Published by Allen Lane Books, Limited, 2014, hardcover, 364 pages, condition: new.
First he taught you classical mechanics. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind has teamed up with data engineer Art Friedman to present the theory and associated mathematics of the strange world of quantum mechanics.
An approachable yet rigorous introduction to a famously difficult topic, Quantum Mechanics provides a tool kit for amateur scientists to learn physics at their own pace.
"Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum is the second book in the Theoretical Minimum series. The first book was about classical mechanics, covering both Newtonian and advanced mechanics, and in a way it felt like a preparation for quantum mechanics. Having read this book, I can safely say that quantum mechanics is even weirder than I thought.
The first half of the book moves at a slow speed. In that sense it reminded me of the first book, just introducing the reader to the necessary tools and mindset for dealing with quantum mechanics, such as linear operators, eigenvectors, eigenvalues, bra-ket notation, among others. In the second half of the book the speed picks up, though not as much as it did in the first book, as we get introduced to entanglement, and then move on to particle dynamics and the harmonic oscillator. Much like its predecessor, this book does a great job at introducing the reader to the subject (with better editing than the first book). This was the first time I read any kind of book that deals with the real physics and mathematics of quantum mechanics, so I dont know how other books deal with it in this aspect. I can only say that the way the authors prepare the reader for whats coming up is quite remarkable.
I didnt remember much of the linear algebra that I had previously learned. The authors do a great job at introducing the reader to this topics. This happens when we get introduced to linear operators, eigenvectors and eigenvalues. I also quite liked the way the authors made the transition from using algebra to using differential equations in the second half of the book, as we get introduced to particle dynamics. Also on a side note, when I was a student at university I was taught that spin is sort of the quantum analog of classical angular momentum, but not really. At the time I found it rather confusing. Im glad Susskind chose a different route.
Its quite remarkable that someone whos not a physicist can read this book and come out of it understanding some parts of quantum mechanics. I cant recommend it enough to other readers with some mathematical (linear algebra and calculus) and physical background who want to dig a bit deeper than the usual popularizations of quantum mechanics. It presents a step between popular science books and textbooks. Just make sure you read the first book before, as it introduces some key concepts that play a major role in quantum mechanics. The only downside I see in this book is that it may seem somewhat disconnected from experiment and its history, as the double-slit experiment, photoelectric effect, among others, are not mentioned. This is a excellent book, and while I might have enjoyed more the previous book in the series, that was due to the fact that classical mechanics is less abstract than quantum mechanics and easier to digest."
