Quantum Mechanics Demystified

by David McMahon

Book Overview

If you think projection operators work in the cinema, or learning about spin-1/2 makes your head, well, spin, Quantum Mechanics DeMYSTiFieD will energize your knowledge of this topic's fundamental... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071455469
• ISBN13: 9780071455466
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing
• Length: 393 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great book...But it has typos.

Alright...first of all. NO there is not too much math in this book. Quantum Mechanics is basically all math. Books that don't use math are usually worthless if you want to learn QM. BUTTTTT....i reccomend everyoen go buy this book to have as a ref. It has quite a few typos..Dont worry, you'll catch them (they're retarded)..But more importantly, the author explains things much better than alot of Quantum books do... Get it but be weary of the math. You'll see the errors when you start working the problems. -Brit

Great Book on Quantum Mechanics

This book covers a first semester course in QM very well. I can't wait to read what McMahon has to say about perturbation theory in part two of the series. I read Griffith's book and can honestly say that McMahon does more while covering less material. Thanks to McMahon I understand better the mathematical structure of QM. The end of chapter quizzes are good at driving home the main ideas presented in the chapters. The examples are very clear and concise. I recommend using this as a supplement to a more dense QM book.

Quantum Eyeopener

I had never heard of Schrodinger's equation or a Bra and Ket; I had to read the first five chapters 4 times, digging out my Mathcad program to do matrices; and old differential equations books to refresh separation of variables. And I actually used some old Schuam's outlines in Fourier Series to explain Hermite orthogonal functions. After 5 months, I finished the book with a firm grasp of all the chapters and am moving on to the Relativity book now. I am able to now read other quantum physics books and have a grasp of what they are trying to write about. And I understand now how to use a combination of calculus, differential equations,and complex variables all together at the same time to acheive an answer. Although the book has numerous typographical and editing errors, the material can be done by a motivated person and they should be able to finish off the entire book and get a start on learning quantum mechanics, I recommend McQuarrie's Quantum Chemistry book next as he provides ample material for the student and you'll see some of the same concepts. Its a trend to have authors leave some of the details for the exercises and then provide no method of obtaining the answers. If your trying to self learn the subject this can be an excruciating process, and its one reason I gave McMahon a 5 star as this book is a mostly self contained book.

Concepts made clear; solution strategies well presented

I got this book initially because it was cheap. I expected it to help me with a problem or two in my upper division QM course and nothing more. Instead I found a wealth of information geared towards letting me know what the hell is going on in as direct a way as possible. The simplest example, and one I feel incredibly stupid for not understanding quicker, is the explanation for all the digging around after eigenvalues and eigenvectors that we were doing. In one paragraph, clarity! The end result of this book for the quarter was an A, and an easy A at that. I cannot wait for the second addition. Seriously, I can't, the next quarter starts in less than a week! Get that book out as soon as possible Mr McMahon!

A nugget of gold

The glutted market for books on quantum mechanics populates a phase space where quality, utility, clarity vary greatly along with scope and breadth. This little book surprised me when I saw it. I purchased it and immediately worked through it and I was impressed. This author seems to establish a whole new paradigm, one based upon practical pedagogy. Instead of trying to impress the reader by showing he can solve complicated problems, the author impresses the readers that they can solve the problems. There is a consistency and uniformity to the presentation. Central concepts are reinforced through repetition. How I wish I had this volume when I went back to graduate school. After you complete the volume, you find that you have a tight grasp on the basic concepts of quantum mechanics. The author has impressed with his ability to convey the rudiments so clearly. I have tried to put my finger on his specific innovations. One that springs to mind is his presentation of the Bessel functions which have been hashed and rehashed. Here the author separates the functions into odd and even parity states. So by nudging us to a different vantage point, we gain a fresh perspective. This book will not replace the venerable Schaum's outline as a collection of practise problems; instead it is a book that students can use to teach themselves. I recommend this book at any time: before a first quantum physics course, during the course, between undergraduate and graduate physics, and as a refresher. Quantum Mechanics Demystified is a nice teaching aid that builds confidence. I hope that the other will attempt to work his magic on a follow-up volume on advanced quantum theory and yet one more volume on quantum field theory.