Quantum Field Theory Demystified (David McMahon)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the book "Quantum Field Theory Demystified" by David McMahon, focusing on its suitability for self-study in quantum field theory (QFT). Participants express their experiences and concerns regarding the book's content, errors, and overall effectiveness as a learning resource.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses skepticism about self-teaching series for QFT, noting the presence of typos in the book, such as an incorrect charge for the strange quark.
  • Another participant suggests searching the forum for previous discussions about McMahon's book, indicating that it has received negative feedback from other members.
  • A participant acknowledges that the book may not be intended for those seeking a rigorous study of QFT, contrasting it with Peskin and Schroeder, which is described as the definitive text for the subject.
  • Concerns are raised about the author's unconventional notation and the presence of numerous technical errors, including incorrect representations of Lorentz tensors and energy-momentum four-vectors.
  • One participant contemplates continuing to read the book while critically questioning its content, hoping to enhance their understanding despite the errors.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the presence of errors in the book and its limited suitability for rigorous study. However, there is no consensus on whether it is still a worthwhile resource for learning QFT.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of an errata page for the book, which could address the numerous typos and technical inaccuracies mentioned by participants.

squarks
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Hi all,

I bought a book recently of this title. I wanted this one to compliment the field theory book I have already (Peskin and Schroeder) because I find the latter a little hard to follow on my own (I am currently taking Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and will be taking QFT course at some time in the future).

I am always skeptical about these self-teaching series, especially when it comes to quantum field theory. It seems like it goes through all the basic elements of QFT and I can actually read and follow, however there are several obvious typos (such as "charge of strange quark is +2/3") and the author is "a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories".

Does anyone have experience with this book? Should I keep reading, or will I get myself into a whole nonsense about QFT?
 
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Thanks tiny-tim.

It seems obvious that the audience for this book is not someone who wants to rigorously study this field of physics, which is fine since I have Peskin and Schroeder, which is THE book for QFT. As much as his (McMahon) mathematics in the book is not universal and not consistent (I have also noticed his non-conventional notations - perhaps to appeal to undergraduate or hobby physicists), I was hoping that explanations would be more clearer than other books. Now I am skeptical.

Perhaps I will keep reading the book and question everything he states. It may help me learn more efficiently, who knows. I just hoped the publisher would have an errata page associated with this book, there seems to be quite a few typos and general mistakes.
 
Unfortunately this typos are not the only errors in this book. There are quite a lot of technical errors in the book. For example the representation of Lorentz' tensor is incorrect in chapter 1. It is also true about current and energy-momentum four-vector. I don't know why, but the author seems to repeat the same error throughout the book.
 

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