some self-tutorial readings, it may prove helpful to return occasionally to this classic Feynman lecture to qualitatively measure progress.I have no doubt that, on a deeper level, Feynman's lecture will similarly challenge and enlighten physics majors as well.

Steven Weinberg discusses his speculations on the shape of a final underlying theory of particle physics.Initially, his talk is deceptively easy as few mathematical expressions are used.However, about midway a Lagrangian density equation appears, ratcheting the difficulty several notches, as Weinberg considers a theoretical framework based on quantum mechanics and a few symmetry principles, that is also mathematically consistent with the Lagrangian dynamical principle. After discussion of some limitations of the Standard Model, Weinberg concludes his talk with a somewhat mathematical introduction to string theory. ... Read more

Product Description

This volume brings together leading quantum physicists to expound on the meaning and future directions of quantum mechanics. It offers new insights from different vantage points to tackle essential questions in quantum mechanics and its interpretation. All the authors have written for a broad readership, and the resulting volume will appeal to everyone wishing to keep abreast of new developments in quantum mechanics, as well as its history and philosophy.

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Motivates students by challenging them with real-life applications of the somtimes esoteric aspects of quantum mechanics that they are learning.

Offers completely original excerices developed at teh Ecole Polytechnique in France, which is know for its innovative and original teaching methods.

Problems from modern physics to help the student apply just-learnt theory to fields such as molecular physics, condensed matter physics or laser physics.

Customer Reviews (2)

Collection of Solved Problems in Quantum Mechanics
This book has quite a comprehensive collection of solved problems in quantum mechanics. It is a suitable supplement to the usual texts on quantum mechanics such as those by Shankar, Griffiths, Sakurai, etc. Another similar useful book on solved problems is: Problems and Solutions on Quantum Mechanics by Yung-Kuo Lim.

Extremely useful
If you are studying quantum mechanics using popular textbooks such as Griffiths', Shankar's, Liboff, Sakurai, Ballentine, ... you must have this problem book on shelf. You can look up ALMOST every typical problem that appeared on qualifying exams--almost any hard problem you don't know how to solve. I personally find this very very helpful. Hihgly recommended! ... Read more

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Physics is a complex, even daunting topic, but it is also deeply satisfying even thrilling. And liberated from its mathematical underpinnings, physics suddenly becomes accessible to anyone with the curiosity and imagination to explore its beauty. Science without math? It's not that unusual. For example, we can understand the concept of gravity without solving a single equation. So for all those who may have pondered what makes blueberries blue and strawberries red; for those who have wondered if sound really travels in waves; and why light behaves so differently from any other phenomenon in the universe, it's all a matter of quantum physics. "Absolutely Small" presents (and demystifies) the world of quantum science like no book before. It explores scientific concepts from particles of light, to probability, to states of matter, to what makes greenhouse gases bad in considerable depth, but using examples from the everyday world. Challenging without being intimidating, accessible but not condescending, "Absolutely Small" develops the reader's intuition for the very nature of things at their most basic and intriguing levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

I loved this book, but it's not for everyone
While I personally agree with the enthusiastic praise of most other reviewers, I think they oversell this book. It's not a Six Easy Pieces, ABC of Relativityor Thirty Years that Shook Physics. It has a narrower and deeper goal, and is likely to appeal to a smaller group. People with small aptitude for physics and mathematics, or little training and experience in them, will not find the explanations useful. People with extensive knowledge will find them too superficial. The ideal reader mastered Newtonian mechanics in high school, but didn't pursue physics in college.

The book is non-mathematical, but it uses rigorous and systematic reasoning that few math-phobes will tolerate. There is no physical intuition, in fact the author repeatedly warns against using it. That is a benefit to people who want to deepen their understanding, but it makes the argument abstract, requiring close attention. You need a pen and paper with you when you read this book, and you will be constantly turning back to refer to prior pages. It teaches you how to think about setting up quantum mechanical problems and then gives you the answer. That does save you a lot of detailed math (most of which has to be done on computer anyway) but it requires a significant fraction of the effort of learning the full subject.

Another difficulty of this approach is you have to accept a lot of principles that seem as arbitrary as epicycles. Why only two electrons per orbital? What is the nucleus?

This book delivers much of the insight from a college course in quantum mechanics with perhaps 10% of the work; but that's still a lot more work than most popular accounts demand. The book is written with clarity and style, but the density of the subject makes it a lot less fun that, say, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat or A Brief History of Time. And it does not deliver the kind of knowledge you can trot out at a cocktail party or use in a political essay. You won't impress anyone by reading this book, except maybe yourself.

So if you're serious about deepening your understanding of quantum physics, you can't do better than this book. But if you're not serious, there are lots of great alternatives that demand and deliver less.

Starts out good
I enjoyed the first 7 chapters or so and then it just got painfully boring.I skimmed through the rest. The last chapter was good. Absolutely not for the casual reader.I guess I hoped it was going to be more like Stephen Hawkings Universe In A Nutshell. Chapters 8 through 19 talk a lot about the rules of electron orbits in the different valence of atoms, ionic and covalent bonds and such.A little dry.Informative though.I had previously given it 2 stars but am now changing it to 3 because I did actually learn quite a bit I did not know before despite my average intelligence. I did not give it a 4 or better because I was looking for a light entertainment read, and it is anything but.A good book for the right reader.Maybe it deserves 4 stars because it does accomplish what I believe it sets out to do.

Quantum chemistry without math? Well, almost...
In the preface to this book the author begins: "If you are reading this book, you probably fall into one of two broad categories of people. You may be one of my colleagues who is steeped in the mysteries of quantum theory and wants to see how someone writes a serious book on quantum theory with no math. Or, you may be one of the vast majority of people who look at the world around them without a clear view of why many things in everyday life are the way they are." As the holder of a Ph. D. in theoretical chemistry, I definitely belong to the first group. (Aside: this is not really a book on "quantum theory" as the physicists might consider it, but strongly emphasizes the chemical applications of quantum theory, so "quantum chemistry" or "theoretical chemistry" would be more accurate than "quantum theory" in the second sentence of this quote. But this makes it even more clear that I belong to that first group.) "With no math" is not quite true; there is certainly a bit of mathematics in his treatment. But it is definitely a book intended for people with only a small mathematical background, and I think this book probably succeeds at its task. I have to put in a caveat in that the material he covers is _so_ familiar to me that it is hard to put myself in a layman's position to determine how clearly he explains things. I think he does a fairly good job, thus four stars. I'm not sure it is good enough to qualify for five, but I would not argue strongly that it does not deserve the fifth star.

The author clearly embraces the "Copenhagen interpretation" of quantum mechanics. I, myself, do not: for me quantum mechanics is a theory (the only theory we have at present that really works) that explains what we will observe, in an accurately quantitative manner. But I feel that people are wrong to attribute to it the status of an accurate theory of exactly what is going on. Quantum theory tells you, if you perform an experiment, what measurements you are likely to find: it succeeds in this, but it is unfair to ask more than this of it. I believe Planck, Einstein, Schrödinger, and others were right in that there is something real behind this, which we simply do not know how to find out, and quantum theory is the best theory we have at present to calculate the phenomena we will observe in the real world. But to his credit, the author does not let his adherence to the Copenhagen interpretation get in the way of his explanations, and most of what he says in this book is quite acceptable to me, despite my different philosophical orientation.

And the point he considers fundamental -- so fundamental that he bases his title on it -- is that there are such things as objects that are "absolutely small" as defined on p. 19 of the book: "An object is big in the absolute sense if the minimum disturbance that accompanies a measurement is negligible. An object is small in the absolute sense if the inherent minimum disturbance is not negligible." And expressed this way, I agree. So this philosophical difference does not prevent me from giving the book a high rating.

Absolutely Great!
Professor Michael Fayer holds a distinguished chair in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University, and has written a respected textbook, "Elements of Quantum Mechanics".His recent book, "Absolutely Small", shows he has an exceptional ability to dissect a deep scientific theory in non-mathematical terms, and illustrate it in way that is both interesting and informative for all levels of readers.As such, I rate Fayer as among the very best of scientific writers.In "Absolutely Small", Fayer first provides a non-mathematical introduction to the foundations of quantum physics.He then applies this knowledge to the Periodic Table, chemical bonding, and other topics of general interest.Finally, he illustrates the broad applicability of quantum physics and chemistry to a variety of interesting topics from everyday life.Although "Absolutely Small" will be readily accessible to any intellectually curious individual, it will also be fascinating to people (such as myself) who have studied quantum mechanics.I found "Absolutely Small" a delight to read, and it "bought to life" the quantum mechanics formalism that I have learned.I highly recommend this book!

Comes from an award-winning physics scholar and teacher
ABSOLUTELY SMALL: HOW QUANTUM THEORY EXPLAINS OUR EVERYDAY WORLD comes from an award-winning physics scholar and teacher who believes that quantum physics should be accessible to any person - and who uses ABSOLUTELY SMALL to explain its importance. From why everyday mysteries have quantum roots to how to understand quantum mechanics without math, this offers an invaluable guide for any general lending library.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Something practical
This book is part of the "Secrets of the Universe" series.

Reading the introduction makes you want to regurgitate. Even though the target reader grade is sit to nine, the author, Paul Fleisher, talks down to the reader in the most fundamental way.

After you get past the introduction it is Relativity and Quantum Mechanics relatively with out the math. You will find the book more of a history of how our concept of light and the makeup of the atom changes down through the ages. He sights key discoveries and concepts. And drops names such as Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, Max Plank, and Werner Heisenberg.

Before you get a chance to yawn this is one of the few books that has practical experiments to prove the laws and not just take my word for it theories. Try the Red or Blue light on a motion detector that proves that "the shorter the wave = the higher the energy."

The information is split into logical and short chapters:
1. Relativity
2. Quantum Mechanics
3. Conservation of Mass/Energy
4. The Uncertainty Principle

Included are references to further reading and web sites to visit.

Real science, real simple
This book by Paul Fleisher is an interesting introduction to a difficult subject.Written ostensibly for sixth to ninth grade levels, in fact many people beyond these levels have gaps in their knowledge about science.For all of its fame, the Theory of Relativity is one of the misunderstood ideas in science.Not as well known as Relativity, Quantum Physics is also largely misunderstood.Fleisher's book by no means presents all the depth of these ideas, but it does provide a very basic framework for understanding.

There are four chapters -- the first chapter looks at relativity, discussing the speed of light, frames of reference, and the idea of warped space-time around massive objects.The second chapter, quantum mechanics, presents the idea of the photoelectric effect, the idea the energy behaves in wavelike and particle manner, and that there are few 'real life' experiments that can adequately explain quantum effects.The third chapter looks the conservation of mass and energy, the famous Einstein equation of E = mc(squared).The fourth chapter presents one more misunderstood physics idea, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, one of the important concepts in quantum physics, that basically sets the stage for much of the 'bizarre' aspects of modern physics, including the concept of limits to our knowledge and measurement ability.

Fleisher presents several short appendices -- a two-page timeline starting in 1675 with Olaus Romer's discovery that the speed of light is finite to the late 1900s with nuclear events.There are eight pages of one-paragraph biographies of major physicists of the past few hundred years.There are selected readings and bibliography, as well as a useful glossary.

Not just for kids, the book and the others in the series of 'Secrets of the Universe' present science ideas in small, easily comprehended pieces for any non-scientifically-literate reader. ... Read more

Product Description

Most people have heard about quantum physics and its remarkable, well-nigh bizarre claims. And most people would assume that quantum reality describes a world quite different from ours. In this book, David A. Grandy shows that one can find quantum puzzles, or variations thereof, in the backyard of everyday experience. What disappears in transferring quantum theory to the everyday is the theory's mathematical formalism, but that need not imply a loss of analytic rigor. If quantum reality is truly as elemental and ubiquitous as many thinkers suggest, then alternative or complementary perspectives ought to be possible, and with the proliferation of such perspectives, a more fully rounded understanding of quantum reality -- and everyday reality -- might emerge. Everyday Quantum Reality is a step in that direction.

Product Description
This book will be useful to anyone who wants to understand theuse of quantum theory for the description of physical processes. It isa graduate level text, ideal for independent study, and includesnumerous figures, exercises, bibliographical references, and even somecomputer programs.
The first chapters introduce formal tools: the mathematics areprecise, but not excessively abstract. The physical interpretation toois rigorous. It makes no use of the uncertainty principle of otherill-defined notions. The central part of the book is devoted to Bell'stheorem and to the Kochen-Specker theorem. It is here thatquantum phenomena depart most radically from classical physics. Therehas recently been considerable progress on these issues, and thelatest developments have been included. The final chapters discussfurther topics of current research: spacetime symmetries, quantumthermodynamics and information theory, semiclassical methods,irreversibility, quantum chaos, and especially the measuring process.In particular, it is shown how modern techniques allow the extractionof more information from a physical system than traditionalmeasurement methods.
For physicists, mathematicians and philosophers of science with aninterest in the applications and foundations of quantum theory. Thevolume is suitable as a supplementary graduate textbook. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

excellent exploration of the subject matter.
The author has put serious work and thought to writing this excellent book. It is a graduate level exploration of quantum theory but it is written very clearly. A background in college level physics and mathematics are necessary of course but the book is so well designed that the reader requires only common sense and persistence to complete the journey. I found some of the insights very illuminating. and most of the mathematical work was clear enough for me to comprehend the logic behind the ideas, not just through the accompanying discussion but through the maths itself.

I am not a physicist nor a mathematician, just someone who is scientifically inclined with a deep interest in quantum theory and this book is a very valuable addition to my library. I highly recommend it. the author in my opinion literally guides you through an excellent exploration of the subject matter.

The Innovative View of Quantum Theory
The essential logic of this book is stated at 'Preface': "quantum phenomena do not occur in a Hilbert space, they occur in a laboratory".The author's view is stated on p.26: "The essence of quantum theory is to provide a mathematical representaion of states (that is, of preparationprocedures), together with rules for computing the probabilities of the various outcomes of any test."Also, on p.183: "The only meaning of "quantum state" is: a list of the statistical properties of an ensemble of ideally prepared systems."The above pragmatic view of quantum theory is truly innovative, and expected to settle the longstanding controversies over the meaning of quantum theory.The author's view seems to correspond to Einstein's instrumental interpretation of quantum theory, one of Einstein's three interpretations of qunatum theory. (see, A. Fine in "Einstein in Context" pp.257-273: http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Context-Science-Mara-Beller/dp/0521448344/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223250841&sr=1-2 )

A High class presentation of fundemental quantum theory
This book is the result of something like six years of work. The highly contemplative tone of this deep composition reflects the labor of the author. It is extremely well presented. The many problems range from quite easy (but not trivial) to time demanding mini-projects. The book is written for self-study, too. Which, to me, is something more authors need to embrace.
Final Note: This texts serves as a sophisticated introduction to the foundational aspects of quantum theory. A bit of higher math, computational skill, and a working knowledge of elementary theoretical physics will be useful.

Wonderful Book
I don't have a physics background. I wanted to understand from the scratch the connections between thermodynamics, information theory and the quantum world. Also I wanted to understand the issue of quantum entanglement a little deeper. I wouldn't say that I found everything that I was looking for in this book. But it did give me a very good start and more pointers for what to look for.

Very good
One of the rare books that give a deep and balanced account of Quantum Theory... Concepts are emphasized as much as techniques. Anyone who wants to understand (as opposed to merely use) quantum mechanics should at least have a brief look through such a book... ... Read more

Product Description
This book is an introduction to the techniques of many-body quantum theory with a large number of applications to condensed matter physics. The basic idea of the book is to provide a self-containedformulation of the theoretical framework without losing mathematical rigor, while at the same time providing physical motivation and examples. The examples are taken from applications in electron systems and transport theory. On the formal side, the book covers an introduction to second quantization, many-body Green's function, finite temperature Feynman diagrams and bosonization. The applications include traditional transport theory in bulk as well as mesoscopic systems, where both the Landau-Buttiker formalism and recent developments in correlated transport phenomena in mesoscopic systems and nano-structures are covered. Other topics include interacting electron gases, plasmons, electron-phonon interactions, superconductivity and a final chapter on one-dimensional systems where a detailed treatment of Luttinger liquid theory and bosonization techniques is given. Having grown out of a set of lecture notes, and containing many pedagogical exercises, this book is designed as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or graduate course, and is also well suited for self-study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good but dense
This book offers a fairly decent, thorough treatment of solid state theory, while still being somewhat approachable.However, this book is not for the inexperienced.You should expect to spend lots of time looking up things in more introductory books.

EXCELLENT BOOK!
This book is exactly what a new student (with some training in basic grad courses in solid state, statistical mechanics, etc.) needs to grasp condensed matter physics without a "research-based bias." Todays programs are so focused on application that a thorough treatment of pedigogical materials get superfically taught. Philip Anderson warns about this in his timeless classic "Basic Notions." This book uses QFT in canonical picture (bootstraps), no mention of path integrals. I started out in HEP, so I got trained fairly well in path integrals, some may find this a barrier with the book. Luttinger theory is the most modern topic touched on, applications to materials science. I recommend Wen's book if you want to look at Quantum Hall Effects and Topological Orders (post 1980's). ... Read more

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