Quantum Mechanics Demystified

Quantum Mechanics Demystified

Where's the Cat?!

This book is completely useless. It describes itself as basic enough for beginners yet complex enough for advanced students. I would consider myself somewhere in between this, but didn't find either of these claims to be valid. Equations are introduced with no context what-so-ever. I expected something that would be a gentle enough (re-)introduction to the subject. No, it's just straight in there with no explanation of anything. On the cover there is a nice cartoon of Schrodinger and his cat - which suggests the tone of book. Unfortunately, this is misleading (I know: books, covers, judging etc) - the cat never appears. Schrodingers equation appears - but I had to go elsewhere to find out its origins. I can't suggest an alternative - but stay away from this one.

good introduction but loaded with typos!

I went through this book twice and found it very helpful in getting a basic familiarity with elementary quantum mechanics. Its strong point is the detailed exposition of the calculations which enables even people without a lot of math background to master and understand the material. The main problem is innumerable typos, which paradoxically are a kind of learning experience because they force you to go through each calculation in detail to correct the mistakes. But really, it's a shame that so little effort was made at proofreading before the book was published. The reader deserves better.

Ridiculous Number of Errors

This book might be a decent supplement for more rigorous introductory texts such as Griffiths if it wasn't for the unbelievable number of careless errors and typos. Almost every page (no exaggeration) has at least one error. While most of the errors are self-evident and easily corrected, some do lead to confusion and frustration and all produce in the reader a general mistrust of the text. It is amazing that a reputable publisher like McGraw-Hill could have let a book this mistake-ridden go to print. Errors aside, the content is not self-contained and is not suitable for self-learning, as there is little explanation of the physical meaning of the math and almost no rigorous development of the theories. There are plenty of instances where concepts are used that have not yet been explained, such as the definition of the square of the absolute value of the wave function and the Hamiltonian operator. It might, however, serve as a supplement for other introductory texts, since it offers simple problems that help reinforce calculation techniques, which tend to be lacking in texts such as Griffiths which contain more meaningful but more difficult problems. Regardless of its merits, a revised, corrected edition is needed.

good book

This is a good book for anyone trying to teach yourself quantum mechanics, and it is a good supplement to any quantum mechanics class. The author talked about hopefully making a 2nd book on this topic to add to this book (not a 2nd edition, but another book) because this one does lack some of the more complicated topics in quantum mechanics.

Good book but has quite a few 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

Keyword : quantum+physic