A Guide to Physics Problems, Part 1: Mechanics, Relativity, and Electrodynamics (The Language of Science) (Pt. 1) [Paperback]

Sidney B. Cahn (Author), Boris E. Nadgorny (Author), C.N. Yang (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0306446790 | ISBN-13: 978-0306446795 | Publication Date: August 31, 1994 | Edition: 1

In order to equip hopeful graduate students with the knowledge necessary to pass the qualifying examination, the authors have assembled and solved standard and original problems from major American universities – Boston University, University of Chicago, University of Colorado at Boulder, Columbia, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, MIT, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Stony Brook, University of Wisconsin at Madison – and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. A wide range of material is covered and comparisons are made between similar problems of different schools to provide the student with enough information to feel comfortable and confident at the exam. Guide to Physics Problems is published in two volumes: this book, Part 1, covers Mechanics, Relativity and Electrodynamics; Part 2 covers Thermodynamics, Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics. Praise for A Guide to Physics Problems: Part 1: Mechanics, Relativity, and Electrodynamics: "Sidney Cahn and Boris Nadgorny have energetically collected and presented solutions to about 140 problems from the exams at many universities in the United States and one university in Russia, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Some of the problems are quite easy, others are quite tough; some are routine, others ingenious." (From the Foreword by C. N. Yang, Nobelist in Physics, 1957) "Generations of graduate students will be grateful for its existence as they prepare for this major hurdle in their careers." (R. Shankar, Yale University) "The publication of the volume should be of great help to future candidates who must pass this type of exam." (J. Robert Schrieffer, Nobelist in Physics, 1972) "I was positively impressed … The book will be useful to students who are studying for their examinations and to faculty who are searching for appropriate problems." (M. L. Cohen, University of California at Berkeley) "If a student understands how to solve these problems, they have gone a long way toward mastering the subject matter." (Martin Olsson, University of Wisconsin at Madison) "This book will become a necessary study guide for graduate students while they prepare for their Ph.D. examination. It will become equally useful for the faculty who write the questions." (G. D. Mahan, University of Tennessee at Knoxville)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In order to equip hopeful graduate students with the knowledge necessary to pass the qualifying examination, the authors have assembled and solved standard and original problems from major American universities – Boston University, University of Chicago, University of Colorado at Boulder, Columbia, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, MIT, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Stony Brook, University of Wisconsin at Madison – and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. A wide range of material is covered and comparisons are made between similar problems of different schools to provide the student with enough information to feel comfortable and confident at the exam. Guide to Physics Problems is published in two volumes: this book, Part 1, covers Mechanics, Relativity and Electrodynamics; Part 2 covers Thermodynamics, Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics. Praise for A Guide to Physics Problems: Part 1: Mechanics, Relativity, and Electrodynamics: "Sidney Cahn and Boris Nadgorny have energetically collected and presented solutions to about 140 problems from the exams at many universities in the United States and one university in Russia, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Some of the problems are quite easy, others are quite tough; some are routine, others ingenious." (From the Foreword by C. N. Yang, Nobelist in Physics, 1957) "Generations of graduate students will be grateful for its existence as they prepare for this major hurdle in their careers." (R. Shankar, Yale University) "The publication of the volume should be of great help to future candidates who must pass this type of exam." (J. Robert Schrieffer, Nobelist in Physics, 1972) "I was positively impressed … The book will be useful to students who are studying for their examinations and to faculty who are searching for appropriate problems." (M. L. Cohen, University of California at Berkeley) "If a student understands how to solve these problems, they have gone a long way toward mastering the subject matter." (Martin Olsson, University of Wisconsin at Madison) "This book will become a necessary study guide for graduate students while they prepare for their Ph.D. examination. It will become equally useful for the faculty who write the questions." (G. D. Mahan, University of Tennessee at Knoxville)

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (August 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306446790
• ISBN-13: 978-0306446795
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A excellent collection of intriguing physics problems, October 7, 1999

By 

Yong Ee Hou ([e-mail]) (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to Physics Problems, Part 1: Mechanics, Relativity, and Electrodynamics (The Language of Science) (Pt. 1) (Paperback)

This book contains physics problems from many great universities and is a must for all students in Physics. The problems are all very original and the solutions given are very elegant. I will recommend this book to all people who enjoy solving Physics problems.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars classical physics quals, October 21, 2004

By 

G. VerSteeg "grad student" (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to Physics Problems, Part 1: Mechanics, Relativity, and Electrodynamics (The Language of Science) (Pt. 1) (Paperback)

I used this book to pass my classical physics quals at caltech. See my review of Cahn's quantum problem book for details, and why I think this is better than Yung-kuo.
The difference with the classical one is that there were a few concepts I had to study that were not really in the book. Overall though, I still thought that this was a great collection of problems. If I had just done the problems in this book and nothing else, I probably still would have passed.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for all budding physicists, September 24, 2001

By 

Eric Hultgren (Lafayette, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to Physics Problems, Part 1: Mechanics, Relativity, and Electrodynamics (The Language of Science) (Pt. 1) (Paperback)

This book is rather elementary for the graduate level, but does a great job at explaining concepts clearly, concisely, and eloquently, using laymen terms where appropriate. I also deeply appreciate the occasional comedy implemented by the author. I would personally recommend "The Essential Collection of Elegant Solutions for Doctoral Physics Qualifying Exams," by Shijun Liu (2000).