Global Shopping Center
UK | Germany
Home - Books - Science - Physics - General Help

61-80 of 200     Back   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   Next 20

click price to see details     click image to enlarge     click link to go to the store

$12.89 $2.94 list($18.95)
61. Chaos: Making a New Science
$100.00 $43.40
62. Introductory Quantum Mechanics
$34.65 $26.99 list($49.50)
63. Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell
$37.77 $37.76 list($59.95)
64. The Feynman Lectures on Physics
$150.00 $69.50
65. Organometallic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy:
$128.95 $61.95
66. Introductory Physics, Building
$93.95 $83.67
67. Introduction to Elementary Particles
$23.09 $22.71 list($34.99)
68. The New Quantum Universe
list($109.00)
69. Conformal Field Theory (Graduate
$110.63 $20.99
70. Physical Science with New CD-ROM,
$137.95 $77.99
71. Fundamentals of Physics
$165.00 $118.78
72. Handbook of Heat Transfer
$86.95 $68.00
73. Physics, Chapters 18-32
$18.50 list($98.95)
74. Physics for Scientists and Engineers,
$70.00 $63.71
75. Modern Cosmology
$66.95 $57.35
76. The Classical Theory of Fields
$10.17 $5.50 list($14.95)
77. The Body Electric: Electromagnetism
$165.50 $143.97
78. Foundations of Vacuum Science
$85.50 $79.90 list($95.00)
79. Geometric Algebra for Physicists
$120.00 $103.39
80. Introduction to Electromagnetic

61. Chaos: Making a New Science
by James Gleick
list price: $18.95
our price: $12.89
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0140092501
Catlog: Book (1988-12-01)
Publisher: Penguin Books
Sales Rank: 7420
Average Customer Review: 4.14 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Amazon.com

Few writers distinguish themselves by their ability to write about complicated, even obscure topics clearly and engagingly. James Gleick, a former science writer for the New York Times, resides in this exclusive category. In Chaos, he takes on the job of depicting the first years of the study of chaos--the seemingly random patterns that characterize many natural phenomena.

This is not a purely technical book. Instead, it focuses as much on the scientists studying chaos as on the chaos itself. In the pages of Gleick's book, the reader meets dozens of extraordinary and eccentric people.For instance, Mitchell Feigenbaum, who constructed and regulated his life by a 26-hour clock and watched his waking hours come in and out of phase with those of his coworkers at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

As for chaos itself, Gleick does an outstanding job of explaining the thought processes and investigative techniques that researchers bring to bear on chaos problems. Rather than attempt to explain Julia sets, Lorenz attractors, and the Mandelbrot Set with gigantically complicated equations, Chaos relies on sketches, photographs, and Gleick's wonderful descriptive prose. ... Read more

Reviews (78)

5-0 out of 5 stars Mathematical and philosophical thriller
Gleick's "Chaos" will change the way you look at the world. Not once, not twice, but three times, I found myself, jaw agape, staring through the text into infinity and pondering the immensity of what I had just read. This is as much a testament to Gleick's powerful prose as it is to the profound implications of chaos theory.

Gleick accomplishes an impressive feat in his chronicle of chaos' brief history. He skillfully interweaves the characters, their ideas, and the interactions among characters and ideas into a seamless story so as to give the reader an accurate sense of how chaos theory evolved over the course of a couple of decades.

While "Chaos" does not delve into the mathematics, it provides enough detail for readers with technical backgrounds to make the appropriate connections and develop a more complete understanding of chaos. Gleick also provides a thorough list of endnotes for additional reading.

Enjoy. This book will both entertain and astound you.

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent and exciting glimpse into chaos!
Chaos is a profound book. It provides you a new pair of glasses that changes completely how you look at this world. For anyone with even a little background in mathematics and physics, or rather a taste for science, this book provides a stimulating compilation on emergence of non-linear science. The story is written inbibing the usually unsung scientists as heroes of a vibrant saga of discovery, eccentricity and revolution of ideas!

Personally when I first read this book an year ago, I was able to comprehend that non-linear dynamics and chaos present a new set of tools to describe systems in all realms of science. The study of chaos contains key to understanding our nature better. Complexity is beautiful in form and patterns in chaos both awe and fascinate! An year later I am still trying to understand the technical details and mathematicals of chaos and nonlinear dynamics, but I feel an excitement for which I must thank Gleick! And not surprisingly, I have now moved to research with an open mind about possibilities in domains of nonlinearty.

Like I Ching said, "Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos". Maybe as Gleick claims, Chaos will be rated just below relativity and quantum mechanics as the key discoveries of last century!! Read it: it is fun!

4-0 out of 5 stars an excellent introduction
First, the plusses. The book reads easily, and Gleick is careful to explain all the concepts he introduces so that a layman reader will understand. There is a lot of history in this book, where Gleick first explains the person who made the discovery before he explains the discovery itself. These sections can be tedious to a reader interested in the science, not Edward Lorenz' personal habits, but it works well to steady the pace of the book, and to give the non-scientific reader a breather before diving into more scientific concepts.

You can't always have the best of both worlds, though, and so at times, a more scientifically or mathematically reader will be frustrated with the lack of detail concerning some of the interesting concepts developed here. For example, Gleick mentions fractional dimensionality, but fails to really explain it well, probably assuming that it is beyond most of his readers. This is probably a safe bet for layman readers, but left me very frustrated in places. Also, Gleick's writing (praised as "novelistic") gets overly melodramatic in places, and the reader gets the distinct impression that he's trying too hard to make this book accessible.

But even despite these flaws, this is an excellent introduction to chaos theory, and worth reading for scientists and laymen alike. This book makes you want to learn more about chaos theory, and does a good job at making chaos accessible. It was written over fifteen years ago, though, so a more recent book on chaos would be a good supplement.

2-0 out of 5 stars More history than science!
This book is more of an history book than a science book by volume. It drags on and on over the history of the scientists, however when it gets to explain the chaos characteristics it does so in a choppy way which might make the reader distracted and confused. Overall: MEDIOCRE.

4-0 out of 5 stars Chaos is good
Chaos is a great book, however for an under-achiever (not passed calculus) person, it can and will be difficult in some chapters. The author does a pretty good job explaining Chaos Theory and gives excellent background information. ... Read more


62. Introductory Quantum Mechanics (4th Edition)
by Richard Liboff
list price: $100.00
our price: $100.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0805387145
Catlog: Book (2002-08-08)
Publisher: Addison Wesley
Sales Rank: 133335
Average Customer Review: 3.87 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

Careful and detailed explanations of challenging concepts, and comprehensive and up-to-date coverage in this best-selling quantum mechanics book, continue to set the standard in physics education.In this new edition, a new chapter on the revolutionary topic of of quantum computing (not currently covered in any other book at this level) and thorough updates to the rest of the book bring it up to date.For anyone interested physics or quantum mechanics. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

3-0 out of 5 stars Important
Before you attempt to study Quantum Mechanics, try taking classical mechanics first. If you don't understand operators and all that other mechanics stuff, don't bother trying to learn quantum mechanics yet. This book is certainly not for the beginning physics student who wants an "understanding" of quantum mechanics, no no, this is the real deal.
I feel that one major drawback of this book is that it is written in numbers rather than letters and that someone who considers themselves prone to reading words rather than equations should look for an easier text.
Although, if your taking, say an intermediate Quantum course, than you should consider this book.

5-0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners
The first course in quantum mechanics that I took at Berkeley required only the Griffiths book. After realizing how terrible that book was, I picked up the Liboff book and was thoroughly satisfied. Although it is lacking in depth at some points, the subject matter is chosen very well and each section is reasonably self contained (as much as it can be in this subject). The mathematical level is just right for a second/third year physics major as it does a good job introducing new mathematics such as Airy functions, Legendre polynomials, spherical harmonics, and spherical Bessel and Neumann functions. It is also nice to see Liboff give a taste of more advanced topics such as path integration and relativistic quantum mechanics. The treatment of angular momenta and their addition (orbital and spin) is especially good for beginners. All undergraduates in physics would benefit from this text.

4-0 out of 5 stars Good Book, but requires a supplement
Liboff goes into much more detail in his explanations than do many other undergraduate texts on quantum mechanics. Unfortunately, it is often necessary to look at another book before you begin trying to decifer this one. In my undergraduate quantum course I often read Griffiths first to give me a basic idea of what it was I needed to understand, and then I would follow through with Liboff in order to actually understand it. This book was definitely helpful with a first course in Quantum Mechanics.

4-0 out of 5 stars Good for reading without a teacher.
First a little about myself. I was a math major when I went to school thirty years ago. I took a few elementary physics courses back then but remember very little. I read most of Principles of QM by P.A.M. Dirac before I read this book. However I have not read any other texts and so I cannot do a good job of comparing this book to others. I have the second printing of the fourth edition. This printing has hundreds of typos. I sent a bunch of e-mails to Professor Liboff informing him of the ones that I found and he indicated to me that in subsequent printings these typos would be fixed.

I found that I was able to understand most of it without access to a teacher to help me. My complaint with Dirac is that although it explains theory quite well, it doesn't privide problem solving techniques. Liboff's book is quite good for that. As for theory, although Dirac is more thorough, there were important gaps in my understanding after reading Dirac that were cleared up by Liboff. Liboff is easier to understand.

In the fourth edition there is a new chapter on Quantum Computing. In my opinion, this chapter is extremely weak. Shor's algorithm for factoring integers is a probabilistic one, but this fact is not mentioned in the text. A probabilistic algorithm, simply stated, is one that does not always work. For instance Shor's algorithm fails to factor the number 9, but Liboff uses 9 as an example. In fact there is a definition of probabilistic algorithms in the book, but it fails to bring out the features that make Shor's alorithm understandable. Fortunately, this one bad chapter does not ruin the book.

1-0 out of 5 stars Terribly written and lacks explanation
The books dives into numerous topics without first giving thorough FOUNDATION or MOTIVATION. The examples are sparse, the explanations are few and far between, and the structure is overall bad. For those who need a book that teaches instead of a book that annoys and frustrates, get the Quantum Physics MIT introductory series book by AP French. It's a million times clearer, easier to read, and much more enriching. ... Read more


63. Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell
by A. Zee
list price: $49.50
our price: $34.65
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0691010196
Catlog: Book (2003-03-10)
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Sales Rank: 21134
Average Customer Review: 4.56 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

An esteemed researcher and acclaimed popular author takes up the challenge of providing a clear, relatively brief, and fully up-to-date introduction to one of the most vital but notoriously difficult subjects in theoretical physics. A quantum field theory text for the twenty-first century, this book makes the essential tool of modern theoretical physics available to any student who has completed a course on quantum mechanics and is eager to go on.

Quantum field theory was invented to deal simultaneously with special relativity and quantum mechanics, the two greatest discoveries of early twentieth-century physics, but it has become increasingly important to many areas of physics. These days, physicists turn to quantum field theory to describe a multitude of phenomena.

Stressing critical ideas and insights, Zee uses numerous examples to lead students to a true conceptual understanding of quantum field theory--what it means and what it can do. He covers an unusually diverse range of topics, including various contemporary developments, while guiding readers through thoughtfully designed problems. In contrast to previous texts, Zee incorporates gravity from the outset and discusses the innovative use of quantum field theory in modern condensed matter theory.

Without a solid understanding of quantum field theory, no student can claim to have mastered contemporary theoretical physics. Offering a remarkably accessible conceptual introduction, this text will be widely welcomed and used. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

5-0 out of 5 stars BRAVO ! ! !
BRAVO ! ! !
It has been over fifteen years since I've last read a book on QFT. This book is extremely clear, enlightening, entertaining, at times deep and always worth the effort. I have read several small sections and it has already made quite an impression on me. I recommend this book without hesitation.

I just don't understand the two star review by someone who thinks this is one step up from popularization. First, I don't know of any books in that category that discuss and show calculations for field theory in curved spacetime, renormalization, the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron, basics of Chern-Simons Theory and TQFT, etc. Second, if it's rigor you want, say non-commutative C* Algebras and QFT, why would you expect to find it "in a Nutshell?" Try, for a bit more rigor, "The Mathematical Foundations of Gauge Theories" by Marathe & Martucci or the wonderful works of John Baez. Or go to Glimm and Jaffe's "Quantum Physics: A Functional Integral Point of View" for lots of rigor but almost nothing in four dimensions. De gustibus non disputandem est - but let us not get ridiculous.

Joseph R. Dell'Aquila, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

5-0 out of 5 stars Quantum Fields Forever!
One characteristic which distinguishes this book from ordinary physics books is that it is written by a human physicist for other humans!

This text on quantum field theory is filled with charming psychology of physicists. It not only teaches up-to-date quantum field theory, but also tells readers how research is actually done and shows how to think about physics. For example, it is told how Yang-Mills theory was born out of a great mind in 20th century physics. It is also told how theorists and experimentalists live with each other. Readers can even know about how a life in physics is like, say, through the career of Confusio. These may belong to what people usually say `cannot be learned from books'.

This book is in the same style as ``Fearful Symmetry'' and ``Einstein's Universe'', two `popular' physics books. I think one can recognize that they are written by the same author merely by reading the texts. I have to use quotation marks for the word `popular', as those two books geneuinely teach physics, with a same taste as this quantum field theory book except with less technical details.

All the three books, by a special theoretical physicist, are classics.

5-0 out of 5 stars Billy D. Jones, theoretical physicist
This book is awesome.
It's for the beginner.
It's for the expert.
It's for the next generation...

5-0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
A delightful introduction to a difficult subject;
intuitive, insightful and fun!
An ideal introductory graduate level text.
Highly recommended.

5-0 out of 5 stars Funny, chatty, physical. QFT education transformed!!
This Quantum Field Theory text stands apart from others in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all :-). A very unique QFT introductory text.

One problem with learning QFT is that it is so easy to get lost in the mathematical details that the core physics concepts often get obscured.

In my opinion, Tony Zee overcomes this particular problem quite successfully. He keeps algebra to a bare minimum, and tries to find the shortest route to the physics ideas. He chooses examples that illustrate concepts in the fastest possible way.

The chapters are short. So refreshing! Each chapter has one or two core ideas. You can go through one in ten minutes (glossing over the math), and then you go back and do the math.

Part I (first eighty or so pages) is called "Motivation and Foundation" and is a rapid introduction to QFT. It is also a summary and sweeping overview --- introducing path integrals and Feynman diagrams and making a very intuitive transition from Quantum mechanics to Field theory.

The next three parts cover spin-1/2 particles (Dirac spinors), renormalization, and symmetry (breaking), standard fare for QFT texts. A sampling of condensed-matter applications is given in Parts V & VI, and then current high-energy topics are treated in parts VII & VIII.

The applications make this text stand out. There is a selection of advanced current topics like the quantum hall physics, surface growth, string theory, D-branes and quantum garavity, not usually found in introductory field theory texts. Of course none of these topics can be done justice in a book at this level, but getting a taste of advanced issues is a great treat.

The exposition is breezy and chatty, as the author admits was his intention. The text is never boring to read, and is at times very, very funny. Puns and jokes abound, as do anecdotes involving the inventors of QFT.

Renormalization is discussed through a lively dialog between student Confusio, a female Smart Experimentalist (SE), and a senior (Egghead) theorist. Ode to Galileo! Section headings alternate between serious and hilarious --- one section is called "Wisdom of the son-in-law". The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics comes out of a conversation between a teacher and a "wise-guy" student, who happens to be Feynman.

And so on and so forth.

The net result is a book which is much easier, and more fun, to read than any of the other common QFT books out there. Tony Zee's skills as a popular physics writer have been used to excellent effect in writing this textbook.

One more distinctive feature is that there is equal emphasis on condensed-matter and high-energy applications. Most QFT texts today, unfortunately, are so biased toward particle-physics that they tend to put off condensed-matter students. A. Zee has broken the mold!

Is the treatment "over"-simplified? Maybe simplified, but not dumbed-down. The high concept-to-pain ratio certainly seems worth the simplification.

Is this text only good as a supplement? Well, it is after all a "Nutshell", so maybe other texts are better for details. But as an introduction to QFT concepts, few other books match this.

Wholeheartedly recommended. ... Read more


64. The Feynman Lectures on Physics Volumes 1-2
by Richard P. Feynman
list price: $59.95
our price: $37.77
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0738209244
Catlog: Book (2003-11-01)
Publisher: Basic Books
Sales Rank: 32631
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, the first of the complete recordings of Feynman's famous Lectures on Physics, now on CD.

Basic Books is proud to announce the first volumes of the complete audio CD collection of the recorded lectures delivered by the late Richard P. Feynman, lectures originally delivered to his physics students at Caltech and later fashioned by the author into his classic textbook Lectures on Physics. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics to such formidable theories as Einstein's general relativity, superconductivity, and quantum mechanics, Fenyman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight. ... Read more


65. Organometallic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy: Theory and Practice
by G. B. Stringfellow
list price: $150.00
our price: $150.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0126738424
Catlog: Book (1999-05-15)
Publisher: Academic Press
Sales Rank: 527664
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

This book describes the operation of a particular technique for the production of compound semiconductor materials. It describes how the technique works, how it can be used for the growth of particular materials and structures, and the application of these materials for specific devices. It contains not only a fundamental description of the operation of the technique but also contains lists of data useful for the everyday operation of OMVPE reactors. It also offers specific recipes that can be used to produce a wide range of specific materials, structures, and devices.

Key Features
* Updated with new emphasis on the semiconducting nitride materials-GaN and its alloys with In and Al
* Emphasizes the newly understood aspects of surface processes
* Contains a new chapter, as well as several new sections in chapters on thermodynamics and kinetics
... Read more

Reviews (4)

5-0 out of 5 stars Definitely a masterpiece
I'm surprised by the online reviews for this book so far and it seems to me they are written by people who do not fully understand (or appreciate) the kinetic, thermodynamic, thermal issues, mass transport, fluid dynamic or reactor design aspects of OMVPE. Whether you're starting out or have been in the field for a while, this book is a must have. Stringfellow is one of the few people who understands the finer aspects of OMVPE. His qualitative and quantitative treatment of concepts is lucid, accurate and comprehensive. The older edition was getting out of date. The newer one adds information generated in the recent past. I would suggest browsing through the book and rating it yourself. You will not be disappointed.

2-0 out of 5 stars Not a particularly useful text
If you are unfamiliar with the field of OMVPE this text would serve as a good introduction. It does indeed cover the fundamentals of the OMVPE process. However, that is about all it covers. For those in industry or academia who are already acquainted with OMVPE, this book adds very little to your knowledge or understanding. The theoretical and mathematical treatment of the various issues listed is practically nonexistent. The sections that actually contain formulae are few and far between. Again, this is great if you are just starting to learn; this is rather disappointing if you are looking for an in-depth treatment of OMVPE. The one saving grace is that there are extensive lists of references that you can track down to find the details that are left out of the book itself. That's a lot of money for just a reference list though.

5-0 out of 5 stars Stringfellow is the authority on OMVPE. Great Book.
This is a great book if you want to know the science of OMVPE. Stringfellow is considered by many people to be the authority on this subject. You can't go wrong with this book. It's referenced in nearly every OMVPE journal article I have read.

2-0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book If You're Using Someone Else's Money!!
This has come to be used as a text or reference in the field of compound semiconductor epitaxy only because of the absence of anything better! This is a cursory introduction to a very broad field by a man whose own experiences have little relevance or bearing on the state of the art. A fair attempt is made at covering the basics of the subject and a good number of relevant publications are cited. Unfortunately the book has all the charm and utility of the author which cannot be quantatively evaluated without the use of negative numbers! I have found a good use for this book in my laboratory though, as one of my workbenches had a short leg under which this fit nicely! ... Read more


66. Introductory Physics, Building Understanding
by JeroldTouger
list price: $128.95
our price: $128.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0471418730
Catlog: Book (2004-12-31)
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Sales Rank: 172102
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

For over two decades, physics education research has been transforming physics teaching and learning. Now in this new algebra-based introductory physics text, Jerry Touger taps this work to support new teaching methodologies in physics.  Introductory Physics: Building Understanding recognizes that students learn better in guided active learning environments, engages students in a conceptual exploration of the physical phenomena before mathematical formalisms, and offers explicit guidance in using qualitative thinking to inform quantitative problem solving. ... Read more


67. Introduction to Elementary Particles
by DavidGriffiths
list price: $93.95
our price: $93.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0471603864
Catlog: Book (1987-03-01)
Publisher: Wiley
Sales Rank: 101889
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

This is the first quantitative treatment of elementary particle theory that is accessible to undergraduates. Using a lively, informal writing style, the author strikes a balance between quantitative rigor and intuitive understanding. The first chapter provides a detailed historical introduction to the subject. Subsequent chapters offer a consistent and modern presentation, covering the quark model, Feynman diagrams, quantum electrodynamics, and gauge theories. A clear introduction to the Feynman rules, using a simple model, helps readers learn the calculational techniques without the complications of spin. And an accessible treatment of QED shows how to evaluate tree-level diagrams. Contains an abundance of worked examples and many end-of-chapter problems. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

5-0 out of 5 stars Griffiths defines "Introductory Course"
David Griffiths' texts are indispensable for any beginner, and are used to "translate" more advanced texts. I used his "Quantum Mechanics" to fill in the gaps at the advanced graduate level, and his "Electrodynamics" was essential to understanding Jackson. I'm sorry that I waited so long to purchase his "Elementary Particles".

This book contains all the background that professors expect you to have already been exposed to: particle classification schemes, the November Revolution, relativistic kinematics, and fundamental force overviews. Griffiths then goes on to discuss Feynman rules, QED, QCD, electroweak and gauge theories. Griffiths also works out some essential problems, like muon decay, that you will want to see done, but I think it is done better by Lahiri and Pal (that, however, is a field theory book, which might be more advanced than is necessary to some people in particle physics).

This is a great text for anyone starting out in particle physics and for anyone who needs to review the fundamentals. My only bone with Griffiths is that sometimes more of the work is left to the reader than is appropriate (those problems worked out in gory detail are a godsend when you genuinely aren't getting the point).

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Intro to Particle Physics
Griffiths' book provides an ideal introduction to particle physics for the undergraduate who is desperate to find a comprehensive treatment that is truly understandable. I was greatly disappointed by Griffiths' books on electrodynamics and quantum mechanics, but he really hit the mark on this one. There is the usual introductory material on the Standard Model, relativistic kinematics, symmetries and bound states, but his presentations of QED, Feynman calculus, decays and interactions are clearly written and geared for the student who has been frustrated by the obtuseness of other so-called introductory texts. His exposition on gauge theories, the Yang-Mills field and the Higgs mechanism is elementary but enlightening and even entertaining.

Griffiths' sly wit is in great evidence in this text, and this is one of the reasons why it is so enjoyable. Although he displays a similar witty vein in his other texts, it just doesn't succeed as it does for this book. If you want to be able to calculate particle decay rates and interaction cross sections and have fun doing it, Griffiths' book is an excellent investment.

5-0 out of 5 stars A grain of salt...
OK. It seems that I am the one who criticizes all the books that everyone else loves.
The book is very good as far as didactics is concerned. But have you really read it? Let me ask you a few questions:

How many typos can you find in chapter 9?
What do you think - had ANYONE proofread Chapter 11 before the book was published?
What about the exercises -can you do 9.2 without Halzen and Martin at hand (so that you may look up what, say, |7'> really means? (Griffiths mixes notation from the two books and you can never solve the exercise without intoroducing some corrections).

There are many more questions like these to be asked about the Introduction to Elementary Particles.
So, do you like the content or the lively style?

But, of course, five stars!

5-0 out of 5 stars An outstanding intro to the subject
This textbook makes the somewhat esotoeric subject of particle physics totally accessible to an undergraduate. Griffiths style of writing naturally and using personal pronouns should be adopted by more physics text book authors. This book takes you from having only a vague understanding of the subject to getting into some really hairy calculations that are fundamental to the standard model.

5-0 out of 5 stars Another masterpiece
Griffiths just can't write a bad book. This book give a very clear introduction to particle physics. It covers the material very well, runs through numerous useful examples, and has problem sets with very good problems at the end of each chapter. This is one of the best physics books I've ever used (his e+m and quantum books are praiseworthy also). This is the place to start if you want to learn particle physics. ... Read more


68. The New Quantum Universe
by Tony Hey, Patrick Walters
list price: $34.99
our price: $23.09
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0521564573
Catlog: Book (2003-10-23)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Sales Rank: 18984
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

The principles of quantum mechanics are the basis of everything in the physical world--from atoms to stars, from nuclei to lasers. Quantum paradoxes and the eventful life of Schroedinger's Cat are explained, along with the Many Universe explanation of quantum measurement in this newly revised edition. Updated throughout, the book also looks ahead to the nanotechnology revolution and describes quantum cryptography, computing and teleportation.Including an account of quantum mechanics and science fiction, this accessible book is geared to the general reader. Anthony Hey teaches at the University of Southampton, UK, and is the co-author of several books, including two with Patrick Walters, The Quantum Universe (Cambridge, 1987), and Einstein's Mirror (Cambridge , 1997).Patrick Walters is a Lecturer in Continuing Education at the University of Wales at Swansea.He co-ordinates the Physical Science Programme in DACE which includes the Astronomy Programme.His research interests include science education, and he also writes non-technical books on science for the general reader and beginning undergraduates.First Edition Pb (1987): 0-521-31845-9 ... Read more

Reviews (6)

5-0 out of 5 stars my idea of fun!
I'm a novice in this area and this is the first book I read on the subject. On my first reading, I was only able to fully comprehend about 80% of this introduction to a most facinating subject matter. I must say that I enjoyed reading about all of it including the 20% I couldn't fully comprehend. The authors claim that no advanced math is necessary, but knowledge of differential calculus would help with the Shrodinger Equation. Perhaps my weakness in math (which I will soon address) accounts for the 20% I don't really understand at this point.

This book has plenty of beautiful pictures and illustrations of the technologies and experiements discussed. Each chapter is well written and a joy to read. Chapters include the following:

1) Waves Versus Particles
2) Heisenberg and Uncertaintity
3) Shrodinger and Matter Waves
4) Atoms and Neuclei
5) Quantum Tunneling
6) Pauli and the Elements
7) Quantum Co-Operation and Superfluids
8) Quantum Jumps
9) Quantum Engineering

10) Death of a Star
11) Feynman Rules
12) Weak Photons and Strong Glue
13) Afterward - Quantum Physics and Science Fiction

For a beginner, such as myself, it's the kind of book that's challenging in a good way. I found myself constantly wanting to pick this book up to read as much as I could. I was always looking forward to what was comming next. I highly recommend it for anyone curious about the subject matter.

5-0 out of 5 stars The New Quantum Universe
The Quantum Universe was very good. The New Quantum Universe is excellent. Its authors write with a clarity and dash rarely achieved for what can be (and is) a daunting subject.

5-0 out of 5 stars Quantum effects are all around us
When you think about quantum physics, you may be inclined to think small. Many people naturally think that quantum effects happen only on a scale that, for most of us, isn't relevant. Hey and Walters, though, help us think again. Quantum effects are in the world all around us. Indeed, the universe would be very different if the rules of quantum mechanics were not what they are.

The stated purpose of this book is to "present the essential ideas of quantum physics as simply as possible and demonstrate how quantum physics affects us all." After reading the book, I have to agree that Hey and Walters have succeeded on both accounts. They've achieved their goal by laying the book out in a careful and logical manner, including filling it with lots of informative and nicely made illustrates (on average, more than one for each page).

The book begins by discussing the classical differences between waves and particles. Most of us have been introduced to quantum mechanics this way. First learning how quantum-mechanical objects act like "particles" some of the time, and "waves" part of the time. An important point made by the authors is that particles and waves are idealizations. In reality, quantum-mechanical objects cannot be described by any simple picture. Overcoming this conceptual obstacle is one of the first challenges for someone who is first becoming acquainted with QM. This is a point made by their careful discussion about the results and implications of double-slit experiments.

This book has equations. Not many, and not too difficult (mostly just algebra). It's really written at a High School or Freshman College level. The ideas introduced are mostly qualitative. I think this makes the book an excellent introduction. I certainly wish I'd had something like this before taking my first QM class. Having a qualitative and conceptual understanding before diving into the mathematics is a more productive approach.

Leaving the chapter on waves and uncertainty, the authors introduce the reader to the weird world of the uncertainty principle, which is the strange characteristic of quantum-mechanical objects that they don't actually have an exact position/velocity until it's measured. There's an excellent series of photographs that illustrate the uncertainty principle in a macroscopic object by using a sequence showing the probabilistic formation of a camera image over time. The book quotes often from Richard Feynman, and this chapter has an introductory description of Feynman's diagrams/quantum paths.

These discussions lead naturally to the Schrodinger equation and matter probability waves. Again, there's a little mathematics here (the differential equation for a particle moving in one dimension, in a potential). The authors illustrate the tie-in with the macroscopic world by illustrating a photograph of some dust mites, made by using the quantum-mechanical nature of electrons.

Chapter 4 is one of the best, in my opinion. It's about the structure of atoms. When this subject was first introduced to me over 35 years ago, the explanation faltered and it took several more years before I felt comfortable in my understanding. How I wish I'd had this book then. The explanation here is crisp and clear, and does a nice job of explaining the notation used for the different quantum-energy levels and how they relate to things like the angular momentum.

How atoms are made affects our everyday lives. The fact that bosons and fermions have different statistical distributions makes a huge difference in how macroscopic objects behave. In fact, we would probably not be alive to notice how different the universe would be without these specific characteristics at the quantum level. One of the best examples is found in the life sequence of stars, where the quantum-mechanical structure of stars is inherently related to their evolution. There's an excellent chapter in this book that describes how stars work, how they are born, what makes them shine, and how they die. In each step, the laws of quantum mechanics govern the evolutionary process.

Other topics covered include superconductivity, superfluidity, Feynman diagrams, Hawking radiation and black holes, the weak and strong forces, the Higgs vacuum, particle accelerators, lasers, monopoles, and quark confinement. The book also has several informative appendixes in the back, that supply additional mathematical information, including a simple solution to the Schrodinger equation.

This book is a little like Chandrasekhar's book "Why Things Are the Way They Are," with a touch of the flavor found in Sam Trieman's book "The Odd Quantum." Both of these other books are among my favorite introductory texts, and "The Quantum Universe" sits on my bookshelf next to them.

This is a well-written book that makes an excellent introduction for students, and enjoyable leisure reading by scientists and engineers who've already had a college class in quantum mechanics. The illustrations and photographs add to the expressive and clear writing style to make this a book I can heartily recommend

5-0 out of 5 stars an extremely good book about modern physics
this is an excellent book, from the beginning to the end. it introduces all the modern physics concepts with very clean explanations and beautiful colorful pictures. i just love it.

5-0 out of 5 stars A Very Entertaining Book
An extremely interesting book on physics for an average readerr.If you're a guy who has forgotten most of what you learned in college physics courses and want to pick it up a little bit, and have a little fun in the mean while, this book is for you. ... Read more


69. Conformal Field Theory (Graduate Texts in Contemporary Physics)
by Philippe Di Francesco, Pierre Mathieu, David Senechal
list price: $109.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 038794785X
Catlog: Book (1996-12-01)
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Sales Rank: 522262
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

Filing an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. The treatment is self-contained, pedagogical, and exhaustive, and includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, Lie algebras and affine Lie algebras. The many exercises, with a wide spectrum of difficulty and subjects, complement and in many cases extend the text. The text is thus not only an excellent tool for classroom teaching but also for individual study.

Intended primarily for graduate students and researchers in theoretical high-energy physics, mathematical physics, condensed matter theory, statistical physics, the book will also be of interest in other areas of theoretical physics and mathematics.It will prepare the reader for original research in this very active field of theoretical and mathematical Physics. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

5-0 out of 5 stars This is a great book for beginners to learn CFT.
This book is really well done. It introduce the theory of conformal fields in a really pedagogical way so that any person not familiar at all with the subject can enjoy it. The review of quantum field theory and statistical mechanics at the begining is excellent and it is of great help if you haven't work with these subjects recently. The book is also filled with many basic applications that make the theory closer to real life.

Congratulations for this nice book!

5-0 out of 5 stars A definite "must have" for those interested in CFT.
This book is a fine contribution to the literature on conformal field theory and will no doubt become one of the standard references on the subject. It is well worth the price as it gives a comprehensive introduction to the subject. Chapter 5 is a good discussion of local conformal invariance and clears up some of my own misunderstandings of this invariance. The later chapters discuss affine Lie algebras and algebraic considerations in detail.

5-0 out of 5 stars Very complete, the reference in the field
Probably the best book to introduce you to conformal field theory. It starts from basics and go up to coset constrcutions, WZW models. More than a textbook, it is a necessary reference! ... Read more


70. Physical Science with New CD-ROM, PowerWeb and OLC Passcode Card
by Bill W Tillery
list price: $110.63
our price: $110.63
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0072476338
Catlog: Book (2001-12-11)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
Sales Rank: 273318
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

One or two-semester introductory science course for non-scientists. May be a requirement for education majors. Covers physics, chemistry, astronomy, and earth science. Integrated science course also covers biology. ... Read more


71. Fundamentals of Physics
by DavidHalliday, RobertResnick, JearlWalker
list price: $137.95
our price: $137.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 047122863X
Catlog: Book (2002-04-19)
Publisher: Wiley
Sales Rank: 250248
Average Customer Review: 4 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

No other text on the market today can match the success of Halliday, Resnick and Walker’s Fundamentals of Physics. This text continues to outperform the competition year after year, and the new edition will be no exception.  Intended for Calculus-based Physics courses, the 6th edition of this extraordinary text is a major redesign of the best-selling 5th edition, which still maintains many of the elements that led to its enormous success.  Jearl Walker adds his unique style to this edition with the addition of new problems designed to capture, and keep, students’ attention.  Nearly all changes are based on suggestions from instructors and students using the 5th edition, from reviewer comments, and from research done on the process of learning.  The primary goal of this text is to provide students with a solid understanding of fundamental physics concepts, and to help them apply this conceptual understanding to quantitative problem solving.

The principal goal of Halliday-Resnick-Walker is to provide instructors with a tool by which they can teach students how to effectively read scientific material and successfully reason through scientific questions. To sharpen this tool, the Enhanced Problems Version of the sixth edition of Fundamentals of Physics contains over 1000 new, high-quality problems that require thought and reasoning rather than simplistic plugging of data into formulas. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book for first sem in college
Excellent book for the first year in college although it doesn't have a hell lot of information on quantum physics and practically none on general relativity. plus the solutions to half the problems are available only to instructors.

5-0 out of 5 stars A very interested book
I have strongly recomended this book especially the sixth edition. The book contains many chapters which collect and deal with roughly all directions of the nature (life) and illustrate each subject and element with very good sequencely steps and support it with sample problems arranged from lower to a higher level. There are many and many problems at the end of each chapter. The book is so great and the authers are cleavers. I hope the next edition be more funtastic and having a lot of extended materials. Good Luck

1-0 out of 5 stars Worst introductory physics book ever written
I have been teaching introductory physics at a university for 10 years and this is the worst book I have ever used. It is full of misconceptions, terrible and incomplete explanations, and the worst writing style I have ever read. All my students intensely dislike this book. We used the textbook by Serway previously, which in my opinion is an infinitely better book. I have no idea why we changed to Halliday but I am trying to get our department to change back to Serway.

5-0 out of 5 stars Good intro physics book
I used the previous edition but I looked at this edition and the only thing that has changed from editions is the cover, the formatting, and the reordering of the problems. It is a great book in retrospect. There were a few moments where I really disliked this book. The first half of the book was a breeze. My review of the second half (E&M) is a little mixed. I felt some of the concepts were not explained clearly enough and I spent way too much time and effor trying to figure out what was going on. Overall though the book explains things pretty thoroughly. The problems go from easy to hard. Do all the odd problems sequentially and you should be good. You don't need calculus really, but it is pretty hard to understand some of the E&M stuff without it. Optics section was rough and I spent way too much time on it. Special relativity and quantum mechanics is just a survey. The quantum and relativity part of the book doesn't really explain anything precisely and instead tries to convince the reader with qualitative arguments. The equations used are special cases with nice closed form solutions. I think the last few chapters of the book is just filler. ... Read more


72. Handbook of Heat Transfer
by Warren M. Rohsenow, James P. Hartnett, Young I. Cho
list price: $165.00
our price: $165.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0070535558
Catlog: Book (1998-05-01)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional
Sales Rank: 358783
Average Customer Review: 4.67 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

This wholly revised edition of a classic handbook reference, written by some of the most eminent practitioners in the field, is designed to be your all-in-one source book on heat transfer issues and problem-solving. It includes the latest advances in the field, as well as covering subjects from microscale heat transfer to thermophysical properties of new refrigerants. An invaluable guide to this most crucial factor in virtually every industrial and environmental process. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

5-0 out of 5 stars Reference book for engineers
This is not an introductory book on heat transfer! Instead it is a thorough treatment on heat transfer in a stringent an extensive manner. This book places greater emphasis on correctness than "easy-to-understand-ness". However, if you do read it, you gain a lot compared to most introductory heat transfer books. If you are interested in forced convection heat transfer, this book gives well documented equations and charts for a great number of shapes, though mostly internal flow. This is a very serious book for serious engineers!

4-0 out of 5 stars A very useful reference
I found very useful the way thermal conductivity was approached. I was used to solve simple problems by means of "Temperature response charts". Now it is possible to use formulas instead of graphs.

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent source of information on heat transfer
A must read for all Chemical and Mechanical engineers. Exhaustice source of information and knowledge ... Read more


73. Physics, Chapters 18-32
by John D.Cutnell
list price: $86.95
our price: $86.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0471209392
Catlog: Book (2003-06-16)
Publisher: Wiley
Sales Rank: 172502
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

This Sixth Edition helps readers understand the interrelationships among basic physics concepts and how they fit together to describe our physical world. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize the relevance of physics to our everyday lives.

Real-world physics applications, including many biomedical applications, show how physics principles come into play over and over again in our lives.

Problem Solving Insights explain each calculation in detail, guiding readers through the quantitative process

Includes a CD containing physics simulations
... Read more


74. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Volume II
by Raymond A. Serway, Robert J. Beichner, John W. Jewett
list price: $98.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0030209692
Catlog: Book (1999-11-01)
Publisher: Brooks Cole
Sales Rank: 103603
Average Customer Review: 4 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

This best-selling, calculus-based text is recognized for its carefully crafted, logical presentation of the basic concepts and principles of physics. Raymond Serway, Robert Beichner, and contributing author John W. Jewett present a strong problem-solving approach that is further enhanced through increased realism in worked examples. Problem-solving strategies and hints allow students to develop a systematic approach to completing homework problems. The outstanding ancillary package includes full multimedia support, online homework, and a content-rich Web site that provides extensive support for instructors and students. The CAPA (Computer-assisted Personalized Approach), WebAssign, and University of Texas homework delivery systems give instructors flexibility in assigning online homework. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

2-0 out of 5 stars Frustrating Book
This is my first experience with this author/book and I am not impressed. I have used other physics books in the past that were far better than this one. There are not too many worked out example problems and the level of understanding in the book is set pretty high.

5-0 out of 5 stars The BEST Introductory Physics Book EVER
To be honest, I didn't even need to buy this book, but I did it anyway. Having worked with Serway's Texts before, I new this was going to be an exellent book. This text contains hundreds of illustrations to help a student of physics grasp the underlying concepts. The book also has many diversified problems to help the student obtain the tools needed to be successful in physics. I would recommend this book to anybody, even those not interested in physics, because by the time your through with this book, you'll be interested alright.

5-0 out of 5 stars Un libro facil de entender, para estudiantes de ingenieria
yo he utilizado el tomo 1 y 2 y me parecen muy facil de entender tiene buenos ejemplos, pero tambien recomiendo que poseean otro libro a la hora de estudiar porque hay cosas que el serway no menciona y otros libros si.

4-0 out of 5 stars Good book, longer wait than others..
The book was in excellent condition for a used book, although it took 2 weeks for the book to arrive. All-in-all I would buy from this guy again.

5-0 out of 5 stars Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Vol. II, 5th Ed.
The service was excellent, she had the book shipped out within 2 days, and I received the book in 4 business days! ... Read more


75. Modern Cosmology
by Scott Dodelson
list price: $70.00
our price: $70.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0122191412
Catlog: Book (2003-03-07)
Publisher: Academic Press
Sales Rank: 114411
Average Customer Review: 5 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

Modern Cosmology begins with an introduction to the smooth, homogeneous universe described by a Friedman-Robertson-Walker metric, including careful treatments of dark energy, big bang nucleosynthesis, recombination, and dark matter.From this starting point, the reader is introduced to perturbations about an FRW universe: their evolution with the Einstein-Boltzmann equations, their generation by primordial inflation, and their observational consequences. These consequences include the anisotropy spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) featuring acoustic peaks and polarization, the matter power spectrum with baryonic wiggles, and their detection via photometric galaxy surveys, redshift distortions, cluster abundances, and weak lensing. The book concludes with a long chapter on data analysis.

Modern Cosmology is the first book to explain in detail the structure of the acoustic peaks in the CMB, the E/B decomposition in polarization which may allow for detection of primordial gravity waves, and the modern analysis techniques used on increasingly large cosmological data sets. Readers will gain the tools needed to work in cosmology and learn how modern observations are rapidly revolutionizing our picture of the universe.

*Provides foundations, calculations, and interpretations which illuminate current thinking in cosmology
*Covers the major advances in cosmology over the past decade
*Includes over 100 unique, pedagogical figures
... Read more

Reviews (4)

5-0 out of 5 stars Great text
I haven't used another cosmology text for comparison, but have been very pleased with this one. The text is everywhere clear, reasonably concise, and the author uses good judgment in determining which calculations to present as examples and which to reserve for practice, all of which make this a very easy text to read. My only reservations are that necessary assumptions and approximations do not always seem fully justified, and the reader is often asked to wait until later in the text for certain approximations to be justified, which at times disrupts the logical flow of the text. The text is also somewhat incomplete in the sense that Dodelson does not always start from first principles. In my case I considered this an advantage as it allowed for quicker reading and less overhead before important results are presented. The discussion of inflation was less complete than I had hoped, but sufficient to prepare me for the literature.

5-0 out of 5 stars the BEST book on cosmology for the advanced student
Without question, Dodelson's book beats out a herd of books at the present redshift for the de rigeur text to be bandied about by grad students. I haven't looked back at Padmanabhan's Structure formation in awhile, but it was written before the COBE discoveries, and so it's a bit "old fashioned" now; there are a number of other books worth looking at, of course.

Couple Dodelson with Kolb & Turner's Early Universe text (which has some more in depth treatments of QCD- and high energy-related effects such as the axion), and perhaps with the old -- but still excellent -- Peebles book on large scale structure, and you're ready to hit the ground running in the literature.

Especially commendable aspects of Dodelson's book:

1. A great literature review at the end of each chapter allows you to dip deeper (or clarify things.) Dodelson should also be praised for his evenhandedness.

2. His in depth solutions -- meaning, you and he crunch the algebra together down the page -- are a great antidote to the "it can be shown" attitude of many cosmology papers (and sometimes textbooks!)

5-0 out of 5 stars Approachable Cosmology
This book is a must-have for the cosmos-curious. Well organized and indexed and excellently written, the author puts difficult information within reach of the student who aspires to understand one of the most complex disciplines. A superb accomplishment by a fine teacher and consummate scientist that should become the definitive text for all would-be cosmologists.

5-0 out of 5 stars Impressive even at a first look
I stumbled across the title of this book when I was browsing around somebody's cosmology course website. I know that Scott Dodelson is a quite well-known cosmologist, so I start searching for more information. After reading the preliminary detailed table of contents (I found it somewhere on the web) and the book description from Academic Press, I decided to pre-order the book. The book arrived just on March 31. I tried to take a quick but thorough view before write this comment. I haven't read the book in full. Here i would just like to write the Table of Contents in more detail by including the sections.

1. The Standard Model and Beyond. The expanding universe, Hubble diagram, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), beyond Standard Model.

2. The Smooth, Expanding Universe. General relativity (crash course), distances, evolution of energy, cosmic inventory (photons, baryons, matter, neutrinos, dark energy, epoch of matter-radiation equality).

3. Beyond Equilibrium. Boltzmann equation for annihilation, BBN (neutron & light elements abudance), recombination, dark matter.

4. The Boltzmann Equations (BE). BE for harmonic oscillator, the collisionless BE for photons (0th and 1st order), collision terms: Compton scattering, BE for photons, BE for Cold Dark Matter (CDM), BE for baryons.

5. Einstein Equations. Perturbed Ricci tensor and scalar, two components of Einstein Equations, tensor perturbations, decomposition theorems, gauges.

6. Initial conditions. Einstein-Boltzmann equations at early times, the horizon, inflation, gravity wave production, scalar perturbations.

7. Inhomogeneities. Prelude, large scales (super-horizon & through horizon crossing), small scales (horizon & sub-horizon crossing), growth function, beyond CDM.

8. Anisotropies. Overview, large-scale anisotropies, acoustic oscillations (tightly coupled), diffusion (Silk) damping, inhomogeneities to anisotropies (free streaming, C_{l}s), anisotropy spectrum (Sachs-Wolfe, small scales), cosmological parameters.

9. Probe of Inhomogeneities. Angular correlation, peculiar velocities, redshift space distortions, galaxy clusters.

10. Weak Lensing and Polarization. Gravitational distortion, geodesics and shears, ellipticity, weak lensing power spectrum, polarization, quadrupole and Q/U (or E/B as in recent literatures) decomposition, polarization power spectra, detection of gravity waves.

11. Analysis. Likelihood function, signal covariance matrix, Karhunen-Loeve & optimal quadratic, Fisher matrix, mapmaking & inversion, systematics, foregrounds.

Appendix A. Solution to Selected Problems
Appendix B. Numbers
Appendix C. Special Functions
Appendix D. Symbols.
Bibliography.

In addition, each chapter is ended with a summary and further reading list. Quite nice indeed. The bibliography are extensive: there are classic, pioneering papers, recent papers, textbooks. There are some color plates in the middle part of the book.

In my opinion, this book is far better than Peacock in discussing new aspect of anisotropies and inhomogeneities. Lots of topics that were only previously available in research papers, review articles, summer school lectures, preprints, are brought together to the form of a decent book. The chapter of analysis is quite interesting, since the subject has become very demanding but there are still no single treatment of it.

Dodelson said in the preface that the expected audience are advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Some of the necessary materials (GR, inflation, are introduced in the text).

I myself suggests, however, that the reader should have a proficient knowledge in standard undergraduate physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, quantum physics), mathematical physics, and general relativity if possible. Some knowledge of astrophysics/astronomy, statistics/data analysis, kinetic theory, would certainly be welcomed.

A little bit of cons, however are inevitable. The current development in cosmology is astounding. Just a few weeks before the book was published, the WMAP team released their first result after a year of observations, which put tight constraints for cosmological models. Several numbers and figures in the book then are in the need to be updated. Topics such as distant quasars, cosmic reionization and the end of cosmic dark ages, first-generation stars, might be worthy enough to be included in the future.

This book is definitely a must buy for cosmologist.

Update 2003 July 8
Author's website for the book is available with full table of contents at

home.fnal.gov/~dodelson/book.html

Update 2003 September 8.
You should also get two more books beside this.

1) Kinetic theory in the expanding universe by Jeremy Bernstein, Cambridge, 1988, ISBN 0-521-36050-1. Best reference material to understand relativistic Boltzmann equation in Dodelson chapter 3-5.

2) The Early Universe by Edward W. Kolb and Michael S. Turner, Perseus/Westview, 1994, ISBN 0-201-62674-8. Contains extensive material on FRW metric, detailed discussion on nucleosynthesis and particle physics-cosmology interface, inflation, and structure formation. ... Read more


76. The Classical Theory of Fields : Volume 2 (Course of Theoretical Physics Series)
by L. D. Landau
list price: $66.95
our price: $66.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0750627689
Catlog: Book (1980-01-01)
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
Sales Rank: 118553
Average Customer Review: 4.67 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

The fourth edition contains seven new sections with chapters on General Relativity, Gravitational Waves and Relativistic Cosmology. The text has been thoroughly revised and additional problems inserted.


The Complete course of Theoretical Physics by Landau and Lifshitz, recognized as two of the world's outstanding physicists, is published in full by Butterworth-Heinemann. It comprises nine volumes, covering all branches of the subject; translations from the Russian are by leading scientists.
... Read more

Reviews (15)

5-0 out of 5 stars An Essential Classic Reference Work
This is a magnificent book carefully crafted by two of the leading theorists of the twentieth century. If you have a basic grounding in mechanics, vector analysis and tensor analysis then much of this book will be accessible. The early parts of the book are concerned with Special Relativity and the classical electromagnetic field using the action principle and tensor form of Maxwell's Equations. Later in the book there is in depth presentation of the General Theory of Relativity. This is very much a reference book rather than one to approach these subjects for the first time. There are no exercises or problems but it is a truly masterly work and well worth the money spent upon it and time invested studying it.

5-0 out of 5 stars The ultimate treatise on classical field theory
This book is simply the best treatment of the subject that can be found. Period. Having been written by Landau it comes with the guarantee that the material is presented in the most elegant, yet logically consistent manner possible. And this book delivers all of that and more. Similar to the approach in "Mechanics" the principle of least action plays a prominent role in all the theories: relativistic mechanics, electromagnetic theory and Einstein GR. As a result Landau develops the whole material through very plausible and very physical arguments, thus providing a very deep understanding for the material.

To put it simply, the derivation of Maxwell's equations are stunning. I have never seen a clearer, more convincing treatment. And as we have come to expect from this series, it is almost impossible to find any flaws(except for some typos which unfortunately still exist even in the most recent reprint.) The sections on radiation of electromagnetic waves and

The treatment of relativity is very consice and it is rather unfortunate that we could not get a more detailed exposition on the subject from Landau. It would have been extremely interesting to see what Landau would have had to say had he written this section after the "Golden Area for Black Holes Rsearch" As it is the discussion of Relativity from, as is to be expected, a principle of least action(Hilbert Action) is very cleverly done. Every section of the book is very physically motivated rather than purely geometric arguments. Reading this book gives you a fairly good intuitive understanding for the actual physics involved rather than simply an ability to write and solve field equations.

It might be a very good idea to read some sections of their Vol1. on Mechanics before attemting this book, with special attention to Chapters 1,2 and the last chapter on the Hamiltonian treatment.

But all in all, this is probably one of my favorite books both in terms of contect as well as sheer elegance of presentation. A geneuine masterpiece.

4-0 out of 5 stars A cult classic.
Seriously, a cult classic. And one should beware of cults. It's a very elegant, pristine presentation. However, this is often at the expense of sweeping some messier issues under the rug. Landau's reasoning has a very fluid intuitive quality, and it is easy to float along with as long as you don't stop an notice that sometimes it doesn't really make sense. I once heard a prominent physicist say of Landau's papers "everything's wrong except the answers". An exaggeration but some truth to it.

5-0 out of 5 stars One of the best !
This is, in my opinion, still the best book on Relativistic Electrodynamics and General Relativity. The way the energy-momentum tensor and the E-M pseudotensor, in GR, are discussed, including the part on how to define the 4-momentum Pi in GR, is among the best you can find on the subject. Moreover the discussion on syncronous frames is also very instructive. This is a must have reference for theoretical physicists.
Even the last part about basic aspects of cosmology is still a solid base one can start on. I love this book.

3-0 out of 5 stars About the way of material presentation
I believe the book was much better if authors avoided their short-cut introduction to the tensor calculus. The worse such an introduction I never saw. Unfortunately this leaved a mark on a following material.

The other weakness is rationalization. For example about the fact that maximum speed exists (almost on the first page). It looks like the speed limit is mathematically necessary, however it's not correct and logic of authors is flawed there. The phisical experiment only convince about existance of such a limit. ... Read more


77. The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life
by Robert Becker, Gary Selden
list price: $14.95
our price: $10.17
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0688069711
Catlog: Book (1998-08-05)
Publisher: Perennial Currents
Sales Rank: 28323
Average Customer Review: 4.79 out of 5 stars
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

Book Description

In this landmark book, Robert O. Becker, M.D., a pioneer in the field of bioelectric science, presents a fascinating look at the role electricity plays in healing, challenging the traditional mechanistic model of the body. Colorful and controversial, this is a tale of engrossing research, scientific and medical politics, and breakthrough discoveries that offer new possibilities for fighting disease and harnessing the body's healing powers. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

5-0 out of 5 stars Excellent start of the field...
This book finally leads medicine (and biology) from the early 1800's into the 21st century. That is, these areas have been stuck in a mechanistic, chemical-based view of how the body works since they elected to ignore Maxwell's work - work that has lead to all of the electrical gadgets and technology we all love so dearly.

For some reason those in who study life have elected to ignore Maxwell's work and concentrate on chemical reactions. As was pointed out back in the 1920's (and earlier even) this approach precludes life so it is no wonder that medicine has not advanced very far.

Becker lays the groundwork for understanding ancient traditions such as Qigong (the Taoists certainly understood the concept of the energetic body) in addition to exposing the widespread pollution we are now exposed to. One wonders when people will wake up and realize that the electromagnetic pollution is no doubt doing at least as much as the chemical pollution in causing changes to the planet's biosphere.

Excellent book in addition to the newer "Cross Currents".

4-0 out of 5 stars A Basic in The Field
This book, which I found as the only one which met my criteria in a library search, had a profound affect on my life. I am not a scientist, and was somewhat put off by the long list of tortured & murdered animals which are central to the body of the work. I finished the book easily, though, and the information was instrumental in creating my own work. I came at this from an Eastern point of view and found the basic science very useful. I work now mainly with neurological difficulties, and am grateful to Dr. Becker every day. I downgraded it one star (actually 1/2 star) because he tries to incorporate fields with which he has no familiarity in order to make his work comprehensive. For instance, he suggest that because he could find electrical conduction at only half the points used in acupuncture, he suggests that possibly the other half are spurious. In his own field, however, his research is outstanding.

4-0 out of 5 stars The rebirth of electrobiology
This is not an extremely technical book. You would have some trouble trying to reproduce the good doctor's experiments with nothing but this. But it is very influential, and very interesting. A collection of the Biological works of Robert Becker would not only get 5 stars from me, but would be the greatest scientific work of the 20th century, with the POSSIBLE exception of Einstein's "Collected Works on Relativity". Yes, Becker is that good.

My first exposure to Becker was a relatively unimpressive interview on 60 minutes when I was a boy. In college I watched this man's work almost singlehandedly bring back electrobiology, which (so said the books printed in the 80's) was dead. There is still much to do in this field. It's rare for an MD (no, he is not a PhD) to be able to figure these things out without having someone else tell it to him. That's a compliment, by the way. Hell, MD's keep saying the Atkins diet won't work, when bodybuilders and wrestlers have been using the same principles very successfully for decades. They just aren't progressive thinkers for the most part, but this guy has more to say (that you need to hear) than any PhD around today.

His early article in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery(an early inspiration for my thesis) is cited here, as are several of his later articles, so it gives you leads to follow. If you are a scientist or are studying to be one, I recomend this as something very important to read between semesters. If you are a laymen that is either interested in science or just worried about the potential hazards of electromagnetic pollution, I recomend it as a starting point.

5-0 out of 5 stars Must Read For Any MD/Researcher/Engineer Worth Their Salt
"The Body Electric" (1) and "Cross Currents" (2)These books are the basis for electro-medicine good/harmful effects. They (the first one especially) provide cogent explanations on the cancer
mechanisms; bone/tissue/organ regeneration and electromagnetic effects. One can deduce how wrong and primitive mainstream thinking is in these matters.

I think these books should be required reading by any MD/researcher/engineer worth her/his salt.

Incidentally Dr. Becker, far ahead of his time, is the king of stem cell research, however, he was hounded by the mainstream as his research would have put much of the wrong headed & self serving resea