Introduction to Methods of Theoretical Physics

Fall 1998 Textbooks

I will have as many copies of these books as possible on reserve at the Folsom Library. If you'd like to see a copy before you buy one, and it's not in the bookstore, please drop by to see me.

Required textbooks

These books are your most-used references for this course. The bookstore has them.

• S. Nettel, Wave Physics, Second edition
  Springer-Verlag (1997) ISBN 3-540-58504-4
• E.F. Taylor and J.A. Wheeler, Spacetime Physics, Second edition
  W.H. Freeman (1992) ISBN 0-7167-2327-1

Optional textbooks

I also refer to these for course material, but I will leave it up to you to decide if they are worth the additional expense.

• G. Fletcher, Introduction to Mathematical Methods in Physics
  Wm.C. Brown (1994) ISBN 0-697-16605-8
• P. Landshoff, A. Metherell, and G. Rees, Essential Quantum Physics
  Cambridge (1997) ISBN 0-521-62993-4

Mathematics textbooks

I also refer to these books. They are the texts used in Rensselaer's Calculus I/II courses and in Multivariable Calculus and Matrix Algebra. I assume that if you don't have these, you have something similar which will do fine. If you'd like to buy these, though, that's entirely up to you.

• J. Stewart, Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Third Edition
  Brooks/Cole (1994) ISBN 0-534-25158-7
• L.W. Johnson, R.D. Riess, and J.T. Arnold, Introduction to Linear Algebra: Third Edition
  Addison-Wesley (1993) ISBN 0-201-56801-2

I actually think that the Math department is using the Fourth edition of Johnson, Riess, and Arnold this semester, but I'm sure it's close enough.

Other textbooks

I will also be drawing on a number of other textbooks for course material, in particular for examples and ideas for problems. Sometimes these may also appear as references for class material. These are not available in the bookstore, although you can order them from the publisher, our bookstore, or Barnes and Noble or Borders Books if you like. I will also put them (or perhaps earlier editions of them) on reserve in the Folsom Library.

This list may grow with time.

Oscillations and waves

• N.H. Fletcher and T.D. Rossing, The Physics of Musical Instruments, Second Edition
  Springer-Verlag (1998) ISBN 0-387-98374-0
• A.P. French, Vibrations and Waves
  Norton (1971)

Electromagnetism

• E.M. Purcell, Electricity and Magnetism
  McGraw-Hill (1964) ISBN 07-004859-2
• David J. Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics, 2nd Ed.
  Prentice-Hall (1989) ISBN 0-13-481367-7
• Melvin Schwartz, Principles of Electrodynamics
  McGraw-Hill (1972) ISBN 07-055675-X, Now published by Dover

Special relativity

• A.P. French, Special Relativity
  Norton (1968) ISBN 0-393-09793-5
• E.F. Taylor and J.A. Wheeler, Spacetime Physics (First edition)
  W.H. Freeman (1966) ISBN 0-7167-0336-X
• R. Resnick and D. Halliday, Basic Concepts in Relativity
  Macmillan (1992) ISBN 0-02-399345-6

Quantum mechanics

• R.L. Liboff, Introductory Quantum Mechanics, Third edition
  Addison-Wesley (1998) ISBN 0-201-87879
• F.J. Blatt, Modern Physics
  Addison-Wesley (1992) ISBN 0-07-005877-6

Mathematics

• H.M. Schey, Div, Grad, Curl, and all that, Second edition
  Norton (1992) ISBN 0-393-96251-2

Others

• D. Halliday, R. Resnick, and J. Walker, Fundamentals of Physics, Fifth edition ("HRW5e")
  Wiley (1997) ISBN 0-471-15662-0
• R. Feynman, R. Leighton, and M. Sands, The Feynman Lectures on Physics
  Addison-Wesley (1963) ISBN 0-201-02116-1
• A.L. Fetter and J.D. Walecka, Theoretical Mechanics of Particles and Continua
  McGraw-Hill (1980) ISBN 0-07-020658-9
• G. de Marsily, Quantitative Hydrogeology
  Academic Press (1986) ISBN 0-12-208916-2