Good Textbooks for QM: Get Advice Here!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for textbooks and lecture series on Quantum Mechanics (QM) for self-study. Participants explore various resources suitable for different educational levels and express their personal experiences with specific materials.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares their self-study journey through Dr. Susskind's lecture series and MIT Open Courseware, seeking additional resources to prepare for Quantum Field Theory (QFT) and the Standard Model.
  • Another participant references an older thread with suggestions for textbooks, indicating that there may be more recent recommendations available.
  • There is a discussion about the appropriate educational level for textbooks, with mentions of Susskind's QM lite book and a book by Prof. Zagoskin that focuses on QM concepts with a lighter mathematical treatment.
  • Several participants express a preference for undergraduate-level resources that provide clear explanations without glossing over important concepts.
  • One participant mentions that recordings from Barton Zwiebach are available on edx.org, which include quizzes and solutions, suggesting they could be beneficial for mastering undergraduate QM.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for clear and accessible QM resources, but there is no consensus on specific recommendations or the best approach to studying QM, as various levels and styles of textbooks are discussed.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the level of detail and mathematical rigor in different textbooks, indicating a need for clarity on the intended audience for each resource.

jaurandt
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I'm trying to do this by myself. I went through Dr. Susskind's 10 lecture series (the older one, not as much aligned with his book "Quantum Mechanics", which I own) taking notes, and am almost half way through with MIT Open Courseware's lectures in 8.04 (QM I) from 2013, again taking rigorous notes, and after that will be moving on to the 2016 recordings of 8.04 with a different professor, and after that moving on to 8.05 (QM II) with the same professor. I also possesses "Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics", 3rd Edition, by Dirac (1947), which I have been slowly creeping through.

Besides literally going back to school, which I can't at this time for financial reasons, what else do I need? What books do I need, or lecture series do I need, that can get me to a point where I can start studying QFT or the Standard Model? I'm going to go back and study Special and General Relativity after QM, before QFT and Particle Physics, for which I possesses the book "The Meaning of Relativity" by Einstein.

Any suggestions are appreciated.
 
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I meant for the title of this to say "Good Books on Quantum Mechanics", I'm no where close to QFT yet. Can a mod change it for me?
 
So the next question would be what level? Undergrad? Graduate?

There’s a Susskind QM lite book as part of his theoretical minimum sequence but it’s math treatment is lighter than traditional undergrad books.

There’s also an Oxford Press book teaches about QM concepts with math but doesn’t get into the more mundane uses of QM by Prof Zagoskin.
 
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jedishrfu said:
So the next question would be what level? Undergrad? Graduate?

There’s a Susskind QM lite book as part of his theoretical minimum sequence but it’s math treatment is lighter than traditional undergrad books.

I own the Susskind book, which I have mostly read.

I would prefer it to be an undergraduate level, but anything that can teach QM in a clear way (without glossing over things) will do.
 
The recordings from Barton Zwiebach you watch are also available in edx.org with quizzes and problems. They provide feedback and solutions. I think if you can finish them, you can say you know undergrad QM.
 
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CCofADoa said:
The recordings from Barton Zwiebach you watch are also available in edx.org with quizzes and problems. They provide feedback and solutions. I think if you can finish them, you can say you know undergrad QM.

Yeah, that's the next lecture series I'm moving onto after Allen Adams'. He talks and moves so fast... I never could've gone to MIT...
 

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