Math requirement for Modern physics by Kenneth Krane?

[unsung-hero]

What math should a person know to THOROUGHLY understand everything in this textbook?
(For refrence)
cal2 (integration)
cal3(mulit-variable)
diffeq1(ode)
diffeq2(pde)
linealg
vectorcalc
realanal1
realana2

amazon link -http://[URL='https://www.amazon.com.../Modern-Physics-Kenneth-S-Krane/dp/0471828726[/URL]

 

[jtbell]

From the preface to Krane's book:

Necessary prerequisites for undertaking the text include any standard calculus-based course covering mechanics, electromagnetism, thermal physics, and optics. Calculus is used extensively, but no previous knowledge of differential equations, complex variables, or partial derivatives is assumed (although some familiarity with these topics would be helpful).

I've never used Krane myself, but I taught an intro modern physics course for many years using two other similar books: Beiser (now apparently out of print) and Taylor/Zafiratos/Dubson. Those books introduced or reviewed basic concepts of partial derivatives, complex numbers and differential equations as needed. It obviously makes things easier if you've studied those topics before, but you do not need, for example, a full course in differential equations. A course like this one does not use the rigorous methods of solving differential equations that you learn in a DE course. It's much more a matter of "guess the solution and try it to see if it works."

In terms of a typical undergraduate curriculum in the US, this course is usually taken by second-year physics majors. Typical prerequisites are a two-semester calculus-based introductory (classical) physics course, and Calculus I, II and III, with III being maybe a co-requisite rather than a pre-requisite. The main things that you will use from Calculus III are partial derivatives and volume integrals. You will use spherical coordinates when you study the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom.