Dirac notation based quantum books?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for quantum mechanics textbooks that effectively introduce Dirac notation early in the learning process. Participants are seeking resources that align with the structure of an online course they are following, particularly focusing on vector spaces and inner products before delving into Dirac notation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses dissatisfaction with Griffiths' textbook for delaying the introduction of Dirac notation and seeks alternatives that cover vector spaces and inner products before this notation.
  • Another participant suggests "Modern Quantum Mechanics" by J.J. Sakurai but questions its suitability for someone without formal coursework in quantum mechanics.
  • A later reply indicates that the opening chapters of Sakurai are not graduate-level and that the participant already has Griffiths for wave mechanics.
  • Some participants argue that Sakurai may be too advanced for a first course, while others recommend it as clearer than Griffiths.
  • Alternative suggestions include "Quantum Mechanics: A Paradigms Approach" by David McIntyre, "Lectures on Quantum Mechanics" by Gordon Baym, and "Quantum Mechanics" by Shankar, with one participant noting they assign Shankar in their undergraduate courses.
  • Another participant mentions the Feynman Lectures vol. III and "The Theoretical Minimum" series by Susskind as additional resources if Sakurai is deemed too advanced.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the appropriateness of various textbooks for beginners in quantum mechanics, with no consensus on a single recommended text. There is acknowledgment of the varying levels of difficulty among the suggested books.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the importance of prior knowledge in complex functions for certain texts, and there is a recognition that individual learning preferences may influence the choice of textbook.

patric44
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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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You could try Modern Quantum Mechanics by J.J. Sakurai.
 
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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 ?
 
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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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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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
 

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