How much SR is needed for Purcell and Morin?

[bigmike94]

TL;DR Summary: How much special relativity Is needed for Edward M. Purcell & David J. Morin

It clearly is needed to fully understand this book and I have what seems like a good book that introduces relativity (A.P. French)

But I am not wanting to start it yet and it’s around 300 pages long, I have just finished A Students Guide to Maxwell’s Equations and have also intro E&M under my belt.

The reason for me wanting to carry on studying E&M and not start special relativity yet is because I start an electrodynamics course next October and I want to be over prepared, therefor I set myself a goal;
To read in this order;

Freedman’s University physics mechanics and electromagnetism chapters

A Students Guide to Maxwell’s Equations

Purcell & Morins Electricity and Magnetism

D.J Griffiths electrodynamics

I have read the first two, leaving me a year to read the last 2, which I think is doable as I won’t be doing a tonne of the problems as that’ll come with the course next year.

But as you can see I have little time to fit in a full book about SR, I want to be able to enjoy a good SR book and not be rushing to finish it, but I still have Freedman’s University Physics and it does have an introductory chapter on SR with topics covered;
Invariance of physical laws
Relativity of simultaneity
Relativity of time intervals
Relativity of length
The Lorentz Transformation
The Doppler effect for EM waves
Relativistic momentum
Relativistic work and energy
Newtonian mechanics and relativity

So will the chapter in University Physics be enough to cover the SR needed for the Purcell and Morin book?

Thank you in advance.

 

[malawi_glenn]

So will the chapter in University Physics be enough to cover the SR needed for the Purcell and Morin book?

I think so.

 

[Muu9]

Purcell and Morin is basically an honors intro EM. You should be qualified to start Griffiths, as long as you have calc 3 under your belt

 

[MidgetDwarf]

TL;DR Summary: How much special relativity Is needed for Edward M. Purcell & David J. Morin

It clearly is needed to fully understand this book and I have what seems like a good book that introduces relativity (A.P. French)

But I am not wanting to start it yet and it’s around 300 pages long, I have just finished A Students Guide to Maxwell’s Equations and have also intro E&M under my belt.

The reason for me wanting to carry on studying E&M and not start special relativity yet is because I start an electrodynamics course next October and I want to be over prepared, therefor I set myself a goal;
To read in this order;

Freedman’s University physics mechanics and electromagnetism chapters

A Students Guide to Maxwell’s Equations

Purcell & Morins Electricity and Magnetism

D.J Griffiths electrodynamics

I have read the first two, leaving me a year to read the last 2, which I think is doable as I won’t be doing a tonne of the problems as that’ll come with the course next year.

But as you can see I have little time to fit in a full book about SR, I want to be able to enjoy a good SR book and not be rushing to finish it, but I still have Freedman’s University Physics and it does have an introductory chapter on SR with topics covered;
Invariance of physical laws
Relativity of simultaneity
Relativity of time intervals
Relativity of length
The Lorentz Transformation
The Doppler effect for EM waves
Relativistic momentum
Relativistic work and energy
Newtonian mechanics and relativity

So will the chapter in University Physics be enough to cover the SR needed for the Purcell and Morin book?

Thank you in advance.

Although not familiar with a student's guide to Maxwell's Equations. It was supplemental reading for a course I took many years ago. The main text we used was Mardsen: Vector Calculus, and I had no issues working through Griffiths. Ie., reading Griffiths for the physics, and not have to worry about the mathematics, and proceed to the problems.

 

[PeroK]

@bigmike94 I think AP French's book on SR is a bit old fashioned. See, for example:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/to-which-particles-does-p-mc-apply.982601/