Missing solutions to exercises in Shankar's book?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers around the discrepancies in the availability of solutions to exercises in Shankar's "Principles of Quantum Mechanics," specifically the 1980 edition. Users report that contrary to the author's claim that answers are provided for each exercise, most exercises lack solutions, with only a few solved at the end of the book. The conversation highlights confusion regarding the terminology used for "exercises" versus "problems," and the possibility of a solutions guide being available. Participants express frustration over the lack of clarity and the challenges of self-study without adequate solutions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with quantum mechanics concepts as presented in Shankar's "Principles of Quantum Mechanics."
  • Understanding of the structure of academic textbooks, including exercises and problems.
  • Knowledge of the differences between various editions of textbooks, particularly the first and second editions of Shankar's work.
  • Basic research skills to locate supplementary materials, such as solutions guides or online resources.
NEXT STEPS
  • Investigate the availability of a solutions guide for Shankar's "Principles of Quantum Mechanics."
  • Search online for specific solutions to exercises using keywords from the problems.
  • Explore forums or academic resources for discussions on common issues faced by self-learners using Shankar's textbook.
  • Review the second edition of Shankar's book for any updates or changes regarding exercise solutions.
USEFUL FOR

Students and self-learners of quantum mechanics, educators seeking to utilize Shankar's textbook, and anyone interested in understanding the challenges of textbook exercises without provided solutions.

mikepinkerton
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I just checked out the 1980 version of Shankar's "Principles of Quantum Mechanics" from the library and started reading it after reading many rave reviews on Amazon.

In the prelude, on page xviii, he says "The answer to each exercise is given either with the exercise or at the end of the book." This could not be further from the truth. Most exercises have no solution, and the number of exercises solved at the end can be counted on all your fingers and maybe a few toes.

What am I missing? He clearly states the solutions are provided.

Now, before this degrades into a thread on whether or not I should be using answers, please don't. I know there are opinions on both sides. I just want to know what I'm clearly missing from the author's words. Sometimes I may want to use the solutions, that's my choice, and the author feels it important enough to provide them that he claims they are present.

Thanks
-Mike
 
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A few other posts mention a solutions guide. Is that what I should be on the lookout for, or...?

-Mike
 
Is it a terminology issue? Are there "exercises" within the chapters that provide examples of how to apply the chapter content that are distinct from "problems" or "questions" given at the end of chapters? Or, it might be a sentence carried over from an earlier edition...instructors using the text may have provided feedback that they didn't want all the answers available so they could assign some problems as homework, so maybe they removed solutions and left them just for "selected" examples?
 
I don't think it's a terminology or an edition issue. The exercises are inline, there aren't any at the end of chapters or sections. I'm looking at the first edition (1980). I'm not sure if the 2nd edition is any better, but given that there have been thousands of views of another thread looking for solutions, I'd doubt it.

-Mike
 
I only have the second edition handy, but it reprints the preface to the first edition, where he says only that answers for "most" of the exercises are provided. It does say in the prelude that the answer to "each" is provided, so I don't think it's a terminology thing, but definitely a mistake - and even so, when there are answers, that's all there is; no solutions.

I've never seen a solutions guide for Shankar (then again, I'm not a teacher) but it seems a lot of professors like using Shankar problems. If you need a solution, sometimes just a google search for the key words in the problem will deliver one.
 
I am trying to teach myself QM using Shankar's book. Unfortunately, not all of the the exercises have solutions (even though the introduction seems to say that solutions are in the text). If anyone knows where to find solutions it would be much appreciated. It is a bit difficult knowing if you actually understand something without a check.

Thanks.
 

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