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Figaro
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I've heard good things about A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics by Townsend and Quantum Mechanics by Mcintyre. They use the same spin approach, but what are the pros and cons of each book?
I like McIntyre better than Townsend. YMMV.Figaro said:I noticed that there are some topics missing in Mcintyre (i.e. variational method, short intro to scattering, etc) but Townsend starts early about angular momentum, can anyone comment on these issues?
Why is that? I would like to know your comment and experience on this book. Is it complete? As I saw it, there are topics which are not in Mcintyre where it is present in Townsend, for example, Aharonov Bohm effect, some I stated above, etc.smodak said:I like McIntyre better than Townsend. YMMV.
Just personal Preference. I find McIntyre to be less dry than Townsend. I was self studying and McIntyre kept me engaged and interested but Townsend did not. They are both very good book however - you cannot go wrong with either of them. QM is such a vast area, one book is not often sufficient. You can always go back to several other resources when you have had a chance to study the fundamentals from a book that you like.Figaro said:Why is that? I would like to know your comment and experience on this book. Is it complete? As I saw it, there are topics which are not in Mcintyre where it is present in Townsend, for example, Aharonov Bohm effect, some I stated above, etc.
Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that studies the behavior of matter and energy at a very small scale, such as atoms and subatomic particles. It describes how these particles interact and how they move, and it has led to many groundbreaking discoveries and technologies.
Classical mechanics is the branch of physics that describes the behavior of objects at a larger scale, such as planets and cars. In classical mechanics, objects are described as having definite and predictable properties, whereas in quantum mechanics, particles behave more like waves and can exist in multiple states at once.
The uncertainty principle states that it is impossible to know the exact position and momentum of a particle at the same time. The more precisely one is known, the less precisely the other can be known. This principle has important implications for our understanding of the behavior of particles at a subatomic level.
Quantum mechanics has many applications in daily life, including in electronics, lasers, and medical imaging. It also plays a crucial role in technologies such as transistors, solar cells, and computer memory. In addition, quantum mechanics is used in cryptography and secure communication.
One common misconception is that quantum mechanics only applies to very small particles. While it is true that quantum mechanics is primarily used to describe the behavior of subatomic particles, its principles can also be applied to larger systems. Another misconception is that quantum mechanics allows for instantaneous communication or teleportation, which is not supported by current scientific understanding.