Customer Reviews

Quanta: A Handbook of Concepts (Oxford Chemistry)

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I am a physics graduate student and I constantly read quantum physics books as this is my prefered field. For this reason I need quantum reference books for those hard-to-grasp concepts. I recently bought Quanta: a handbook of concetps from P.W. Atkins and let me tell you this one is the best. This book explains with simple words how most things work in the quantum world without having to resort to complex mathematical equations and in a very visual way. In comparasion to Q is for Quantum from John Gribin, this book is way much better. I strongly recomend it. wrhernandez@hotmail.com

Atkins has written an alternative approach to revealing quantum physics, using no math, pictorial representations, and concise explanations, while still containing the common equations and formulas (in easy referenced boxed figures); he has offered a fresh text, in the style of a dictioanry, which is a good reference for a student and a practical handbook for the practitioner or teacher. This is a good (and much needed) addition to the pedagogy in the field. But, it could have been even better if; it had more material on Nuclear and Solid State physics, substituted the questions (found after each definition) for examples and/or worked out problems, and included a quick refernce by catagory.

Peter Atkins created a gem with this book. Concepts that may not have been clear, with only the mathematical derivation, are expertly explained. I found it incredibly useful and helpful while writing my research proposal for my PhD process. For that proposal, I was expected to research a closely allied area of research, but not one that resembled my own research. When I ran into the "vocabulary fog" that exists in the research literature of my field (physical chemistry), with this book close at hand, I could get my head around some of the concepts before going on to read more thoroughly on a specific topic.

I have both editions of this wonderful book. I love them.

An alphabetized glossary of quantum-mechanical terms, each with its own quite unique diagram.

Dr. P. W. Atkins explain Molecular Quantum Mechanics succinctly. He relates this arcane art to the wold of molecules maing it refresingly real.

Buy it, I promise you will treasure it.

--Daniel Tebar [Quantum Evangelist -crucified]