Linear algebra done right for qm

[Ahmad Kishki]

I am trying to learn the formalism of qm, so i am following the book linear algebra done right but is it worth it to study every proof? I mean what is the attitude to follow with such a proof oriented book to eventually have a solid basis in the libear algebra of qm?

 

[micromass]

If you're not going to bother doing all the proofs, then you probably shouldn't be reading a pure math book.

 

[Fredrik]

is it worth it to study every proof?

In my opinion yes. Those proofs will really help you understand vector spaces and linear operators.

 

[Ahmad Kishki]

If you're not going to bother doing all the proofs, then you probably shouldn't be reading a pure math book.

I followed every proof from A to Z so far, but a friend told me that its not worth that much effort, so i thought it would be wise to consult physics forums.

 

[micromass]

I followed every proof from A to Z so far, but a friend told me that its not worth that much effort, so i thought it would be wise to consult physics forums.

It really depends what you want to get out of it. I'm pretty sure you don't need to read the book at all if your goal is just to understand QM. But if you want to understand the math behind it, then reading every proof seems necessary.

 

[bhobba]

I followed every proof from A to Z so far, but a friend told me that its not worth that much effort, so i thought it would be wise to consult physics forums.

You need the proofs so you can see what's required to create your own in order to solve problems - as well as cement understanding.

Thanks
Bill

 

[bhobba]

It really depends what you want to get out of it. I'm pretty sure you don't need to read the book at all if your goal is just to understand QM.

Unfortunately that type of thinking leads to problems with more advanced work eg check out post 137:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/the-born-rule-in-many-worlds.763139/page-7

You need a background in proving this stuff to understand it.

Thanks
Bill

 

[atyy]

If you are worried the book is too serious, you can always try Linear Algebra Done Wrong :) http://www.math.brown.edu/~treil/papers/LADW/LADW.html

More seriously, to start on quantum mechanics you need the whole of Linear Algebra Done Right, but mostly the main ideas of each chapter. Also, quantum mechanics has lots of tricky infinite dimensional spaces, but the complete intuition for the subject can be gotten from quantum mechanics in finite dimensional vector spaces. A very good non-rigourous linear algebra book for quantum mechanics is Halmos's Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces.

 

[micromass]

If you are worried the book is too serious, you can always try Linear Algebra Done Wrong :) http://www.math.brown.edu/~treil/papers/LADW/LADW.html

More seriously, to start on quantum mechanics you need the whole of Linear Algebra Done Right, but mostly the main ideas of each chapter. Also, quantum mechanics has lots of tricky infinite dimensional spaces, but the complete intuition for the subject can be gotten from quantum mechanics in finite dimensional vector spaces. A very good non-rigourous linear algebra book for quantum mechanics is Halmos's Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces.

Why "More seriously"? LA done wrong is way better than Axler.