How Can I Bridge the Gap Between Landau and Griffiths in Electrodynamics?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding suitable texts for learning electrodynamics that bridge the gap between the terse style of Landau and the more accessible approach of Griffiths. Participants seek recommendations for books that cover the covariant and Lagrangian formulations of electromagnetic fields, while expressing concerns about the clarity and depth of existing resources.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for a treatment of electrodynamics at the level of Landau, noting that Landau's book is too terse for learning.
  • Another participant suggests Jackson's and Morse and Feshbach as alternatives, but acknowledges they might also be terse.
  • Several participants recommend Barut's "Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles" and Soper's "Classical Field Theory," while cautioning that Barut is also terse.
  • A participant mentions a freely available book linked in the discussion, suggesting it as a good resource despite Landau's limitations.
  • Concerns are raised about the mathematical rigor in Landau's treatment, with one participant preferring to avoid overly complex mathematical treatments like those in Barut.
  • Thide's book is mentioned positively by multiple participants, with one noting it includes both the Lagrangian and covariant formulations.
  • Low's book is recommended as a good supplement, while Thirring's book is described as too detailed for the current needs of the participants.
  • Video lectures by Leonard Susskind are suggested as an additional resource, although their relevance to the topic is questioned.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that existing texts like Landau, Jackson, and Schwinger are too terse for effective learning. However, there is no consensus on which alternative texts are best, as various recommendations are made, reflecting differing preferences and experiences.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of comfort with mathematical rigor, indicating that some texts may be too advanced or detailed for their current understanding. There is also a recognition that learning concurrently with a course may alleviate some challenges faced when studying these texts independently.

WiFO215
Messages
417
Reaction score
1
Since I'm reading SR/GR now, I thought I'd complement it with a treatment of EM also. I am looking for a treatment of electrodynamics at the level of Landau, i.e. I want the covariant formulation and the Lagrangian formulation of the fields. My background is the level of Griffiths. Landau seems to me a nice book, but it is too terse to learn from. Books both on the math side and physics side welcome.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Jackson's and Morse and Feshbach, but they might be tersier... :-)
 
P.S

It's better to read concurrently with a course, otherwise you'll get stuck a lot of times with no help.
 
Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles by A. O. Barut

I guess I should warn you that Barut is terse as well.

Classical Field Theory by Davison E. Soper

Both are Dover paperbacks.

Also, Electrodynamics by Fulvio Melia looks interesting.
 
Last edited:
Landau's book is great (my username actually originated from the time I was studying this book), but indeed not ideal to learn from, at least not as a single source. I strongly recommend http://www.plasma.uu.se/CED/Book/ freely available book.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Landau said:
Landau's book is great (my username actually originated from the time I was studying this book), but indeed not ideal to learn from, at least not as a single source. I strongly recommend http://www.plasma.uu.se/CED/Book/ freely available book.

Have you studied at Uppsala?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
No. Both books were recommended in a Classical Field Theory course I did last year, a course for third year students (university in The Netherlands).
 
Thanks all. I shall look up your suggestions. Someone needs to write a non-terse EM book if the only available texts are Jackson, Landau and Schwinger. All seem to be very terse.
 
Leonard Susskind has a good set of video lectures out on Classical Field Theory. Here is a link to them. They are also available on iTunes. Even though they are called Special Relativity, only the first lecture is really on SR. The rest is on Field Theory. http://web.mac.com/clinton_lewis/Special_Relativity/Lecture_1.html are the notes from those lectures. Be sure to check out "Clinton's notes" on those pages as well.

Oh yeah, I like to watch them sped up a little because he talks a little too slow for my taste. Sped up by 1.5 (VLC does this), it's perfect.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #10
Good grief! Barut is "worse" than Landau. The thing I didn't like about Landau is his treatment of the math. It is very slipshod. It is also not a book to learn things from, but something to read when you have a good foundation. Barut on the other hand delves into group theory, tensors and spinors. I think I'd like to avoid that extreme of math for the present.

I've been reading Thide's book and it has been good so far. I skimmed through the book and it includes the Lagrangian formulation and the covariant formulation of the fields. Seems okay. Will let you know after I read some more.
 
  • #11
Hey guys. Bo Thide is pretty good. I like it. I suppose I shall continue using it, but if you guys have any other suggestions/ books, please feel free to add.
 
  • #13
Thanks Landau! I'll look into both of them.
 
  • #14
Thirring's book is far too detailed mathematically for this point of time. Low on the other hand is good as far as I've read it till now. I think I'll use it to supplement Bo Thide's.
 
  • #15
Hey guys,
I'd like to recommend Low's book to anyone who wants to read up on Classical Field Theory. It would be useful to supplement it with some other book like Schwinger, or use it as a supplement. It has a very good treatment of the topic.
 

Similar threads

Classical Finished undergraduate electrodynamics: what next?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
4K
Best Intro to Quantum Mechanics: Griffiths vs Dirac
  • · Replies 33 ·
2
Replies
33
Views
8K
Here's what I've got, where should I go now?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K
Undergrad How deep does it need to go for a physics theory to be consistent?
  • · Replies 50 ·
2
Replies
50
Views
5K
Some books to bridge the gap before GR
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Recommendations for C.M. & E.M. going into grad school (non-physicist)
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Griffiths vs Purcell vs Schwartz for undergrad E&M
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
15K
Particle Would like some particle physics textbook-reading advice
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Classical Self study project, feedback on my selection of books?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Books on topology, geometry and physics
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
7K