Methods of Mathematical Physics (Cambridge Mathematical Library) [Paperback]

Harold Jeffreys (Author), Bertha Jeffreys (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0521664020 | ISBN-13: 978-0521664028 | Edition: 3

This well-known text and reference contains an account of those mathematical methods that have applications in at least two branches of physics. The authors give examples of the practical use of the methods taken from a wide range of physics, including dynamics, hydrodynamics, elasticity, electromagnetism, heat conduction, wave motion and quantum theory. They pay particular attention to the conditions under which theorems hold. Helpful exercises accompany each chapter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This outstandingly excellent mathematical treatise...is a fine product of British mathematical scholarship, and a benefaction to the cause of progress in natural philosophy." Nature

"This text is a classic that is well worth having." The Bulletin of Mathematical Books

"...an almost indispensible work of reference for anyone attempting research in theoretical physics." Proceedings of the Physical Society

Book Description

This well-known text and reference contains an account of those parts of mathematics that are most frequently needed in physics. As a working rule, it includes methods which have applications in at least two branches of physics. Examples of the practical use of the methods developed are given in the text: these are taken from a wide range of physics, including dynamics, hydrodynamics, elasticity, electromagnetism, heat conduction, wave motion and quantum theory. Exercises accompany each chapter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 728 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 3 edition (January 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521664020
• ISBN-13: 978-0521664028
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,426,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars pedantic and dry, in the stuffy, classical British style, February 25, 2001

By 

Bruce D. Wilner "Bruce David Wilner" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Methods of Mathematical Physics (Cambridge Mathematical Library) (Paperback)

I was turned on to this book decades ago by one of my professors. The book bursts with useful material, but the organization is poor, the explanations almost nil, and the problems remote. (Indeed, most of the "drill" problems that the book provides are from British university honors' examinations in mathematics on which applicants are expected to score 15%.) If you are looking for a strong, harmonious collection of advanced techniques in advanced analysis, harmonic functions, and many aspects of operational calculus, you would do better to read "Applied Analysis" by the immortal Cornelius Lanczos.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A historical treasure, March 14, 2006

By 

Tao - See all my reviews

This review is from: Methods of Mathematical Physics (Cambridge Mathematical Library) (Paperback)

The preface to the first edition of this book starts by saying it will provide an account of those parts of pure mathematics that find an application in at least two branches of physics. This sets the tone for a volume that sets the tools of mathematical physics on a solid, rigorous foundation, from tensors to multiple integrals, from functions of a complex variable to Fourier analysis, with a thorough coverage in the last ten chapters of differential equations including the wave and diffusion equations, and the Bessel, Hypergeometric, Legendre and Elliptic functions. The style is crisp and precise throughout, without any of the hand-waving that is all too common in some mathematical methods courses.

If you apply a method from this book to a problem, you will know exactly what conditions are required for it to be valid, and there is little in this book that is not still useful, despite the 60 years since its first edition.