Soviet or Russian Physics and Math textbooks

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the exploration of Soviet and Russian physics and mathematics textbooks, focusing on their characteristics, recommendations, and availability. Participants share their experiences with various texts, express preferences for certain authors, and inquire about lesser-known works.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express appreciation for the comprehensive and precise style of Soviet/Russian textbooks, citing examples like Landau's Course in Theoretical Physics and Piskunov's Differential and Integral Calculus.
  • Recommendations for additional texts include works by authors such as Shilov, Kolmogorov, and Ufimtsev, with some participants noting their experiences with these books.
  • There is mention of the historical significance of MIR Publishers as a major publisher of Russian scientific texts, with inquiries about accessing old catalogs.
  • Some participants question the quality and reviews of lesser-known books, such as M. M. Postnikov's Lectures on Geometry series.
  • Several participants share their preferences for clarity and directness in mathematical texts, highlighting specific books they find valuable.
  • Discussions include comparisons between different texts, such as Davydov's Quantum Mechanics and Fikhtengolts' Fundamentals of Mathematical Analysis, noting similarities and differences in content and exposition.
  • Participants discuss the difficulty levels of various problem books, suggesting a hierarchy from harder to easier texts, and recommend alternatives based on individual needs.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the value of Soviet/Russian textbooks but express differing opinions on specific titles and their relative merits. There is no consensus on the best resources or the quality of certain lesser-known works.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reference the availability of books through Indian publishers and the challenges in finding certain texts. There are also mentions of varying levels of difficulty among problem books, which may depend on individual backgrounds and experiences.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students, educators, and enthusiasts of physics and mathematics who are interested in exploring Soviet and Russian literature in these fields, as well as those seeking recommendations for textbooks and problem-solving resources.

  • #31
Nor would I. By the way, if you have used Irodov, how would you campare his problems book to that of Krotov?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
As I understood, Yavorsky and Pinsky's book is for high school. What are the Soviet physics books for 1st and 2nd year University?
 
  • #33
I haven't used Iridov, but I see both problem books available. I am thinking of getting Krotov's book, but I need to compliment it with a theory book. I found out it's actually Fundamentals of Physics by I E Ivanov, but since I see no table of contents, I have emailed them and asked the sellers to provide me with one.
 
  • #34
vici10 said:
As I understood, Yavorsky and Pinsky's book is for high school.

Which is precisely why I want vol.2 of that that book. But, it's not available anywhere, as far as I know.
 
  • #35
zonk said:
I haven't used Iridov, but I see both problem books available.

I have used Irodov, and I would like to check Krotov, but these MIR books are not available anywhere I know.
 
  • #36
You can probably order them from India. Try abebooks.
 
  • #37
Okay, Fundamentals of Physics is actually by B. N. Ivanov. Looking through the table of contents of abebooks.com, I see everything listed except waves and relativity, though they might be included under mechanics and electromagnetism. I'm ordering it and seeing how it is and let you guys know if the book is good and what level it is at.
 
  • #38
Thanks for that. Actually, Yavorsky and Pinsky's "Fundamentals of Physics" does have an extensive section on relativity.
 
  • #39
But you said that book is for high-schoolers. Would I be able to tackle problems in Krotov or Irodov after reading them? Is it analytic, not afraid to get into vector calculus and differential equations?
 
  • #40
Well, that book is not for high-schoolers. But, I do read it, and I understand it very well.

It is not too analytic. It just explains the theory of the subject very well, including relativity, and it is quite technical. Quite a dry book. But highly recommendable.

To tackle problems in Krotov and Irodov, you'll have to go into some heavy-duty texts, to get hold of the theory strongly, and pick up a Maron for calculus.
 
  • #42
Not for nothing is he considered to be the best. By the way, thanks for the link. I was on the lookout for something of this kind.
 
  • #43
I have also found that the russian books are VERY clear . The clarity and precision of the
language is amazing. No american book comes close to that kind of language. Is this the cultural reason ? Is that how russians express themselves ? I am really interested to know the answer to this...
 
  • #44
Pyrrhus said:
Piskunov is a bridge to Mathematical Analysis. It is an advanced calculus book. The cool thing about Piskunov is that it has chapters uncommon to other calculus book. Thus, Piskunov doesn't assume anything of its students, and do not cover topics just to cover them like Stewart.


I'm taking calculus next semester and my school uses stewart. Do you think Piskunov would be a good supplementary text? How about Spivak?

Also, I was wondering what I could do between now and the start of the next semester in late January to prepare for Calc? I am very bad at math right now :redface:
 
  • #45
nickadams said:
I'm taking calculus next semester and my school uses stewart. Do you think Piskunov would be a good supplementary text? How about Spivak?

Also, I was wondering what I could do between now and the start of the next semester in late January to prepare for Calc? I am very bad at math right now :redface:

I'm afraid to discourage you, but Piskounov/Piskunov (spelling varies) is a difficult textbook. If you're having troubles with math now, I wouldn't recommend Piskounov.

If you want to improve your chances of doing well in Calculus, you should probably review some important concepts, such as:

  • Functions: their definition, how to use them in modelling a real life situation.
  • Trigonometry: definitions of sin, cos, tan, sec, cossec, cotan. Their domain and range. Trigonometric identity.
  • Factoring, finding polynomial roots, quadratic equation, min max of parabolas.
  • Exponentials and logarithms.
  • Transforming functions (i.e. given the plot of f(x), find f(-x), f(x)+a, f(ax), af(x).
  • Geometry concepts, especially volume and area of simple geometric shapes.
  • Finding equations of lines, given: the slope and a point; two points, the perpendicular and a point; the parallel and a point

Algebra skills, essentially.

If when you begin taking Calculus, you notice that stuff is too easy for you, then I'd read Piskounov. It's definitely not for beginners, but if you put some effort on it, I'm sure you'll be able to do well in Calculus and read Piskounov.
 
  • #46
I need to study waves and electromagnetism. Are there books by Russians that cover these topics extensively?
 
  • #48
I have this book by Irodov. If you need, ask me
 
  • #49
Dover has affordable books by many Russian big-shots. The two authors that come to mind are Kolmogorov and Shilov.

Outside of Dover, Arnold is a must read.
 
  • #50
Hi I've read in this forum about this two problem books, Problems in Calculus of one Variable (I. Maron) and Problems in Mathematical Analysis (B.P. Demidovich). For those who have tackled this already, may I know what strength one has that the other does not have. What is the major difference in the treatment of the subject between Calculus and Mathematical Analysis.
 
  • #51
I have the classic
Wladimir I. Smirnow, Lehrgang der höheren Mathematik
However I don't know whether there is an enlish edition, too.
For functional analysis,
Achieser, Glasman,
Theorie der linearen Operatoren I am Hilbertraum
 
  • #52
Smirnov was translated into French and English, all 5 volumes and Akzieher and Glazman as well. Actually most of the physics and maths books in Russian have been translated into the 3 major languages of Western Europe.
 
  • #53
Fomin - Multiple Integrals, Field Theory & Series

Takes off where Piskunov leaves off doing multiple integration, line integrals & surface integrals more rigorously, some differential geometry or space curves & surfaces, tensors, sequences & series of functions, Fourier analysis & improper integrals.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
Replies
1
Views
9K
Replies
13
Views
11K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K