David J. Griffiths said:In preparing the second edition I have tried to retain as much as possible the spirit of the first. The only wholesale change is Chapter 3, which was much too long and diverting; it has been completely rewritten, with the background material on finite-dimensional vector spaces (a subject with which most students at this level are already comfortable) relegated to the Appendix. I have added some examples in Chapter 2 (and fixed the awkward definition of raising and lowering operators fro the harmonic oscillator). In later chapters I have made as few changes as I could, even preserving the numbering of problems and equations, where possible. The treatment is streamlined in places (a better introduction to angular momentum in Chapter 4, for instance, a simpler proof of the adiabatic theorem in Chapter 10, and a new section on partial wave phase shifts in Chapter 11). Inevitably, the second edition is a bit longer than the first, which I regret, but I hope it is cleaner and more accessible.
The main difference between the two editions is the inclusion of new material in the 2nd edition. This includes new chapters on scattering theory, entanglement, and quantum computation. Additionally, the 2nd edition has updated examples and exercises.
The 2nd edition is generally considered more suitable for self-study due to the additional material and updated examples and exercises. However, both editions can be used for self-study.
Yes, the exercises and examples are different in the two editions. The 2nd edition has updated and additional exercises and examples compared to the 1st edition.
The 2nd edition may be more challenging for some readers due to the added material. However, the overall difficulty level is similar to the 1st edition.
Yes, the two editions can be used interchangeably for teaching purposes. However, instructors should be aware of the differences in material and adjust accordingly.