Green Functions: A physicist's Intro to Math Methods

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the topic of Green functions, specifically focusing on resources suitable for physics students who are looking to understand the method without extensive prior knowledge in integral equations and functional analysis. Participants share their experiences and suggest potential resources for learning.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, Will, expresses a need for accessible resources on Green functions, mentioning a lack of coverage in their math methods class.
  • Another participant suggests starting with a particular online resource and mentions external links and book references available there.
  • A different participant shares a Google Books link that they find promising but admits uncertainty about its suitability for Will's needs.
  • Will responds that previous searches have yielded resources that are either too advanced or not aligned with their background, specifically noting the Roach book as potentially useful but unengaging.
  • A participant recommends Haberman's text as a very good introductory resource for the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on a single resource that meets Will's needs, indicating multiple competing views on what constitutes an appropriate introduction to Green functions.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of familiarity with the topic and the resources available, highlighting the challenge of finding suitable materials that bridge the gap between physics and advanced mathematical concepts.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for physics students seeking introductory materials on Green functions, as well as educators looking for resource recommendations for teaching the topic.

will.c
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Not sure if this is the best place, but it's also my first post, so meta-answers about where I'm supposed to put this business are welcome too.

I'm a physics student, and I'm interested in learning about Green functions, but I sold back the Boas book that I used for my math methods class (we didn't cover the topic), and that's about the level that I'm looking for; is there a free resource that explains the method in a way that I don't need a huge knowledge of integral equations and functional analysis to comprehend, or at the other end, a book that brings all those topics together so that a physicist can understand it?

Thanks,
Will
 
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No help?
 
You could try [/URL] to begin with, including the external links and book references at the bottom.

Furthermore, a search on Google returns http://books.google.nl/books?id=edTngEuzXaoC&dq=greens+functions&pg=PP1&ots=bYdfU5doDf&sig=v_tyaPwJ-VArMLGE8mB8CwCnvyI&hl=nl&prev=http://www.google.nl/search?q=greens+functions&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail#PPA2,M1 which looks promising to me, but I don't know if it is what you want.

You could also go to your library and see what they have on the subject, then you can hold the book and look inside it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, I've done all that, but everything I've come to is either at a graduate level, or advanced undergrad, but for math majors. The Roach book is probably the best on the subject for undergrads, from what I've seen, but it put me to sleep. =(
 

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