Math textbooks for physics grad student and other questions

[dsatkas]

I hope this post won't become too tedious.
I've completed my undergrad studies in physics and if things go well i will begin my master's degree in April. The thing is, since my path to graduation has been peculiar (to say the least) I'm kinda weak in maths skills atm and need to improve. I'm going to apply for a master's degree in theoretical physics so it's safe to assume strengthening my math background is almost mandatory. As the title suggests i want to restudy linear algebra. Obviously i don't have to start from scratch, I'm familiar with matrices, determinants, eigenvalues etc. My LA course consisted of computational style of algebra, nothing fancy with mathematical proofs, but i suspect I'm going to need more than that. I have already started reading from Anton which covers basically what i was taught but what should i also read to deepen my understatement? I have read here that Strang, Lang, Axler are good choices but can't afford all of them money and time-wise. I should also point out that at the same time I'm trying to study group theory with applications in physics. What is the difference between Lang's Introduction to LA and LA? Sorry for all the questions. I want to ask more questions but those will come later. I would appreciate any help

ps. I should probably state that I'm not that brilliant of a student and kind of a slow learner

 

[BvU]

Check this thread. I found most of the PDF pretty easily

 

[dsatkas]

thank you for the reply but I'm not sure it's very relevant to what I'm asking. They are talking about analysis textbooks and stuff

 

[BvU]

Fair enough. Found it worth passing the link. Another one I would recommend to others is this one by Gerard 't Hooft, but in your case I have doubts (he doesn't mention LA -- to me a sure hint that perhaps what you carry in mental luggage in that area may be adequate already).

My LA isn't all that sophisticated, so I'm glad I will also get an alert when someone else has a good hint for us .

 

[dsatkas]

Anyone?

 

[Geofleur]

In many ways, linearity is the key to physics, so buckling down on the linear algebra sounds like a good idea. I started with Strang's book. After that, I studied the heck out of Don Koks' Explorations in Mathematical Physics. The first chapter "A Trip Down Linear Lane", really helped deepen my understanding of how linear algebra relates to physics. Since then, I've learned a lot from two other books. The first is Mathematics for Physicists by Dennery and Krzywicki. The other is Hassani's book on the foundations of mathematical physics. These last two are arguably not for the mathematically faint of heart.