Product Description
Classic one-volume treatise covers mathematical topics needed by theoretical and experimental physicists (vector analysis, calculus of variations, etc.),followed by extensive coverage of mechanics, electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics. First paperback edition of indispensable reference for graduates and undergraduates.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent deal
It's an excellent book, with the quality of all Dover books in physics. It's clear and concise, ideal for people who want to review or clarify some points in general physics.

comprehensive introduction, excellent for self-study
This is an excellent book, at least for people with a mathematical background. The book covers the classical topics thoroughly, and contains a large number of carefully worked out problems. The chapters on "atomic theory" are a little dated, but given how cheap the book is, even if you only work your way through the first 150 pages, it's a real bargain.

Perhaps there are better books around now, but I learned physics out of this while a graduate student in mathematics in the mid 70's, and at the time it was the best introductory overview I could find. It isn't as slick as The Feynman Lectures, which I think make a better first course, but if you need to learn the classical stuff in more depth, this is an excellent book.

From the great tradition of German Lehrbucher
Georg Joos was an experimental physicist, yet wrote this outstanding compendium of classical theoretical physics, a model of clarity and simplicity, not to mention soundness. Perfect for learning something when the time is short! I recalled having learned AC circuits from it, using complex numbers, one day before the exams, and learned it thoroughly (and passed!). Freeman Dyson lists this book as the one from which he learned most of Theoretical Physics. What more could be said?

Excellent summary for undergraduate/graduate student
I am a Physicist, and in the event of preparing my general post-graduate exam I have not found a better summary for review my knowledge in Physics. From Vectors to Modern Physics, I found a great quantity of material and problems adequately inserted in text which can help every Physicist, no mater his (her) personal interest, to expand his (her) ideas. I recommend it widely. I used this book as sel-study and I am completely satisfied ... Read more

Product Description
An uncommonly clear and cogent investigation and correlation of key aspects of theoretical nuclear physics by leading experts: the nucleus, nuclear forces, nuclear spectroscopy, two-, three- and four-body problems, nuclear reactions, beta-decay and nuclear shell structure. Directed to the experimental physicist working in nuclear physics or graduate students who know the essential concepts and problems. 112 illustrations.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Classic Physics Text
After having this book checked out from the library for 3 years, I finally purchased it. What a relief!

still germane
Another classic reprint by Dover. The physics in this is still fresh and germane to a newcomer to nuclear physics. A previous background in elementary quantum mechanics is needed. This text then applies that knowledge to the special conditions in a nucleus.

The measurement of fission products and alpha, beta and gamma emissions is explained. Vital for experimentalists, so that you can deduce what the nuclear reaction was.

The fact that this is not primarily an experimentalist book helds keep it useful. The latter type would need to be updated with the latest instrumentation capabilities and results. Whereas the ideas and derivations here still hold. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is based on the author's lectures at the University of Washington in the spring of 1977 and at the Institut de Physique Nucleaire, Universite de Paris-Sud, Orsay, during the winter of 1977-1978. ... Read more

Product Description

This established text contains an advanced presentation of quantum mechanics adapted to the requirements of modern atomic physics. The third edition extends the successful second edition with a detailed treatment of the wave motion of atoms, and it also contains an introduction to some aspects of atom optics that are relevant for current and future experiments involving ultra-cold atoms. Included: Various problems with complete solutions.

Product Description
Devoted to the foundation of mechanics, namely classical Newtonian mechanics, the subject is based mainly on Galileo's principle of relativity and Hamilton's principle of least action.The exposition is simple and leads to the most complete direct means of solving problems in mechanics.

The final sections on adiabatic invariants have been revised and augmented.In addition a short biography of L D Landau has been inserted.

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Customer Reviews (35)

DAU_Vol.1
The volume 1, Mechanics, (of the Series in Theoretical Physics by Landau, Lifshitz and collaborators) is a classic of the classics: extremely clear and to the point. Every student and researcher should read it and have it in his/her library. I already had a copy from the time I was a student, on the other hand this new edition has a small biography of Landau written by his student, friend and collaborator Lifshitz. That is the reason I got this third edition, the biography reflects the unique feeling students in general had for Landau and the greatness of Lifshitz that for all his life remained sensibly attach to his supervisor. We all treasure and learn from this book.

Always good bedtime reading.
I like to read this book before bed. That does NOT mean that it is boring! It's rather dense; you might spend 30 minutes reading one page. You'll have to think about every sentence in the book because he's explaining some important insight. You need to have a good background in calculus of variations to even begin to read the book. Could have done a better job at canonical transformations but overall far superior to other books on the subject. Definitely not for undergraduates.

A Theoretical Physics Classic
One of the most significant moments in my Physics education came during my sophomore year in college. I decided to pick up a copy of "Mechanics" by Landau and Lifshitz that was on reserve in the library for the mechanics class that I was taking. This is the first volume in the internationally renowned series of textbooks on theoretical Physics, the series that has a reputation for its sparse and difficult writing style, as well as the undoubted difficulty and brilliance of the material presented. This is probably the reason why until that point I didn't even bother looking at these books, but for whatever reason that fateful night I decided to take a look at this particular volume. To my surprise, the book was actually pretty readable and the first few chapters revealed an entirely new way of looking at Physics. Until that point I was used to thinking about Physics as a set of laws and equations, relatively succinct but otherwise somewhat arbitrary and ad-hoc. Landau and Lifshitz's book started from a very different point; it gave some deep underlying principles as a starting point behind the development of physical laws and equations. Based on that I had a new and deeper appreciation of my chosen field of study, and I gained a whole new way of looking at the physical reality.

Granted, the book is really not a walk in the park. Many later chapters can be rather technically demanding, and a prior course on theoretical mechanics at college level is probably the minimal level of preparation that can get a reader through the whole text. There aren't all that many examples that are thoroughly worked out, but all of the problems are given (rather concise) solutions - you still need to fill in some of the more important steps on your own. Mechanics is not an area of active modern research, so this is not necessarily a book that will help one with their scientific careers. However, it provides a solid grounding in some of the most basic physical concepts, and the skills and techniques acquired here can be very important in other areas of Physics. All said, this is a classic textbook that anyone who is serious about a career in Physics would be well advised to go through.

A beautiful woman with cheap (but baught expensively!) clothing
A masterpiece of classical mechanics!
I strongly suggest using it as a supplement for your mechanics course.
A brief but really complete presentation of the subject that must be studied carefully and read many times.Really beautiful !

However 45$ is a RIDICULOUS price for this book!
It's about 170 pages and the quality of printing is not that good.
This book should not cost more than 25$, really. Amazon should reduce it's price or people will realized that photocopying it would produce a book with better (!!) quality and 1/3 of the price.

Great Book
This is a compact, comprehensive text on theoretical mechanics.One of the best books ever published on mechanics. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the most comprehensive introductory graduate or advanced undergraduate text in fluid mechanics available. It builds up from the fundamentals, often in a general way, to widespread applications, to technology and geophysics.

New to this second edition are discussions on the universal dimensions similarity scaling for the laminar boundary layer equations and on the generalized vector field derivatives. In addition, new material on the generalized streamfunction treatment shows how streamfunction may be used in three-dimensional flows. Finally, a new Computational Fluid Dynamics chapter enables compulations of some simple flows and provides entry to more advanced literature.

* Basic introduction to the subject of fluid mechanics, intended for undergraduate and beginning graduate students of science and engineering.

* Includes topics of special interest for geophysicists and to engineers.

* New and generalized treatment of similar laminar boundary layers, streamfunctions for three-dimensional flows, vector field derivatives, and gas dynamics. Also a new generalized treatment of boundary conditions in fluid mechanics, and expanded treatment of viscous flows. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A must-have Fluid Mechanics Book
I had read the first edition one that I borrowed
from the library. Then I decided to purchase this
2nd edition. I am looking forward to reading it
once again.

Classic on fluid mechanics
This is a classic text on fluid mechanics, and an essential for any serious researcher in the field.This book starts by deriving the basic equations of fluid dynamics (a few simple equations - easy, huh?), then each subsequent chapter discusses narrower topics such as viscosity, turbulence, supersonic flow, etc.As a text for a student, this book has some serious limitations in my view.I would not recommend this book to someone approaching the material for the first time, or to teach oneself, it is really best as a research resource for a professional or graduate student.One thing that I didn't like about this book (and this is a complaint about the LL series in general) is that it is very difficult to separate which topics are general and which are very specific.The reader needs to know a bit about hydrodynamics before approaching this book in my opinion.For example, LL discuss the Rankine-Hugoniot equations for flow across a shock (a general result fundamental to hydrodynamics), then in the next section they discuss the supersonic corrugation instability, a subject that is really of interest to a small number of researchers and advanced graduate student in specific fields.Overall, not a great learning text, but an irreplacable reference on hydrodynamics.If you are looking for an introductory text, start with Batchelor.

A solid text on fluid mechanics
This is an excellent fluid mechanics text.It is also my first recommendation to those who wish to study acoustics.You ought to start with the initial chapters on fluids; you'll need that material for some of what follows.The 65-page chapter on sound is simply marvellous.And then comes material on a wealth of topics, including shock waves, supersonic flow, detonation waves, relativistic fluid dynamics, and a short but valuable section on superfluid dynamics and the propagation of sound in a superfluid.

For physics majors, this is the book to get on fluid mechanics.The explanations are short and clear, and the material is comprehensive.In addition, the exercises are well-chosen, and the solutions are always included.

An Important Book in Physics
Landau & Lifshz "Course of Theoretical Physics" is a famous and respected set of books in Physics. Unfortunately,Butterworth-Heinemann, who currently prints those books in English, printsthem with very poor quality. The books seem to be "printed" inold copy machines and the paper used is also a cheap one.In many pages,it is really hard to read the text, due to such poor printing.

THE BEST AND MOST COMPLETE BOOK ON FLUID MECHANICS
This is the Volume 6 of the famous Course of Theoretical Physics by L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz. All serious students of theoretical physics must possess the ten volumes of this excellent Course, which cover in detail and rigour practically all the branches of theoretical physics. The Volume 6 treats the theory of the motion of liquids and gases. The book opens with the theory of ideal fluids and drives the attention of the reader to a large amount of topics, which are discussed in greater detail and, moreover, discussing with details topics not usually found in other similar books, such as turbulence, sound, fluid dynamics of combustion, relativistic fluid dynamics and the dynamics of superfluids. The book is written in a language proper of a theoretical physicist, but owing to its clarity, it can be read without problems for other scientists. A superb book! ... Read more

Product Description
This textbook attempts to bridge the gap that exists between the two levels on which relativistic symmetry is usually presented - the level of introductory courses on mechanics and electrodynamics and the level of application in high energy physics and quantum field theory: in both cases, too many other topics are more important and hardly leave time for a deepening of the idea of relativistic symmetry. So after explaining the postulates that lead to the Lorentz transformation and after going through the main points special relativity has to make in classical mechanics and electrodynamics, the authors gradually lead the reader up to a more abstract point of view on relativistic symmetry - always illustrating it by physical examples - until finally motivating and developing Wigner's classification of the unitary irreducible representations of the inhomogeneous Lorentz group. Numerous historical and mathematical asides contribute to conceptual clarification. ... Read more

Product Description

This concise treatment embraces, in four parts, all the main aspects of theoretical physics. Recent topics such as holography and quantum cryptography are included. The book summarizes what a graduate student, physicist working in industry, or a physics teacher should master during his or her degree course. It will also be useful for deepening one’s insight and it adds new dimensions to understanding of these elemental concepts.

Product Description
'...every page shows evidence of great mastery of the subject.' Trans. Faraday Society'this book is destined to play a major part in the future education of theoretical physicists.'Proceedings of the Physical SocietyThis edition has been completely
revised to include some 20% of new material. Important recent developments such as the theory of Regge poles are now included. Many problems with solutions have been added to those already contained in the book.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Masterly treatment of the subject
This is a very good book on non-relativistic quantum mechanics by an acknowledged master of theoretical physics. Almost every sentence is meaningful and well thought out. However this book is not meant for a novice who wishes to study the subject for the first time. Landau's unique perspectives on this subject (as well as others in his famous Course of Theoretical Physics) is best appreciated by physicists who are well versed in their disciplines. The reader should also be aware that recent developments such as quantum entanglement and quantum computation are not in the book. All in all, a very good book to add to your physics collection.

Excellent theoretical course
Thiswonderful course of theoretical physics is written by outstanding scientists and is deep and clear. It gives you the opportunity not only to become acquainted withthe basic problems of quantum mechanics but also tofeel what is physical intuition and method of theoretical thinking. Theability ofunderstandingthe essense of the problem and makingqualitative estimations (simple numerically but working pretty well) is thecharacteristic feature of Landau school. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is unique in offering a unified account of the principles of theoretical physics, stressing the inter-relationships between areas that are usually treated as independent. The profound unifying influence of geometrical ideas, the powerful formal similarities between statistical mechanics and quantum field theory, and the ubiquitous role of symmetries in determining the essential structure of physical theories are emphasized throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The book is laced with penetrating little insights delivered
A conducted grand tour of the fundamental theories which shape our modernunderstanding of the physical world. This book covers the central themes ofspacetime geometry and the general-relativistic account of gravity; quantummechanics and quantum field theory; gauge theories and the fundamentalforces of nature, statistical mechanics and the theory of phasetransitions. The basic structure of each theory is explained in explicitmathematical detail with emphasis on conceptual understanding rather thanon the technical details of specialized applications. Straightforwardaccounts are given of the standard models of particle physics andcosmology, and some of the more speculative ideas of modern theoreticalphysics are examined. This book is unique in bringing together the diverseareas of physics which are usually treated as independent. Designed to beaccessible to final year undergraduates in physics and mathematics and toprovide first year graduate students with a broad introductory view oftheoretical physics, it will also be of interest to scientists andengineers in other disciplines who need an account of the subject at alevel intermediate between semi-popular and technical research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Classic/old school mathematical physics!
I love this book and I learn something new every time I open it up. . Every theoretical physicist I know has a copy of "Morse and Feschbach"and "Arfkin" somewhere within 15' of his desk at any given time. Arfkin's book is far more pedagogic and we use it in our "Math Methods" course (in fact his rating and review of M&F part 1 are spot on), but M&F is the classic "Methods" book and harkins back to the time where Green's functions and analytic methods ruled the day.

How much is a solution worth?
Though quite impressive in its size, this (series of) book(s) contains information that can be obtained in a more readable fashion and for much cheaper too. All of the information on solving differential equations, and even the Green's function section, can be found in the book "Applied Partial Differential Equations" by RIchard Haberman which is available for around $100. I found Haberman's book much more readable and the problems much more elucidating than this book. The chapters on Variational and Perturbative methods can be found in any graduate level Quantum Mechanics book, which students that would find this book of interest will have to take anyway, if they haven't taken it already.
While both of these volumes are classics, they are also classics. They are dated and horribly horribly expensive. The information contained in these books can be obtained in better explained format with excellent problems and examples to illustrate their application. If you feel you really need this book you can do a google search-incidentally it is available for free download online if you look hard enough-and see if the material presented is really worth the price. Personally, it is not worth the price-I found them used at a book store and bought them both for under $60.00 and still felt that I spent too much given I already have all the information in other textbooks.
The two stars are for the price, not the material contained in the books.

greedy scumbag
..please help the poor like me by launch the paper back edition so i can afford it..please be compassioned

No paperback coming soon, hardcover reprinted
Feshbach Publishing has acquired the rights to this work from McGraw-Hill.Cambridge University Press did a terrific job reprinting the book using printing film supplied by McGraw-Hill.

Despite George Arfken's claim in 2002 that a paperback version was on it's way, no such version was ever planned.This book is used intensively over several decades by many people. I doubt that a paperback version would survive for long under such circumstances.

A Classic but dated & expensive - paperback coming soon
In response to questions from colleagues and students i'm posting this review.
This was the standard text many years ago.
Many current topics on mathematical Quantization and Stochastic Optimization are conspicuously abscent.
The publisher is working on a two Volume Paperback edition that will be available shortly, so save your money and buy this 2-vol set for one fifth the price. ... Read more

Product Description
This second edition of a popular text demonstrates how physics can be appreciated through a series of case studies spanning a complete university physics course. Highlights include three new chapters on Newton's laws (one on ancient astronomy up to the time of Galileo, one on Galileo, and one on Newton); a new chapter on dimensional methods, chaos and self-organized criticality; and a new chapter on the technology of cosmology. Although all the arguments are presented precisely in physical and mathematical terminology, the book is written in a relatively non-technical manner, intended to convey a deep understanding and appreciation of the incredible achievements of theorists in creating the structure of modern physics. First Edition Hb (1984): 0-521-25550-3First Edition Pb (1984): 0-521-27553-9 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book from a historical standpoint
Although it does not teach you methods in Theoretical Physics(such as Morse and Feshbach or Theoretical Physics by George Joos), it does tell you how the great physicists got to bring about the great physical "Theorems". But to be fair, he tells you enough about each great theory there is out there by taking it up as a case study based on some fundamental(amthematical and physical) knowledge. I think it's a brilliant book from both a historical perspective as well as from a informative standpoint. I've had it for years and love the book

Excellent overview of theoretical physics
I recommend this book for final undergraduate and beginning graduate students in the Physical Sciences. As a PhD student in Astrophysics, this book has been very valuable and enjoyable for me. The historical perspective is also a very nice aspect of this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Following on the foundations laid in his earlier book "Introduction to Superstrings", Professor Kaku discusses such topics as the classification of conformal string theories, the non-polynomial closed string field theory, matrix models, and topological field theory. The presentation of the material is self-contained, and several chapters review material expounded in the earlier book. This book provides students with an understanding of the main areas of current progress in string theory, placing the reader at the forefront of current research. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique volume presents the scientific achievements of Nobel laureate Philip Anderson, spanning the many years of his career. In this new edition, the author has omitted some review papers as well as added over 15 of his research papers. As in the first edition, he provides an introduction to each paper by explaining the genesis of the papers or adding some personal history. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the author's work which include significant discoveries and pioneering contributions, such as his work on the Anderson model of magnetic impurities and the concept of localization; the study of spin glasses, the fluctuating valence problem and superexchange; his prediction of the existence of superfluidity in He3; his involvement in the discovery of the Josephson effect; his discovery of the "Higgs" mechanism in elementary particle physics; and so on.The new papers added to this edition include "Pressure Broadening in the Microwave and Infrared Regions" -- a condensation of most of the author's thesis; "Ordering and Antiferromagnetism in Ferrites" -- the best-known of the papers written by the author involving what are known as "frustrated" lattices; and "Localized Magnetic States in Metals" -- a paper mentioned in his Nobel Prize citation along with localization and superexchange; to name a few. A Career in Theoretical Physics is an essential source of reference for physicists, chemists, materials scientists and historians of science. It is also suitable reading for graduate students. ... Read more

Product Description
Landmark lectures (1909) by discoverer of quantum theory present revolutionary developments occasioned by application of quantum hypothesis to blackbody radiation. Also, how statistical mechanics transformed understanding of chemical physics; principle of least action, theory of relativity. Important for Planck’s rethinking of his original discovery of quantum theory. New Introduction by Peter Pesic. 1915 edition.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Lectures of a much too silent genius
Take care! This is something for physicians or those who know already the basics of quantum physics and just want to read something (almost) original. I know Plancks writing in German and must admit that I have difficulties with an English translation - my deficiencies hopefully and not the translators who should have understood what Planck was talking about. This is always a problem with translations of technical, scientific or philosophic texts. The latter - in face of Planck also being a philosopher - is especially delicate as the German language has many special abstract words in the range of philosophy for which it is difficult to find an English equivalent.
Here a summary of Planck and his ideas in short which you should know before going into the details of the lectures in this book.
The German physician Max Planck is regarded as one of the most important physicians of both the 19th and 20th century. He received the Nobel prize in 1918. His exploring spirit stood in the beginning of Quantum physics.
Similar to his friend Albert Einstein he wanted to explore the basic principles of physics. This can also bee taken from his leitmotiv, which said: Hin zu Gott!" Up to God! Why this? Because he did not believe in a rigid, deterministic causality of all Sein" (of all what is), rather in a "the divine spirit" as "a stream of information, the A and O of all visible and invisible and unreachable things". That attitude of mind is significant in all his lectures.
According to Planck natural science is based on two cornerstones: 1. science gives man the recognition through the five senses and 2. it gives man action, "which is when he expresses his mental attitude, his opinion, his conviction, for which he needs the connection to God. That immediacy brings him clear order, inner firmness and lasting peace for soul and herewith the highest form of human life-quality". You could also say the cornerstones are the capability to recognize the outside "physical" world and the inside "spiritual" world, the latter being the A and O of the first.
Atheist scientist might ridicule this idea, but it were theists like Planck, Born, Pascual Jordan, Nils Bohr and Heisenberg who found the basis for modern physics. And they were all idealists.
Planck made clear in his writings and lectures that physics must bet he most exact science; that physical knowledge is basedonmeasurement of processes which take place in space and time; that therefore one is forced to calculate with different quantities of time and space; that all physical processes can be traced back to the movements of certain elementary particles and that the small numbers, with which this is demonstrated are universal absolute terms and changeless building stones of the scheme oftheoretical physics. So to speak they are the building stones of universe.
In all processes of nature universal lawfulness is at work. Planck has the example of the principle of the conservation of energy. He was also making significant contributions to the formulation of the The "Third Law of thermodynamics".Named after him is the "Planck's constant", a physical constant, which proves the principle of the smallest effects. With this constant Planck could prove, that all natural processes can be traced back on volatile processes in the range of elementary particles. Exactly spoken nothing is fixed or determined. This knowledge is recognized in the meantime. Thus Planck became the pioneer and trailblazer for quantum physics.
Starting with the belief that nature is ruled and guided by an almighty reason, by a reason which is at the same time oriented to effect and purpose and existing independent of a thinking mankind, his research brought him to reflections that led to quantum physics. Einstein once said in Planck the ideal of recognition was embodied in a rare perfection.
It is Plancks merit to have realized that empirism cannot be the starting point of scientific thinking. The world as it is can only be understood when the principle of idealism is applied, because only then it can be perceived that the final things are not the final things per se and the obvious datum is not the datum per se. It must be kept in mind that the Whole is more than the single parts.
His speeches and writings are characterized by that idealism. The words he speaks are in our time seldom heard. But they were never disproved. His physical knowledge has stood the test of time and became the foundations of modern physics. Planck saw as well that this knowledge must be of fundamental meaning for the other fields of science. Today with so many different disciplines that specialized and dispersed in development, it would be even more important to recognize this.

Although in the outline of his concepts he is not too abstract. All intelligent designs of natureare of logic ingenuity.

Personally More attuned to his book Philosophy of Physics
But I can appreciate lectures on reversibility and irreversibility, on the atomic theory of matter, on an equation of state, on heat radiation & electrodynamic theory, on the principle of least action, and on the principle of relativity. ... Read more

Product Description
Covers the theory of electromagnetic fields in matter, and the theory of macroscopic electric and magnetic properties of matter. There is a considerable amount of new material particularly on the theory of the magnetic properties of matter and the theory
of optical phenomena with new chapters on spatial dispersion and non-linear optics.


... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

an invaluable reference!
What can I say? There are 9 copies of this book in the library of my university and 8 of them have been checked out. The only one left is a reserved copy. And right now it's in the middle of a summer vacation! So many things that I want to know can be found in this book: the difference between Kerr effect and Faraday effect, the magneto-electric tensor, magnetic symmetries of crystals... etc. The explanations are usually very compact but extremely clear. Once many years ago I was frustrated at being unable to find a "physicist's description" of the galvanic cell. Finally, after searching many books and papers, I found a most satisfying explanation, exactly the way I needed it, in this book. It is an invaluable "reference" (but not textbook) for researchers working on material science, light-matter interactions, and related fields.

Russian School of Physics
This book has few uses.The book is so abbreviated that you need two other books to understand it.The one useful feature of this book is the problems with solutions, but even those take a lot of deciphering.

The BEST
It the best. I mean the whole course. If you can read Russian buy the original book - they are very very cheap (hardbound): a couple of dollars.

A masterpiece.
In the beginning there was ether. Then Maxwell discovered his wonderful equations and Einstein, drawing inspiration therefrom, discovered Relativity. There was no longer an ether. Thank God! For, before, every electric, magnetic and optical phenomenon was supposed to be explained by properties of this ubiquitous ether. For a brilliant account of the physics of the ether, read "Aether", by Maxwell himself, at the Encyclopaedia Britannica (not the present edition: go to*and look at the Classics). Since Lorentz it became fashionable, and sensible, to, first, derive all properties of the electromagnetic fiel in vacuum, and, then, to introduce matter and the complications which appear (and which give rise to most of the beauty of the world). This wonderful book deals with these complications, and shows the beauties that come out of them. This is a high class text, the reader being supposed to know all of basic physics, including, of course, quantum mechanics. Thermodynamics is used lavishly for static or quasi-static situations, providing depth and cohesion. Did you know that you cannot, in this age of new materials, concoct one with electric permittivity (the familiar epsilon) smaller than one lest you violate the second law of thermodynamics? The chapter on electromagnetic waves is superb, with the best treatment of light dispersion to be found anywhere. Did you know that you cannot produce a transparent material which would disperse light in a different sequence of colours than that of the usual glass prism lest you violate causality? You have to read this book. Grab your copy while you can find it. One never knows.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS ON MACROSCOPIC ELECTRODYNAMICS!
This is the Volume 8 of the famous Course of Theoretical Physics by L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz. All serious students of theoretical physics must possess the ten volumes of this excellent Course, which cover in detail and rigour practically all the branches of theoretical physics. The Volume 8 treats the subject of the electromagnetic fields in matter, or the macroscopic electrodynamics. The book contains all the basic theory of macroscopic electrodynamics, discussing at the same time some more specialized and very interesting topics. The discussion is rigorous and very detailed, with clarity of exposition. There exists also in this book chapters not usually found in other similar books, such as the chapters on the dynamics of magnetic fluids, the theory of the interaction of fast particles with matter(for example, the Cerenkov radiation), the macroscopic theory of superconductivity and the theory of diffraction of X rays in crystals. There exists a little appendice!on curvilinear coordinates, which serves to auxiliate the reader in the mathematical calculations. Moreover, the authors discuss in a very elegant manner mathematical methods for solving problems in electrostatics, such as for example the method of conformal mapping. Certainly one of the best books on macroscopic electrodynamics! ... Read more

Product Description
Our understanding of the physical world was revolutionized in the twentieth century the era of modern physics''. This book, aimed at the very best students, presents the foundations and frontiers of today's physics. It focuses on the following topics: quantum mechanics; applications in atomic, nuclear, particle, and condensed-matter physics; special relativity; relativistic quantum mechanics, including the Dirac equation and Feynman diagrams; quantum fields; and general relativity. The aim is to cover these topics in sufficient depth such that things make sense'' to students and they can achieve an elementary working knowledge of them. Many problems are included, a great number of which take dedicated readers just as far as they want to go in modern physics. Although the book is designed so that one can, in principle, read and follow the text without doing any of the problems, the reader is urged to attempt as many of them as possible. Several appendices help bring the reader up to speed on any additional required mathematics. With very few exceptions, the reader should then find the text, together with the appendices and problems, to be self-contained.

Contents: Classical Physics; Some Contradictions; Quantum Mechanics; Atomic Physics; Nuclear Physics; Particle Physics; Special Relativity; Relativistic Quantum Mechanics; General Relativity; Quantum Fluids; Quantum Fields; Problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Incredible tour through modern physics
Professor Walecka is author of well known textbooks and this is another example of his great mix of clear explanations and broad perspective.Just to give a bit of salt to this review, let me start from what I did not like about it: the illustrations are very poor, compared to the high level of the text.I must say that the publisher should have made any effort to provide more elegant version of most plots...

However, as I already said, the text is really good, expecially if you realize that each single chapter covers material which is usually introduced in entire courses.Of course, it is not possible to provide a full treatment of everything into a single (light) book.On the other hand, this is a unique chance to put so many puzzle pieces together, and provide the links between them.Just have a look at the table of contents to realize how wide the puzzle is.Then, read through the chapters to find almost all fundamental aspects with a rather complete introduction, including the mathematical approach.

I don't know if there is a single course which could be based on this textbook.On the other hand, it has been a great pleasure for me to have a broad review of so many different aspects of modern physics into a single book.I read it from the first to last page in a couple of weeks, and I enjoyed almost every paragraph.

A book is just great
The author, Prof. Dirk Walecka is a reknown physicist, and more so he is a great teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

broad discourse
Walecka is well known in physics as the co-author of Quantum Theory of Many-Particle Systems, which is a standard and rather advanced graduate text. Here in this new book, he takes a broader approach. The level of discourse is about that of the senior or honours undergraduate level, or perhaps a first year in grad school.

The scope is modern physics, where this is defined as quantum mechanics and relativity. Each chapter touches upon key ideas. The mathematical treatment is given rather briefly; probably inevitable due to space limitations.

One key result is the Feynman diagram. You can see how this maps to an equivalent integral and thus ultimately to a number, which is the scattering cross section. Really nice, and the intuitive meaning of the diagram demonstrates why the Feynman diagram was a seminal concept and a very practical tool in high energy physics.
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Product Description

The Compendium of Theoretical Physics contains the canonical curriculum of theoretical physics. From classical mechanics over electrodynamics, quantum mechanics and statistical physics/thermodynamics, all topics are treated axiomatic-deductively and confimed by exercises, solutions and short summaries.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Compendium
This is the best compendium of theoretical physics I could find. It is NOT meant to be a text book. It is merely an organized collection of important results accompanied by brief derivations (when required). It is a great book for someone who does not want to see the full derivations. Also, if one works out all the results/example applications in the book, that person would gain a lot in terms of both problem solving skills and physical understanding by the end of the exercise. It is a compact book, so not very hard to carry around. It would have been nicer if the authors spent more time on general relativity but one must not be greedy :) ... Read more

Product Description

The leading theme of the book is complexity in quantum dynamics. This issue is addressed by comparison with the classical ergodic, information and algorithmic complexity theories.

Of particular importance is the notion of Kolmogorov-Sinai dynamical entropy and of its inequivalent quantum extensions formulated by Connes, Narnhofer and Thirring on one hand and Alicki and Fannes on the other. Their connections with extensions to quantum systems of Kolmogorov-Chaitin-Solomonoff algorithmic complexity theory is also presented. The technical tools employed are those of the algebraic approach to quantum statistical mechanics which offers a unifying view of classical and quantum dynamical systems. Proofs and examples are provided in order to make the presentation self consistent.