Old Book Review - Classical Charged Particles

[pmb_phy]

Old Book Review - "Classical Charged Particles"

Hi folks

I've picked up a rather old book. It was written back in 1965 by Fritz Rohrlich and is called "Classical Charged Particles". I found this book by a reference in Jackson's EM text. I have to say that this is a superb book! I don't think I've read anything as good as this book before. The first chapter is called Philosophy and Logic of Physical Theory. Excellant chapter on what science and physics is and the nature of what it means to be a "Law
of Physics" and what it means for something to be a "Theory".

This text is quite excellant regarding special and general relativity as well. The nice thing is that it explains GR and what a gravitational field is (e.g. what is the "strength" of the field etc) as I've tried to explain it here in the past. I disagree with the author's opinions in a few places but that doesn't mean this isn't a superb text. I highly recommend reading this book! You won't regret it!

Pete

 

[pmb_phy]

One nice thing about this book is that it addresses a complex question that is sometimes asked in this forum. The question has to do with charged particles in a g-field. The section is called Is the Principle of Equivalence Principle Valid for Charged Particles? I know of no other text which addresses this point.

Pete

 

[Entropia]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on "Classical Charged Particles". It's always interesting to discover older books that are still relevant and useful in today's scientific landscape. Based on your review, it seems like this book offers a strong foundation in the philosophy and logic of physical theory, which is essential for understanding the fundamentals of physics. Additionally, the author's explanations of special and general relativity are clear and helpful. It's great to hear that you found this book to be a valuable resource and I will definitely consider checking it out. Thanks again for your recommendation!