Product Description
A revision of a successful junior/senior level text, this introduction to elementary quantum mechanics clearly explains the properties of the most important quantum systems. Emphasizes the applications of theory, and contains new material on particle physics, electron-positron annihilation in solids and the Mossbauer effect. Includes new appendices on such topics as crystallography, Fourier Integral Description of a Wave Group, and Time-Independent Perturbation Theory.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 17 reviews)

good but please a little more explanation!

I think this book is surely meant to go along with a class, I don't think it is entirely suited for independent study. The reason I feel this is that the discussion questions at the end of each chapter seem to be asking about stuff that isn't really addressed in the chapter, and requires additional knowledge unrelated to what is given in the book to answer. Also, there are no solutions to the practice problems, so you will never be able to test your own accuracy. I really believe in having solutions in the back of the book, otherwise how are you to rate your own progress and understanding? In concert with a course however and with a teacher to fill in any information gaps, I think this is a fine book! All the explanations seem clear, and the steps in the derivation processes are easy to follow!
February 08, 2008

Awesome Physics Book!

This is an awesome physcis book. It really allowed me to wrap my mind around some of them really big concepts. Sometimes my brain hurt! But I kept reading, just knowing it would make me smarter than George. He thinks he knows everything but he doesn't. Anyway, the book is better than a basket of spare ribs with extra sauce!
January 25, 2007

wonderful and enlightening to read!

This book catches my attention to a point that I cannot put it down until I have finished a chapter. It is true that the book is focused on understanding the physical concepts with little math...this can be confusing at times...but I still think highly of it.
March 19, 2005

Buy Griffiths Instead

This book was confusing, chaotic, and utterly disapointing. If your professor assigns this book I suggest you do not buy it but borrow from a friend. Instead use Griffiths to learn QM. Since moving onto graduate school I have learned just how little I learned from this book. Moreover, I was confused about simple issues in QM which Cohen-Tannoudji quickly and clearly dispelled. This book actually hurt my education. I can not for the life of me understand how anyone could give this book 3, 4, or even 5 stars.
June 23, 2004

Great introduction, focused on understanding

This book is an excellent introduction to Quantum Physics. This book gives the non-expert reader an insight into the tremendous explanatory power of quantum mechanics. It describes why and how Quantum Mechanics was developed, and it is primarily concerned with the understanding of concepts and ideas, rather than focusing on mathematical techniques. For this reason it might appear a little verbose to some readers.

The first five chapters gives the reader a good insight into the history of Quantum Physics and to why classical mechanics was insufficient. Chapter 6 is an excellent overview of how to solve the Schroedinger Equation in a few specific cases, at the same time as the reader is given a very good "feeling" for how Quantum Mechanics works. The remainder of the chapters focuses on specific situations, applications and phenomena's.

There are plenty of books that use less mathematics, but I do not believe they give a good understanding of the topic. There are also plenty of books that uses a lot more complex mathematics, but they are not for beginners. I recommend this book as an introduction to Quantum Physics for undergraduate physics students, engineers, science professionals, and mathematically literate others.

For reference, these are the chapters in the book:
(1) Thermal Radiation and Plank's Postulate
(2) Photons--Particlelike Properties of Radiation
(3) De Broglie's Postulate--Wavelike Properties of Particles
(4) Bohr's Model of the Atom
(5) Schroedinger's Theory of Quantum Mechanics
(6) Solutions of Time-Independent Schroedinger Equations
(7) One-Electron Atoms
(8) Magnetic Dipole Moments, Spin, and Transition Rates
(9) Multielectron Atoms--Ground States and X-Ray Excitations
(10) Multielectron Atoms--Optical Excitations
(11) Quantum Statistics
(12) Molecules
(13) Solids--Conductors and Semiconductors
(14) Solids--Superconductors and Magnetic Properties
(15) Nuclear Models
(16) Nuclear Decay and Nuclear Reactions
(17) Introduction to Elementary Particles
(18) More Elementary Particles

I liked Appendix A, "The Special Theory of Relativity". In only sixteen pages, the authors succeed to correctly explain the special theory of relativity. I also liked Appendix C, "The Boltzmann Distribution", which was good concise description of classical statistical mechanics (you need to understand it, to understand why it was not good enough).
December 04, 2003

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Special Relativity (M.I.T. Introductory Physics Series)
by A. P. French

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition)
by David J. Griffiths

Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition)
by David J. Griffiths

Introduction to Quantum Physics (M.I.T. Introductory Physics Series)
by A. P. French, Edwin F. Taylor

Classical Mechanics
by John R. Taylor