Dirac notation based quantum books?

In summary, the conversation discusses the search for a good book to supplement a quantum mechanics course and the difficulties faced by the speaker in finding a suitable resource. Suggestions are given for books such as Modern Quantum Mechanics by J.J. Sakurai, Townsend, Shankar, and Gordon Baym's Lectures on Quantum Mechanics. The speaker also mentions their background as an undergraduate student majoring in physics and their concerns about the level of difficulty for these books.
  • #1
patric44
296
39
hi
i am recently following the nptel course in quantum mechanics (The Course ) and it seems like a really good course , but i can't find
the book that it based on .
my question is : had anyone saw that course before to suggest a QM book related to it ?
- she began by an introduction to vector spaces and so on and then jumps right away to Dirac notation and i really like that , but the book i currently have is griffith which i don't really like it + it waits too much to introduce Dirac's notation , so is there is any book that does that job ( a little survey on vector spaces - inner products ... then uses Dirac notation all along ?

i am an undergrad student major in physics and i was supposed to take a quantum course this year but the corona virus stopped every thing , and our professor didn't arrange any online lectures or any thing with us basically he asked for a little 10 page research about angular momentum and its eigen values (i had a hard time doing it ) but managed to do it .
the point is , now i didn't take any formal course in QM yet and the next year we have a QM-2 course ?!
so any help will be appreciated .
 
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  • #2
You could try Modern Quantum Mechanics by J.J. Sakurai.
 
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  • #3
PeroK said:
You could try Modern Quantum Mechanics by J.J. Sakurai.
would it be too hard for me ? i heard that its a grad level book , or along with the nptel lectures it would be reasonable ?
 
  • #4
patric44 said:
would it be too hard for me ? i heard that its a grad level book
The opening chapters are definitely not grad level. And you've already got Griffiths for wave mechanics.
 
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  • #5
It's much clearer than Griffiths, because Griffiths is too sloppy leading to confusion. Maybe if you find Sakurai to advanced, a good additional reading are the Feynman Lectures vol. III or the quantum mechanics volume in the "Theoretical Minimum" series by Suskind.
 
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  • #8
I very much like Gordon Baym "Lectures on Quantum Mechanics". It is an "easy" grad level text but you do need to know complex functions well. Very Dirac oriented
 

1. What is Dirac notation?

Dirac notation, also known as bra-ket notation, is a mathematical notation used in quantum mechanics to represent vectors and operators. It was developed by physicist Paul Dirac and is commonly used in quantum books to simplify calculations and express complex concepts.

2. How is Dirac notation used in quantum books?

Dirac notation is used to represent quantum states, operators, and measurements in a concise and elegant way. It allows for easy manipulation and calculation of quantum systems, making it a useful tool in understanding quantum mechanics.

3. What are the basic elements of Dirac notation?

The basic elements of Dirac notation are the bra and ket vectors, represented by the symbols < and | respectively. The inner product of a bra and ket vector is denoted by <A|B>, and the outer product is denoted by |A><B|. Operators are represented by capital letters, such as A, and measurements are represented by lowercase letters, such as a.

4. How does Dirac notation simplify calculations?

Dirac notation simplifies calculations by using a set of rules that allow for easy manipulation of vectors and operators. For example, the inner product of two vectors can be calculated by multiplying the bra and ket vectors and summing the results. This notation also allows for the use of linear algebra techniques to solve quantum problems.

5. Are there any drawbacks to using Dirac notation in quantum books?

One potential drawback of Dirac notation is that it may be difficult for beginners to understand at first. It also requires some familiarity with linear algebra and complex numbers. Additionally, it may not be suitable for representing certain types of quantum systems, such as continuous variables. However, overall, Dirac notation is a powerful and widely used tool in quantum mechanics.

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