Customer Reviews

Introductory Nuclear Physics

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used this book for my Int. to Nuc. Phys. course in my undergraduate studies. I had a bad professor, you couldn't understand anything from him, and then I found this book.
This book is an EXCELLENT introduction to nuclear physics. It covers all major topics, and the explenations are clear and readable, and INTERESTING to read. You should have a grasp of undergraduate Quantum Mechanics for this book, however.
The book starts with a quick overview of all relevant QM results so you can consult the first few chapters if you forgot something.
A great book.
BTW there is a little typo in the shell model scheme of energy levels, but I don't remember exactly as it was over a year ago. However, be advised that one of the levels is wrong. But you can easily find it out - I did.

I graduated from Hacettepe University, Nuclear Engineering Department in Turkiye. In the 2nd class, we studied Nuclear Physics and read Krane's text book. However, though it was a text book, i used it as a referance guide many times and have still been using. Want to thank for presenting such a worthy book into the life of education.

I liked this book. The material was fairly well-organized, and very clearly presented. Many topics were covered including Quantum Mechanics, Nuclear Astrophysics, Nuclear Medicine, and more. Anyone who has had an introduction to modern physics can handle this book. It is very readable and presents much of the history as it covers the theoretical ideas. Also I thought it had a very good looking cover, and the apendices are very useful for reference.

This is not the first good book that Krane did make, he had many before!
This book is excellent for any beginner wishing to study or know something about nuclear physics, but the level of the text somehow is advanced that I might say it is for MSc. students more than Bachelor, but everyone can do well at least just for reading to satisfy the interest. It has some questions after each chapter, but no answers at the back, but the author tries (as I felt in some questions) to make you make your own impression and thought about some topics even though you are wrong and makes you sense the real environment of the labs and how data are analyzed. After all, it is a good book indeed.

I bought this book for second and third year Nuclear Physics, and it was invaluable in explaining, in plain speak, some complex topics. A very good compliment to our "hand-wavy-theorist" lecturer. Along with its clear explanations, it provides useful snipets from seminal journal publications highlighting the developments behind our current understanding.
However, while it lays an excellent foundation for a broad understanding of the field, the material is getting long in the tooth. Theory has moved on a bit in recent times, some gaps are begining to appear and this book is no longer enough for advanced third year studies. To get 5 stars this book would need a new edition. The same, however, can be said of many texts in nuclear physics and related fields.
In short, if you are studying nuclear physics at undergrad level, this book is still one of the best at giving the basics in plain english, without treating the reader like an idiot.

Just finished a nuclear physics course where we used Krane and got to chapter 11. Overall it is a very good book and detailed. My biggest problem was with answering some of the questions because often for the rate that the course was going, I would spend to much time trying to determine what the question was asking or wanting. I also dislike that there is no way to check any of your answers other than through your professor. However, great book for the most part, very detailed if not to detailed at some point. It even gives a little quick review of the history in each chapter.

This book, though it contains an occasional typo, seems to be reasonably complete for an introductory class.