Customer Reviews

Mathematical Physics (Dover Books on Physics)

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

 

 

The theoretical fundaments of anything one could possibly think of about mechanics, dynamics, waves, classical electrodynamics and relativity are here. This man was a master. My deepest respects. The book is heavy, and I do mean heavy, reading, but it pays off if one does the neccessary to understand, i.e., stare four hours at one and only one page. The deductions and demostrations are as general as can be yet very concisely carried out. Nothing is left to assumption. The book introduces different mathematical tools as it goes along, i.e, vector analysis for basic mechanics, harmonics for theory of potential, dyadics and matrices for transformations, etc. I am a student in electronic engineering with a deep love for physics and this book has quenched my thirst for the kind of knowledge I yearn and is not studied in my field. To study this book has been for me like reading the most beautiful of poetry. Rodrigo Batres Kirkpatrick Mty. Mexico

I switched over from a BS in math to get a Ph.D. in physics. My grad courses used all of the standard texts: Goldstein for Mechanics, Jackson for Electrodynamics, etc. I did fine but I never felt like I mastered the material, especially the why and how of the mathematics.

Now, I just discovered Menzel's "Mathematical Physics" with a year left in my Ph.D. program. I wanted to review some of the basics I hadn't used since I started research full time and what a joy this book is!!! I fell in love with the first few pages. He succinctly introduces the basics of mechanics and analytical geometry in a few pages...and you understand clearly!

I then discovered that he covers tensors and differential geometry. I can tell you from having looked at many books on General Relativity that Menzel's coverage of the math for General Relatively is excellent, insightful, and intuitive.

My suggestion for grad students of physics is to pick up this little gem as a supplement to their assigned texts and to keep it handy as a refresher whenever needed.

Perhaps I am unusual in expecting books dealing with mathematics, whether at the simple or the complex level, to be as elegantly and lyrically written as the equations contained within the book, but there it is. There is my personal bias. I do - contrary to the accepted serious-text style - want that beauty and poetry in the writing style.

Yet in spite of my faint bias, this book is worthy of a five-star review. In terms of presenting the information, exceptional clarity is maintained, but a couple of times I did feel my attention wandering. I forced my attention back to the book, and found that it rewards the patient reader.

In terms of content? Terrific. Gauss' law is described and illustrated with equations and explanation as clearly as one could wish. Professor Menzel's discussion of the properties of spherical harmonics is unambiguous and thorough. In the classical electromagnetic theory section, the explication of electomagnetic force field calculations is step by step, clear, but not laboured.

This is NOT a book for beginners, but for the serious student of the mathemetics required in classical mechanics, quantum theory, relativity and electromagnetic theory. For those who are looking for advanced mathematics for use in a variety of the fields wtihin the study of physics, this is a very good resource.

This is a good textbook on the most classical aspects of mathematical physics. However, it is dated, having been published originally in 1947 (Dover edition corresponds to the 2nd ed. of 1953, corrected), and its age becomes apparent in the choice of names, notation, and topics.

Regarding the choice of topics, the book lacks a decent presentation of the special functions of mathematical physics, analytic functions, and integral equations, and nothing is said about Hilbert space (even if only to put orthogonal polynomials into a more unifying perspective...), generalized functions, Green's functions, continuous groups, etc. To be completely frank, this book is much more a (dated, average only) compendium of classical physics (mechanics and electrodynamics, mostly) than a book on mathematical physics.

On the positive side, there is physical insight in many parts of the presentation, and this is some added value (albeit on page 383 we learn that "astronomers generally believe that nuclear reactions furnish the heat radiated by the sun and stars." - oh, really?). I do also consider the opening chapter on dimensional analysis a must read for everyone, something that most physicists are not familiar with (except, perhaps, fluid dynamicists!) but definitely should be.

If you are a beginner, undergrad student, forget about this book and go for one of the more modern textbooks (Mathews & Walker and M. L. Boas are good choices), while if you are a more advanced student, go for Byron & Fuller "Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics." I strongly recommend Byron & Fuller for a modern view on classical mathematical physics. Students interested in some mild formalism should pick S. Hassani's "Mathematical Physics." Now, if you are a professional mathematician or mathematical physicist, then you have reached this page by mistake!

I own many popular books on mathematics and physics and lately am struggling with Byron's, Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics. Byron is great of course - just way over my head. The "ah ha" moments had been few and far between. What a tremendous joy it was to open Menzel's book and have a major epiphany in the first few pages - mathematics is not explanatory, it is descriptive! His introduction to dimensional analysis opened my eyes and I am really starting to "get" mathematical physics.

Math and comparisons, good start for much more, March 4, 2008
By Kimberly C. Christensen - See all my reviews


Seems like Hawking's horizon picks up where Einstien's with linear time, and de Sitter's without matter, leave off. This book is good for more depth review of dimentional anaylsis, helpful for my chem class. Vibration and elctromagnetics chapters = favorite, the math connects my conceptual understanding of physics. I like the comparison of alternate theories, both highlighting and challenging why I believe in certain approaches over others. Good read, leaving me waiting for my next book re: geometry and fourth dimention for more string talk, and looking for a book to incorporate more chemistry.

I'm in the market for an as up-to-date as possible copy of Menzel's FUNDAMENTAL FORMULAS OF PHYSICS. The price for Volume I looks pretty doable even for a hot·of·the·press (hah·oo·ee·ow;€) edition, but I'm wondering which (if any) of you fine people are offering VOLUME II (et seq. if any) as well. You can reach me at «sfdavis1089^netscape:net» (email address mangled).

* I am WAY #%&%@^ over the age of 13;€)