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69 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quite good for the right audience, February 5, 2009
This review is from: Quantum Physics For Dummies (Paperback)
Maybe it shouldn't be a "for dummies" book -- but if you've read a few of the laymen's books on QM and are ready for something meatier, but aren't quite ready for a formal text, this is a great place to start. You'll need a basic appreciation of matrix-style math, partial derivatives, and integral calculus (say mid-level engineering math). An appreciation for basic physics is also required: energy, momentum, field potential, etc.
If you've got those basics, this is an extremely gentle introduction. Within an hour you'll understand the basics of the wave equation and bra-ket notation. But as with any math-based approach, even an informal one, the book has to be read carefully.
Without the basics outlined above, the book is a total bust. At the other extreme, anyone who's completed a college level course in QM will likely learn zip. For someone who's gained a qualitative appreciation for QM and wants to take the next somewhat rigorous step, this is THE book.
I'm self taught in most of this, so I can't say whether there are many serious errors/typos -- but I didn't see any glaring ones. There is one incredibly bizarre bit of notation in the first chapter where the author illustrates a simple state vector containing the square roots of 2, 3, 4, etc -- but uses 1/2 exponents that are almost the same size as the numbers, so it looks like 2 1/2, 3 1/2. etc., which didn't make any sense. After a bit of head scratching it clicked -- but aside from this peculiar example, I found the overall presentation to be quite readable.
The publisher could really do everyone a big favor by making "search inside" available.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not for Dummies, November 30, 2009
This review is from: Quantum Physics For Dummies (Paperback)
If this book is for dummies ,I shudder to think what that makes me,several grades below imbecle probably. I have read other books in the Dummies series,calculus, geometry,etc,and generally understood what the author was saying,but I only made it to pg 27 before hitting a brick wall.I thought my understanding of maths would be sufficient ,but I was sadly mistaken.I was looking for a much simplified explanation,but given the nature of Quantum Physics ,my guess is such an explanation does not exist.Therefore I find it difficult to rate this book given that I understood so little of it.However I will use this review to warn that this is very definitely not a book to be judged by it's cover. Three stars
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most bang for the buck, March 23, 2009
This review is from: Quantum Physics For Dummies (Paperback)
Unlike so many of these types of books which teach you how to solve specific problems, but, because they provide no explanation of what you are doing, leave you clueless when you want to understand related topics not discussed in the book, Quantum Physics for Dummies shows you not only how to solve a problem but explains what is going on.
It provides just the right balance between problem solving and explanation. When I was a student, physics consisted almost exclusively of teaching you what equation to use to solve for different types of problems without telling you why you were doing this. This book explains the concepts behind the formulae rather than just taking a fill-in-the-blank approach. I wish these things had been explained to me back in the day.
The examples and exposition have been carefully thought out to give the reader "the most bang for the buck." It also recognizes that not all readers, especially adults, have the time to read every week. By reviewing equations that the reader may have forgotten, it saves the reader a lot of time and frustration.
I would recommend this book both for adults who now regret not having taken more science, or did not have the opportunity to do so, as well as for those currently studying physics. Students who are faced with a poor teacher or textbook will find it not just an extremely useful supplement but a good deal more than that. Because the problems are explained so well, students will be able to face problems with both a better understanding and confidence.
Adult readers will not feel that they are being talked down to because the writing is clear, accessible, lucid and to the point. While entertaining, it is entertaining to put the reader at ease, not to make him or her feel that they need a light-hearted approach because the reader is out of his or her league. Rather, they will feel more like they are engaged in a discussion with that professor you wished you had had, but didn't.
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