Solid State Physics: Problems and Solutions (Paperback)

~ Laszlo Mihaly (Author), Michael C Martin (Author)
Key Phrases: two electrons per site, constant energy cuts, oscillator sum rule, Nearly Free Electrons, Crystal Structures, Quasi One Dimension (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The ideal supplement to the standard texts in condensed matter physics

Solving homework problems is the single most effective way for students to familiarize themselves with the language and details of solid state physics. Testing problem-solving ability is the best means at the professor's disposal for measuring student progress at critical points in the learning process. This book enables any instructor to supplement end-of-chapter textbook assignments with a large number of challenging and engaging practice problems and discover a host of new ideas for creating exam questions.

Designed to be used in tandem with any of the excellent textbooks on this subject, Solid State Physics: Problems and Solutions provides a self-study approach through which advanced undergraduate and first-year graduate students can develop and test their skills while acclimating themselves to the demands of the discipline. Each problem has been chosen for its ability to illustrate key concepts, properties, and systems, knowledge of which is crucial in developing a complete understanding of the subject, including:
* Crystals, diffraction, and reciprocal lattices.
* Phonon dispersion and electronic band structure.
* Density of states.
* Transport, magnetic, and optical properties.
* Interacting electron systems.
* And more

From the Publisher

Based on the premise that the way to learn is by solving problems, the authors present a collection of problems and their solutions greater in number than the "critical mass" number which can be memorized. The book provides a self-study approach to testing students' knowledge in solid state/condensed matter physics and to measure their progress at midterms, finals, and comprehensive exams.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience (July 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471152870
• ISBN-13: 978-0471152873
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #923,673 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern, challenging and interesting, August 28, 2000

By	webmaster (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews

One rarely comes across a book, about which one can say without any qualifying adjective, that it is simply great. The book of Mihaly and Martin however does belong in this rarefied category.

As anyone teaching solid state physics knows from experience, it is always demanding to find quality examples. The problems in the previous standard books are unfortunately dated, often decades back. In contrast, Mihaly and Martin bring examples from the very latest developments in solid state physics. At the same time they find room for covering the actual workings of such must-know experimental apparatii, as the triple axis spectrometer and the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It is hard to find books, which adress the theoretical and experimental sides of our discipline with such balance.

When the authors cover more conventional topics, like symmetries and band structures, they make them exciting for the student by chosing fascinating applications, for instance lattices of fullerenes instead of sodium. When they cover modern areas, they devote space extensively, very much unlike similar treatises. These include optical properties, correlation effects in infinite and low dimensional models, and phase transitions in electronic systems.

The best recommendation goes beyond words; it is reflected in actions: I already adopted the book in my course, and the students cannot get enough of these inventive problems. They actually like solving the homework problems, a true satisfaction for any teacher.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern, challenging and interesting, August 28, 2000

By	webmaster (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews

One rarely comes across a book, about which one can say without any qualifying adjective, that it is simply great. The book of Mihaly and Martin however does belong in this rarefied category.

As anyone teaching solid state physics knows from experience, it is always demanding to find quality examples. The problems in the previous standard books are unfortunately dated, often decades back. In contrast, Mihaly and Martin bring examples from the very latest developments in solid state physics. At the same time they find room for covering the actual workings of such must-know experimental apparatii, as the triple axis spectrometer and the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It is hard to find books, which adress the theoretical and experimental sides of our discipline with such balance.

When the authors cover more conventional topics, like symmetries and band structures, they make them exciting for the student by chosing fascinating applications, for instance lattices of fullerenes instead of sodium. When they cover modern areas, they devote space extensively, very much unlike similar treatises. These include optical properties, correlation effects in infinite and low dimensional models, and phase transitions in electronic systems.

The best recommendation goes beyond words; it is reflected in actions: I already adopted the book in my course, and the students cannot get enough of these inventive problems. They actually like solving the homework problems, a true satisfaction for any teacher.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Standard Problems Presented in a Mediocre Fashion, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This book offers a nice set of pretty standard undergraduate to first year graduate problems in solid state physics. The answers, unfortunately, are sloppy and remarkably lack the detail you would expect from a question and answer book. Each chapter has a superficial and not too insightful introduction to the topic before asking the questions. Probably, most disappointing are the problems for which there are no answers. Isn't this supposed to be a problem and answer book? If you are looking for an insightful solution guide or a general overview as a companion for an introductory solid state course, you don't want this book. If you just want to see a result and have some stuff to jot down on homework assignments, then perhaps this book is just what you need.