Book Description

Thoroughly revised and updated, this self-contained textbook provides a pedagogical introduction to relativity. It covers the most important features of special as well as general relativity, and considers more difficult topics, such as charged pole-dipole particles, Petrov classification, groups of motions, gravitational lenses, exact solutions and the structure of infinity. The necessary mathematical tools are provided, most derivations are complete, and exercises are included where appropriate. The bibliography lists the original papers and also directs the reader to useful monographs and review papers. Previous Edition Hb(1990): 0-521-37066-3 Previous Edition Pb(1990): 0-521-37941-5 ... Read more

Book Description

In Hecht's groundbreaking book, you'll find real-life applications, an unparalleled art and photography program, a presentation that anticipates students' questions, and an approach that emphasizes contemporary physics while interweaving historical perspectives. Hecht's coverage of classical physics is clear and insightful. He shows students how 21st-century physics illuminates the classical topics of each chapter, adding excitement to the subject matter. Over 1,300 illustrations make it possible for students to visualize a diversity of physical phenomena. Many of these are multi-frame, sequential drawings allowing students to comprehend the temporal unfolding of complex events. A selection of sketch art teaches students how to create problem-solving diagrams. This new edition of the text was designed to aggressively address the issue of problem solving for students (guided by contemporary physics education research). To this end Hecht has provided not only his approach to the five-step problem-solving framework but also a wide range of new problems and solutions specifically designed to build student capability and confidence. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

urnightingale
THis is an excellent book...but you really have to be committed to learn anything (esp. Physics).You can't expect to just read through once and understand everything.This book makes the reader think deeply about physical concepts, but again, you have to be committed to grasp them throughly.It is a very interesting book.Excellent resource for to-be-researchers.In fact, it introduces the reader to very interesting facts about different researcher.I used to read it like a story book (some chapters took about a day to read) but i enjoyed it.If you want to learn physics and want to learn it with an open mind, this is the best book.I have taken an engineering physics course also and their book was very boring and confusing compared to this one.so..enjoy!

Students Beware!!!!
I bought this book for a class and was hoping it would help me through it, since my teacher was not the best.It just made it more confusing.The book is littered with information, just too much for a person taking algebra based physics.Most people taking Algebra based physics need a step-by-step approach at learning the subject matter.This book does a poor job at doing so.The concepts are not clear and concise, and fails when attempting to outline major equations. The problems in the back have answers for the odd problems, but how do we access answers to the even problems?Where's the student solution manual?It adds much difficulty to the learning process.Wouldn't recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed with the beginner in mind and useful to anyone interested in astronomy. Star Maps for Beginners is the classic guide to viewing and understanding the heavens. Its superb maps -- drawn in the shape of two crossed ellipses -- provide the reader with a unique perspective on the sky and have been widely acknowledged as the easiest system yet devised for locating any constellation at any time of the year.

Now revised for the 1990s, with updated planet charts and a new section on spotting meteor showers. Star Maps for Beginners includes:

12 complete maps -- one for each month -- showing the positions of the constellations viewed from every direction
a synoptic table that shows how to choose the proper map for use at any time special tables that give approximate positions of the planets for the years 1992 through 1997
the most up-to-date overview of the solar system available today the latest facts about each of the planets -- orbit, size, atmosphere, internal structure, climate, and terrain
a full chapter on the history and development of the constellations, and the ancient legends and mythological lore surrounding them
a special section on meteors -- how they originate and when and where to spot them.

Initially published in 1942 and now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Star Maps for Beginners has sold more than 450,000 copies. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Expect to Wear Out Your Copy
My tattered copy sitting on the shelf as I write this attests to it's value. I'm no major astronomer in any sense of the word, but a major part of what I DO know about the night sky was gleaned from its pages. It is what the title suggests: "For Beginners". It refrains from being too technical, the charts for the months of the year are easy to understand and use, and it's ar less expensive than other books of its kind. If your wish is to begin a hobby in astronomy, or better yet, if you simply are curious as to how to find your way around the night sky, this is a wonderful place to start. You will amaze yourself with what you'll know after only a few nights with this book. However, please note how up-to-date your copy is when buying it here or elsewhere. Hopefully, it will be as much a joy to you as it has been for me these past six years.

best book for beginners
I'll echo the comments of the reviewers below. I've looked at many books of star maps and I've written articles on the night sky for local newspapers. This book is by far the best - it's easy to use and the constellations are depicted just as they appear in the sky - without a lot of confusing, unnecessary additions. The accompanying essays are informative, entertaining and easy to understand.

It's a huge shame that this book evidently has not been updated in 10 years. So, yes, the planet information is out-of-date. (But before you learn to find planets you first need to learn to identify constellations and bright stars - that's where Star Maps for Beginners outshines all the others.)

I, too, have given away countless copies of this book. It's great for almost all ages. (Well, let's say for a bright 10-year-old and up.) I'm buying it again as a gift for someone who sells telescopes for a living. He never heard of it and he doesn't know what he's missing.

The most dog-eared sky reference book I have
It's true, it doesn't show where the planets are but for identifying constellations and stars, any time from about 6 pm to about 5 am, you can't beat this book. I write a What's Up In the Sky weekly column and I'd be lost without this book. It gives basic information, delineates the differences in the seasons, skywise, and throws in some mythology also. The chart, telling which sky map corresponds to the time of night is invalueable. I can't imagine looking at the sky without this book.

The easiest way I've seen to find and identify stars, planet
I'd be hard pressed to say how many copies of this book I have given away. Unlike most other star guides, this book gives clear, easy-to-follow maps and directions for finding stars and planets. A separate star map is provided for each month of the year. Just turn to the month you are looking at stars in and in no time, you can identify what you are looking at.

The historical and mythical background given on constellations is excellent also.

You might want to wait for the next edition.
I was disappointed with this book for two reasons. I wanted help locating the planets, but the 50th anniversary edition is obsolete. The book contains charts showing which constellations the planets could be found in for 1992 -- 1997, but I bought the book in 1998! The charts also don't include Uranus and Neptune. These two shortcomings limit the value of this book for anyone who uses it, but primarily for the beginning amateur astronomer who might not have enough interest to seek another source.

I did find the star charts to be very easy to use on my first-ever attempt to use a star chart to find constellations. For about an hour, I preferred these charts to the more conventional (and more cluttered) monthly charts from Sky & Telescope Magazine. I quickly learned to appreciate the extra detail in the magazine's chart and felt as if I had "graduated" to a "real" star chart. Perhaps, if I were younger, I would feel differently.

I appreciated s! ome of the other aspects of the book. It has a very understandable description of star magnitude and brightness ratio. It also has an interesting section on Meteors. I also enjoyed the brief history of ancient star maps and the origins of the constellation names. ... Read more

Book Description

Intended to follow the usual introductory physics courses, this book has the unique feature of addressing the mathematical needs of sophomores and juniors in physics, engineering and other related fields. Many original, lucid, and relevant examples from the physical sciences, problems at the ends of chapters, and boxes to emphasize important concepts help guide the student through the material. Beginning with reviews of vector algebra and differential and integral calculus, the book continues with infinite series, vector analysis, complex algebra and analysis, ordinary and partial differential equations. Discussions of numerical analysis, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, and the Dirac delta function provide an introduction to modern topics in mathematical physics. This new edition has been made more user-friendly through organization into convenient, shorter chapters. Also, it includes an entirely new section on Probability and plenty of new material on tensors and integral transforms. Some praise for the previous edition: "The book has many strengths. For example: Each chapter starts with a preamble that puts the chapters in context. Often, the author uses physical examples to motivate definitions, illustrate relationships, or culminate the development of particular mathematical strands. The use of Maxwell's equations to cap the presentation of vector calculus, a discussion that includes some tidbits about what led Maxwell to the displacement current, is a particularly enjoyable example. Historical touches like this are not isolated cases; the book includes a large number of notes on people and ideas, subtly reminding the student that science and mathematics are continuing and fascinating human activities." --Physics Today   "Very well written (i.e., extremely readable), very well targeted (mainly to an average student of physics at a point of just leaving his/her sophomore level) and very well concentrated (to an author's apparently beloved subject of PDE's with applications and with all their necessary pedagogically-mathematical background)...The main merits of the text are its clarity (achieved via returns and innovations of the context), balance (building the subject step by step) and originality (recollect: the existence of the complex numbers is only admitted far in the second half of the text!). Last but not least, the student reader is impressed by the graphical quality of the text (figures first of all, but also boxes with the essentials, summarizing comments in the left column etc.)...Summarizing: Well done." --Zentralblatt MATH ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Aquired mathematical knowledge recommended
This book is for those who already aquired some knowledge in mathematical analysis, linear algebra with vectors and some introduction in complex analysis. Roughly altogether about 15 University points.

Because it's surely not teaching you key things like what limits, substitution, integrand (one page according to index), asymptotics and so on really are. That knowledge is expected of you to have.

Instead the book gives a sort of enhanced recapitulation and expansion on topics and new insights on new topics as well; what these can be used for and how to use them. This is great because the reading goes intellectually much faster and get your attention right away with the stuff you already have a working knowledge of.

The boxes are great; containing important definitions which then is accompanied with instant examples clearifying the definitions by proof or otherwise gives descriptive and explanatory content for a method or definition

Hassani's book is also well written in terms of language use.

A Lot has Changed
When I took undergraduate quantum mechanics 30 years ago, we learned a lot about Louis deBroglie, Max Planck, the photoelectric effect, then moved into wave functions, the Schroedinger equation, simple one-dimensional potentials and the hydrogen atom.Maybe there was a little angular momentum tossed in.It was not until graduate school that I learned much about

/X> = xi/x>

where /X> is a vector in an n-dimensional, linearly independent vector space and the xi's were its components in the basis /x>.A lot of things like representations might have made more sense.Anyway, Hassani's undergraduate text gives one an excellent view of vectors and coordinate systems.In particular, it trains one well to leap into the more abstract view of vectors one reads about in, say, R. Shankar's excellent book on quantum mechanics, and also gives one a good deal of exercise on how to translate between coordinate systems. In graduate school, I found the ability to roam between coordinate systems to be very, very handy and the laborious time spent learning it was worth it. I'm not done with this book yet.I'm now getting into his chapters on complex variables and differential equations, but Hassani's treatment of vectors and coordinate systems is very good indeed.Undergraduate physics students who plan to go on into graduate school will find time with this book well spent. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good compilation
This book, a compilation of 33 articles covering many different aspects and applications of Clifford algebras, can be read profitably by anyone desiring an overview of their history, theory, and applications. I did not read every article, and space also prohibits such a comprehensive review, so I will comment only on the ones that I actually studied.

Chapter introduces Clifford algebras as an extension of the real numbers to include vectors and vector products. The familiar representation in Euclidean space is outlined, with emphasis on the exterior product of two vectors, which, the author points out, is associative (unlike the ordinary cross product). The connection with rotations, reflections, and volume elements is pointed out, and the complex numbers and the Pauli algebra are shown to be Clifford algebras.

A short history of Clifford algebras is given in chapter 2. The reader not familiar with Clifford algebras should have no trouble following the ensuing discussion where some elementary geometric constructions are given of the Clifford algebra on the Euclidean plane. In addition, the operator approach to Weyl, Majorana, and Dirac operators is given, illustrating in detail their connection to physics. Recognizing that the Fierz identities do not by themselves give the Weyl and Majorana spinors, the author introduces what he calls the boomerang method for their construction. The boomerang is essentially a linear combination of bilinear covariants for a spinor, and the author details the conditions under which the spinor can be reconstructed. Interestingly, and unknown to me at the time of reading this chapter, the author constructs a new class of spinors, the "flag-dipole" spinors, that are different from the Weyl, Majorana, and Dirac spinors.

The author of chapter 3 considers the construction of Clifford algebras from a more geometric viewpoint, calling them geometric algebras, which he motivates by the consideration of extending the reals by a unipotent ( a number not equal to +1 or -1 but whose square is 1). The resulting unipodal numbers are isomorphic to the diagonal 2 x 2 matrices. The extension of the unipodal numbers so as to make this isomorphism to the full 2 x 2 matrix algebra leads to Clifford algebras.

In Chapter 9, the spacetime algebra is brought in to study electron physics. The "space-time algebra" or STA is used to characterize the observables associated with Pauli and Dirac spinors. The material presented is standard in physics, wherein the Green's function (propagator) for the Dirac equation is given, along with scattering theory. The typical problem of scattering off a potential barrier of finite width is discussed, along with the Klein paradox.

The space-time algebra is also discussed in the context of the interpretation of quantum mechanics in Chapter 11. The authors really do not add anything new here (in terms of what one might consider "strange" behavior in quantum physics). They interpret Dirac currents as measurable quantities, avoiding seemingly any notion of wave packet collapse and difficulties with defining tunneling time(s), but not answering at all how to measure these currents. In addition, the Pauli principle is interepreted in the context of space-time algebra, without any quantum field theory. Howerver, it is not shown that such an approach satisfies cluster decomposition, casting suspicion on its utility.

In Chapters 21, 22, and 23 the author shows how spinors fit into the framework of the Lorentz group, their relationship to the Clifford algebra, and in general relativity. It is shown how the Dirac spinor can be defined in three different ways, namely as an element of the representation space of the Clifford algebra of spacetime, an element of the representation space of the fundamental representation of the Dirac spinor metric-preserving automorphism group of the Clifford algebra, and as an element of the representation space of the fundamental representation of the covering group of the conformal group.

The most interesting discussion in the book is chapter 28 on extending the Grassmann algebra. Dispensing with any scalar product on a vector space, the author shows how to obtain the relative magnitude between two vectors and this leads to the notion of a multivector. The duals to these are called outer forms, and are the familiar differential forms when depending on spatial position. Many helpful diagrams are used to illustrate the properties of multivectors and pseudomultivectors, the linear span of which is called the extended Grassmann algebra of multivectors. Adding a scalar product reduces the number of directed quantities to four, and electrodynamics can be formulated in a way that is independent of the scalar product. ... Read more

Book Description

This book covers topology and geometry beginning with an accessible account of the extraordinary and rather mysterious impact of mathematical physics, especially gauge theory, on the study of the geometry and topology of manifolds.Much of the mathematics developed in the book to study the classical field theories of physics (de Rham cohomology, Chern classes, Semi-Riemannian manifolds, Cech cohomology, spinors etc. ) is standard, but the treatment always keeps one eye on the physics and unhesitatingly sacrifices generality to clarity.The author brings the reader up to the level needed to conclude with a brief discussion of the Seiberg-Witten invariants. Although this volume can be read independently Naber carries on the program initiated in his earlier volume, Topology, Geometry and Gauge Fields: Foundations, Springer, 1997, and writes in much the same spirit with precisely the same philosophical motivation. A large number of exercises are included to encourage active participation on the part of the reader.This work will be of great interest to researchers and graduate students in the field of mathematical physics. REVIEWS OF TOPOLOGY, GEOMETRY, AND GAUGE FIELDS: FOUNDATIONS"It is unusual to find a book so carefully tailored to the needs of this interdisciplinary area of mathematical physics. . . Naber combines a knowledge of his subject with an excellent informal writing style. "NZMS NEWSLETTER". . . this book should be very interesting for mathematicians and physicists (as well as other scientists) who ae concerned with gauge theories. "ZENTRALBLATT FUER MATHEMATIK ... Read more

Reviews (2)

MATH AND TOPOLOGY
Topology is very important scince in the fields of mathematics. And it using in many of another sinceis.

required reading for a topologist interested in physics
As a mathematician turned physics grad student, it is often difficult to read "Math for Physicists" books simply because of the focus on making "numbers churn out;" which, at least for me personally, more difficult to get a handle on the subject and then, in turn, use it fruitfully.

This book on the other hand, is exemplary of why I got into physics in the first place. The first chapter (Physical motivations) and the last chapter (Gauge Fields and Instantons) can be read by any one with undergraduate topology under their belt and come away with a more powerful understanding of gauge theory than, in my opinion, can be found in other introductory gauge theory texts I've been directed to.

Of course I'll read all those said texts as well, but I'm thankful that I found this one. ... Read more

Book Description

The field of quantum noise in mesoscopic physics has experienced intensive development for more than a decade, and there is as yet no sign of a slow-down. This book presents a collection of reviews in which the leading research teams summarize their most recent results and chart new directions. Taken together, the reviews give a snapshot of the modern state of the field, which is not yet coherent. The book thus presents different approaches and conflicting views, as well as contradictory results and interpretations.The book is divided into three parts, according to the three main research streams: shot noise, quantum measurement and entanglement, and full counting statistics. ... Read more

Book Description

High-order numerical methods provide an efficient approach to simulating many physical problems. This book considers the range of mathematical, engineering, and computer science topics that form the foundation of high-order numerical methods for the simulation of incompressible fluid flows in complex domains. Introductory chapters present high-order spatial and temporal discretizations for one-dimensional problems. These are extended to multiple space dimensions with a detailed discussion of tensor-product forms, multi-domain methods, and preconditioners for iterative solution techniques. Numerous discretizations of the steady and unsteady Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations are presented, with particular sttention given to enforcement of imcompressibility. Advanced discretizations. implementation issues, and parallel and vector performance are considered in the closing sections.Numerous examples are provided throughout to illustrate the capabilities of high-order methods in actual applications. ... Read more

Book Description

Presenting a practical, problem-based approach to colour physics, this title describes the key issues encountered in modern colour engineering, including efficient representation of colour information, fourier analysis of reflectance spectra and advanced colorimetric computation. Emphasis is placed on the practical applications rather than the techniques themselves, with material structured around key topics, such as colour calibration of visual displays, computer recipe prediction and models for colour-appearance prediction.

Each topic is carefully introduced at three levels to enhance student understanding. Firstly, theoretical ideas and background information are discussed, explanations of mathematical solutions then follow and finally practical solutions are presented using MATLAB.

• Includes a compendium of equations and numerical data required by the modern colour and imaging scientist.
• Numerous examples of solutions and algorithms for a wide-range of computational problems in colour science.
• Provides example scripts using the MATLAB programming language.

This text is a must-have for students taking courses in colour science, colour chemistry and colour physics as well as technicians and researchers working in the area.

  ... Read more

Book Description

This book gives an introduction to the basic theory of stochastic calculus and its applications. Examples are given throughout the text, in order to motivate and illustrate the theory and show its importance for many applications in e.g. economics, biology and physics. The basic idea of the presentation is to start from some basic results (without proofs) of the easier cases and develop the theory from there, and to concentrate on the proofs of the easier case (which nevertheless are often sufficiently general for many purposes) in order to be able to reach quickly the parts of the theory which is most important for the applications. For the 6th edition the author has added further exercises and, for the first time, solutions to many of the exercises are provided. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

An Excellent Book
When I became a quant, I needed to learn stochastic calculus and stochastic differential equations. Luckily, I found this book, which covers a lot of difficult concepts in a rigorous but accessible way. Oksendal is an excellent writer: his proofs are very clear (and usually not too terse), he provides very illustrative examples, and he does a great job of anticipating where the reader might get stuck. In addition, the problems at the end of the chapters do a good job of reinforcing central theorems and ideas. After reading this book, you'll be able to read most of the academic financial literature and all finance textbooks.

I've read lots of math books, and this is undoubtedly the best one I've ever seen. The only necessary backround is a solid understanding of measure theory.

Good reference - not so good text-book
This book is excellent if you already know why you want to know the material in it. Then it is concise, to the point, and very well-written. I turn back to it over and over again; my copy is very worn by now.

When I first started reading it, I was not too pleased with it. As a text-book it suffers from not motivating the theory, and not connecting it with parallel approaches. The subtitle mentions applications. Now, what one person considers applications is what the next person considers abstractions. My point of view is truly applied - I want to use SDE's to model real-world phenomena (actually, not financial ones) and are less interested in SDE's per se. So I would have liked more connections with physics (for instance advection-diffusion transport phenomena) and I would have liked the material to be more solidly anchored in general stochastic processes. Nevertheless, I appreciate that the book wouldn't have been as concise, then.

Simple, but rigorous book
This a perfectly written book on stochastic calculus, especially needed for junior (but rising!) financial quants. All themes are carried out with a profound pedagogical talent. For a practitioner, the book loses nothing to Karatsas and Shreve, but is a much shorter, simpler and joyable reading. Yet, it is a systematic text book that covers most classical results with (important!) accessible proofs. For example, the Kolmogorov equations (forward and backward) are derived, not just stated as in most other texts, Girsanov's theorem is relatively well covered (although the author has not demonstrated its computational side well enough, but this is a common disease). Ideas are illustrated by practical problems (including those from quantitative finance). What I also liked, Oksendal's SDE theory is much closer to "differential equations", than what is often presented by probabilists. A must for every practitioner who works with stochatic processes.

Practical review of Oksedal's SDE's (wrt finance)
As a so-called practicising 'quant' in a top Wall Street Investment bank, I came upon this book from colleagues who raved about the exposition of the material found in this book.Indeed even though I have an engineering and advanced mathematical background, I find the material to be useful in helping to understand the more research oriented finance journals. From a practitioner's view point the most fundamental aspect of the book is the statement where it states the solutions of SDE's can be thought of as inherent Browian motions for it is the latter which enables one to price the financial instruments one commonly hears of in the press.I would recomend first understanding the physical and mathematical aspects of Browninan motion before tackling the abstract field of stochastic calculus so that meaningful interpretations can be drawn.Nevertheless the book gives excellent penetrating coverage of what SDE's are.For budding so-called 'rocket-scientists' who want to make mega-bucks on the markets, my advice would be to first master partial differential equations (because this is the only way to pragmatically price things like exotic derivatives) then for their own enlightenment they can read this book if only just to keep up with the jones's.

An excellent introductory book to SDEs
This is a book I recommend as a TA in a mathematical finance Masters program. It gives a mathematically rigorous presentation of Stocastic Differential Equations without getting bogged down in too much detail, as do many books from a probability/stochastic processes background. It also illustrates the beautiful connection between SDEs and the heat equation. I recommend this book to anyone trying to read Karakas and Shreve for the first time. ... Read more

Book Description

There are new methods of learning, new concepts to be tried, but the basic core of physics remains a constant in an ever-changing world. Mathematical Methods for Physics is the bridge that brings these two worlds together. With supplemental material such as graphs and equations, Mathematical Methods for Physics comes together to create a strong, solid anchor for first year students. Dr. H. W. Wyld has lectured on this subject for years and has put together his first-year graduate physics course in this accessible book so students, eager to venture down this road, may be well equipped to learn the basics of physics. ... Read more

Book Description

This book shows how modern cosmology and astronomy have led to the need to introduce dark matter in the universe to account for mass. Some of this dark matter is in the familiar form of protons, electrons and neutrons, but most of it must have a more exotic form. The favored, but not the only, possibility is neutrinos of non-zero rest mass, pair-created in the hot big bang and surviving to the present day. After a review of modern cosmology, this book gives a detailed account of the author's recent theory in which these neutrinos decay into photons that are the main ionizing agents in hydrogen and nitrogen in the interstellar and intergalactic medium. This theory, though speculative, explains a number of rather different puzzling phenomena in astronomy and cosmology in a unified way and predicts values of various important quantities such as the mass of the decaying neutrino and the Hubble constant. ... Read more

Book Description

"[In the book] we are dealing with a theme which cuts across the mathematics courses classically taught in the first four years of college. Thus it offers the reader the opportunity to learn, review and give long-term thought to the concepts covered in these programmes by following the guiding thread of this favoured number."

--from the Preface

This is a clever, beautiful book. The authors trace the thread of $\pi$ through the long history of mathematics. In so doing, they touch upon many major subjects in mathematics: geometry (of course), number theory, Galois theory, probability, transcendental numbers, analysis, and, as their crown jewel, the theory of elliptic functions, which connects many of the other subjects.

By this device, the authors provide a tour through mathematics, one that mathematicians of all levels, amateur or professional, may appreciate. In many cases, the tour visits well-known topics from particular special interest groups. Remarkably, $\pi$ is often found at the places of deepest beauty.

The volume includes many exercises with detailed solutions. Anyone from undergraduate mathematics majors through university professors will find many things to enjoy in this book. ... Read more

Book Description

There can be few books on mathematical mechanics as famous as this, a work that forms a comprehensive account of all the classical results of analytical dynamics. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Integrability defined
This is where I learned Liouville's integrability theorem for Hamiltonian systems, a key topic ignored by most modern texts on classical mechanics. Arnol'd covers it, but I found Arnol'd's more abstract lattice-based proof difficult to follow. Whittaker's text also contains many problems that are useful for a modern dynamics course. As a basis for understanding modern nonlinear dynamics, or for applications of mechanics, this old text is in many respects far better than the newer 'standard' mechanics texts by Landau-Lifshitz, and by Goldstein.

But take care: in a general discussion of integrability (conserved quantities) for general systems of odes early in the book, Whittaker does not distinguish local from global integrability. But then neither does Eisenhart in his book Continuous Groups, of the same era.

The most detailed Dynamics Book Ever
To put it mildly, this book is a frightening exercise to read. The biggest challenge faced by modern readers is that we seem to have lost certain mathematical skills and intuition compared with people in the very early 1900's. It takes enormous amounts of patience and effort to try and work through any of the proofs or derivations presented in this book.

However, Whittaker has presented just about every concept in classical dynamics that you could possibly want to know in an extremely elegant fashion. Concepts that you simply do not expect to see in a book written first in 1904 make an appearence here. This book is worth reading just to find out how the original mathematicicals that invented concepts view them. For exmaple, Whittakers use of Christoffel Symbols is the classical view that the early geometers like Levi-Civita probably had, without the modern terminology and viewpoint in temrs of connections on a manifold.

All in all this book is well worth the time and effort spent to read it, but be prepared to use up lots of paper in your attempts to convince yourself that a single proof is true.(Brush up your geometry before you even try to read this book)

A complete and scholarly book from one of THE experts
This book is, or rather was , the first modern book on classical mechanics. I think the first edition was published in 1904 and at the time it represented just about all that was known about the subject. A serious student today could rightly ask why he/she should read such a old book ? Well the answer to that question is a not an esay one : however whilst I would never say it is an simple book it repays careful study. Anyone taking more modern courses based on Arnold or Abraham and Marsden would do well to have a copy of this book by their side.The problems are taken mainly from Cambridge Maths Tripos examinations and they form a useful adjunct to the main body of the text.All the major topics are coverd including the 2 and 3 body problem, small oscillations, stability,etc. Well worth a read. ... Read more

Book Description

Hardbound. Twelve problems have been added to the first edition; four of them are supplements to problems in the first edition. The others deal with issues that have become important, since the first edition of Volume II, in recent developments of various areas of physics. All the problems have their foundations in volume 1 of the 2-Volume set Analysis, Manifolds and Physics. It would have been prohibitively expensive to insert the new problems at their respective places. They are grouped together at the end of this volume, their logical place is indicated by a number of parenthesis following the title. ... Read more

Book Description

Magnetic fields are routinely used in industry to heat, pump, stir and levitate liquid metals. There is the terrestrial magnetic field that is maintained by fluid motion in the earth's core, the solar magnetic field, which generates sunspots and solar flares, and the galactic field that influences the formation of stars. This introductory text on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) (the study of the interaction of magnetic fields and conducting fluids) is intended to serve as an introductory text for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physics, applied mathematics and engineering. The material in the text is heavily weighted toward incompressible flows and to terrestrial (as distinct from astrophysical) applications. The final sections of the text, which outline the latest advances in the metallurgical applications of MHD, make the book of interest to professional researchers in applied mathematics, engineering and metallurgy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent introduction to physics behind the MHD equations
If you want a really well written explanation of what is a physical meaning of the MHD equations, what are the fundamental ideas behind them with examples from solar spots to metallurgical applications, nicely and clearly illustrated, this is the book for you.

Congratulations to the author! ... Read more

Book Description

Providing an introduction to the theory of nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations, this book discusses fundamental properties of transient and stationary solutions, emphasizing the stability analysis of stationary solutions by means of self-consistency equations, linear stability analysis, and Lyapunov's direct method. Also treated are Langevin equations and correlation functions. Nonlinear Fokker-Planck Equations addresses various phenomena such as phase transitions, multistability of systems, synchronization, anomalous diffusion, cut-off solutions, travelling-wave solutions and the emergence of power law solutions. A nonlinear Fokker-Planck perspective to quantum statistics, generalized thermodynamics, and linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics is given. Theoretical concepts are illustrated where possible by simple examples. The book also reviews several applications in the fields of condensed matter physics, the physics of porous media and liquid crystals, accelerator physics, neurophysics, social sciences, population dynamics, and computational physics.

Book Description

Quantum field theory is the basic theory of elementary particle physics. In recent years, many techniques have been developed that extend and clarify this theory. This book develops quantum field theory starting from its foundation in quantum mechanics and incorporates the most modern methods, giving a thoroughly modern pedagogic account that starts from first principles. The path integral formulation is introduced right at the beginning. The method of dimensional continuation is employed to regulate and renormalize the theory. This facilitates the introduction of the concepts of the renormalization group at an early stage. The notion of spontaneous symmetry breakdown is also introduced early on by the example of superfluid helium. Topics in quantum electrodynamics are described that have an analog in quantum chromodynamics. Some novel techniques are employed, such as the use of dimensional continuation to compute the Lamb shift. This book is appropriate as a graduate level text in theoretical physics and particle physics, and is complete with exercises for practice. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent pedagogy for a first course in QFT
This is perhaps the ONLY book on QFT which has good pedagogy as essential motivation. Even Peskin-Schroeder does not accomplish this. Everything is explained in all full details without compromise and the problems give the opportunity to learn a lot from the numerous hints provided by the author. The price for this is the limited scope(canonical quantisation is not exposed, nothing on non-abelian gauge, the insistance on path integrals gives a rather one-sided view of the theory), but this is not a defect, it's largely compensated by the quality of the book.

Excellent Textbook
This textbook really puts you through your paces as far a functional integral methods and their applications to QFT go. The only bad bit is that it is 'half-a-book' (in L. Brown's preface) - it doesn't cover non-Abelian gauge theories at all. Excellent for a first course in Quantum Field Theory.

Nice pedegogy
Lowell Brown's QFT text is a nice modern introduction, but be forwarned that things are developed completely, so there is no room to really cover anything beyond QED. Note that the other review on this page (as of 10/24/97) and teh TOC refer to Rhyder's text, not this one. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is an elaboration of the author's lecture notes in a graduate course in statistical physics and thermodynamics, augmented by some material suitable for self-teaching as well as for undergraduate study. The first 4 or 5 chapters are suitable for an undergraduate course for engineers and physicists in Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics and include detailed study of the various ensembles and their connections to applied thermodynamics. The Debye law of specific heats and reasons for deviations from the Debye formulas are covered, as are the Einstein theories of Brownian motion, black-body radiation and specific heat of solids. Van der Waals gases and the reason for the apparent failure of his Law of Corresponding States are discussed.

The last 5 chapters treat topics of recent interest to researchers, including: the Ising and Potts models, spin waves in ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic media, sound propagation in non-ideal gases and the decay of sound waves, introduction to the understanding of glasses and spin glasses, superfluidity and superconductivity.

The selection of material is wide-ranging and the mathematics for handling it completely self-contained, ranging from counting (probability theory) to quantum field theory as used in the study of fermions, bosons and as an adjunct in the solutions of the equations of classical diffusion-reaction theory. In addition to the standard material found in most recent books on statistical physics the constellation of topics covered in this text includes numerous original items:

· Generalization of "negative temperature" to interacting spins
· Derivation of Gibbs' factor from first principles
· Exact free energy of interacting particles in 1D (e.g., classical and quantum Tonk's gas)
· Introduction to virial expansions, Equations of State, Correlation Functions and "critical exponents"
· Superfluidity in ideal and non-ideal fluids (both Bogolubov and Feynman theories)
· Superconductivity: thermodynamical approach and the BCS theory
· Derivation of "Central Limit Theorem" and its applications
· Boltzmann's "H-Theorem" and the nonlinear Boltzmann equation
· Exact solution of nonlinear Boltzmann Equation for electrons in time-dependent electric field and the derivation of Joule heating, transport parameters in crossed electric and magnetic fields, etc.
· Frequency spectrum and decay of sound waves in gases
· Exact evaluation of free energy and thermodynamic properties of the two-dimensional Ising model in regular and fully frustrated (spin-glass like) lattices
· The "zipper" model of crystal fracture or polymer coagulation - calculation of Tc
· Potts model in 2D: duality and Tc
· "Doi's theory" of diffusion-limited chemical reactions with some exact results — including the evaluation of statistical fluctuations in radioactive decay
· Thermodynamic Green Functions and their applications to fermions and bosons with an example drawn from random matrix theory

and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not for beginners
I'm sorry to say it, but the title of this book is misleading. The only way this book would be simple for you is if you have had a moderate class in probability and have had plenty of previous study in thermodynamics and physics. This book is definitely not for beginners.

Not simple at all!
I bought this book after I saw an advertisement in Physics today. While I cannot judge whether it is a good book for people who are already deep into the subject, it is definitely not a book for beginners or intermediates. For the latter I would recommend Chandler or Hill. ... Read more