Classical New E&M Text by Wald - Princeton Press 30% Off

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The discussion centers on Robert Wald's upcoming textbook on electromagnetism, which presents a novel perspective by emphasizing the potentials as the fundamental electromagnetic variables rather than the field strengths. Wald aims to challenge traditional views, arguing against the notion that charges are the sole sources of electromagnetic fields, suggesting instead that fields can exist independently of charges. Participants express skepticism about the book's novelty, questioning its differentiation from existing texts like Jackson's. The conversation delves into the implications of gauge invariance, observables, and the mathematical foundations of electromagnetism, with some participants advocating for Wald's approach while others remain critical, suggesting that established texts may provide clearer insights. The book is positioned as a concise resource, potentially reshaping how electromagnetism is taught at the graduate level, with a focus on clarity and the debunking of "myths" in the subject.
  • #91
ergospherical said:
Cool! What are your first impressions of the text?
It is clearly a physics text, not a mathematical methods book. My one word description is “Clean”. He knows the path he wants to tread and he does not wander from it. It’s short with 225 pages of text, but it is more than just a set of lecture notes. If you do not know the math he uses, you will need supplementary material. That being said, the math doesn’t look scary. I think I will need to refresh my knowledge of Green’s functions. After thumbing through it, I am still looking forward to reading it.
 
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  • #92
Mine came about an hour ago. It seems very well formatted and logically presented. My first impression is that for me this is a perfect recapitulation. This means that there is not very much new to me (an old dog) yet I am certain I will learn a lot. Just like Christmas morning. If I find any major warts I will bring them up.
 
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  • #93
caz said:
It is clearly a physics text, not a mathematical methods book. My one word description is “Clean”. He knows the path he wants to tread and he does not wander from it. It’s short with 225 pages of text, but it is more than just a set of lecture notes. If you do not know the math he uses, you will need supplementary material. That being said, the math doesn’t look scary. I think I will need to refresh my knowledge of Green’s functions. After thumbing through it, I am still looking forward to reading it.
It is literally lecture notes though. I was one of his students when he was making the book
 
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  • #94
Interestingly, the book has no references.
 
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