# What are the classical Textbooks for quantum mechanics and electromagnetism?

1. Apr 24, 2006

### Twukwuw

What are the "classical Textbooks" for quantum mechanics and electromagnetism???

hi,

I want to use my vacations to study quantum mechanics and eletromagnetism.

Are there any "classical textbook" for these 2 subjects, like "Goldstein classical mechanics" for mechanics?

Thanks,
Twukwu.

2. Apr 24, 2006

### Staff: Mentor

At that level, the classic E&M textbook is Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics.

3. Apr 24, 2006

### inha

maybe sakurai's modern quantum mechanics for the qm part.

4. Apr 24, 2006

### Gokul43201

Staff Emeritus
E & M :
1) Griffiths, (2) Jackson, (3) Landau, Lif$hitz & Pitaevskii QM : 1) Eisberg & Resnick, (2) Schiff, (3) Sakurai Note : (1) is typical for an upper undergraduate level text. (2) and (3) are graduate level texts. 5. Apr 24, 2006 ### Son Goku In my experience the best books for QM are: 1)Landau and Lif$hitz, for wave mechanics.
2)Shankar, for almost everything else.

Griffiths isn't a bad introductory text. I liked it just because it showed the derivation of a few wavefunctions.

Sakurai I found too dry and Zettili was too "pragmatic" for my liking.
Although both are brilliant once you know QM.

6. Apr 24, 2006

### Drimar

7. Apr 25, 2006

### nrqed

For *self-study*, you want something fairly user friendly. I would recommend the two books by Griffiths: Intro to Qm and Intro to Electrodynamics.

8. Jun 17, 2006

### Meir Achuz

I would stay away from Jackson for self study.
A new book, "Classical Electromagnetism" by Franklin (AW.com)
is close to the Jackson graduate level but could be done on your own.
Griffiths is OK, but is a UG text that leaves much undeveloped.

9. Jun 21, 2006

### maverick280857

I wonder why books like Griffiths, Greiner are not listed...I find Greiner's Classical Electrodynamics and Griffiths' Quantum Mechanics quite germane to an undergraduate curriculum. I have no idea about Sakurai though. Eisberg and Resnick leaves out almost nothing in theory but a lot of math. Feynman's Lectures should be recommended for all topics. So perhaps should be the Berkeley Physics course. Peebles is an interesting reference too.

For Classical Mechanics, again an assortment: Goldstein, Greiner and other stuff based on your course depth/interest maybe?