Quantum Mechanics (Townsend or Mcintyre)

[Figaro]

I've heard good things about A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics by Townsend and Quantum Mechanics by Mcintyre. They use the same spin approach, but what are the pros and cons of each book?

 

[Figaro]

I noticed that there are some topics missing in Mcintyre (i.e. variational method, short intro to scattering, etc) but Townsend starts early about angular momentum, can anyone comment on these issues?

 

[dextercioby]

I would say Townsend without any trace of doubt.

 

[smodak]

I noticed that there are some topics missing in Mcintyre (i.e. variational method, short intro to scattering, etc) but Townsend starts early about angular momentum, can anyone comment on these issues?

I like McIntyre better than Townsend. YMMV.

 

[Figaro]

I like McIntyre better than Townsend. YMMV.

Why is that? I would like to know your comment and experience on this book. Is it complete? As I saw it, there are topics which are not in Mcintyre where it is present in Townsend, for example, Aharonov Bohm effect, some I stated above, etc.

 

[smodak]

Why is that? I would like to know your comment and experience on this book. Is it complete? As I saw it, there are topics which are not in Mcintyre where it is present in Townsend, for example, Aharonov Bohm effect, some I stated above, etc.

Just personal Preference. I find McIntyre to be less dry than Townsend. I was self studying and McIntyre kept me engaged and interested but Townsend did not. They are both very good book however - you cannot go wrong with either of them. QM is such a vast area, one book is not often sufficient. You can always go back to several other resources when you have had a chance to study the fundamentals from a book that you like.

 

[dextercioby]

My assessment was purely based on the available TOC, thus the recommendation is for the proposed content, not for the style of writing.