Customer Reviews

Theoretical Physics (Dover Books on Physics)

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

 

 

I am a Physicist, and in the event of preparing my general post-graduate exam I have not found a better summary for review my knowledge in Physics. From Vectors to Modern Physics, I found a great quantity of material and problems adequately inserted in text which can help every Physicist, no mater his (her) personal interest, to expand his (her) ideas. I recommend it widely. I used this book as sel-study and I am completely satisfied

Georg Joos was an experimental physicist, yet wrote this outstanding compendium of classical theoretical physics, a model of clarity and simplicity, not to mention soundness. Perfect for learning something when the time is short! I recalled having learned AC circuits from it, using complex numbers, one day before the exams, and learned it thoroughly (and passed!). Freeman Dyson lists this book as the one from which he learned most of Theoretical Physics. What more could be said?

This is an excellent book, at least for people with a mathematical background. The book covers the classical topics thoroughly, and contains a large number of carefully worked out problems. The chapters on "atomic theory" are a little dated, but given how cheap the book is, even if you only work your way through the first 150 pages, it's a real bargain.

Perhaps there are better books around now, but I learned physics out of this while a graduate student in mathematics in the mid 70's, and at the time it was the best introductory overview I could find. It isn't as slick as The Feynman Lectures, which I think make a better first course, but if you need to learn the classical stuff in more depth, this is an excellent book.

It's an excellent book, with the quality of all Dover books in physics. It's clear and concise, ideal for people who want to review or clarify some points in general physics.

This book combines the best parts of experimental and theoretical physics study; an intuitive knowledge of how the mathematical relations apply to the world, as provided by the experimental, and the ability to derive the equations from first principles, and understand their conceptual foundation, provided by the theoretical and theoretical/experimental, respectively. Furthermore, the book has a wonderful habit of teaching by presenting the very essence of the many subjects treated, and then progressing to their application; the brilliance of this is difficult to describe, but among other things it involves the demonstration from first principles that a perpetual energy machine is not possible, and it is shown how this relates to the first and second laws of thermodynamics, each presented separately. It should be noted that this book does tend to favor the theoretical side; the author usually depends on mathematical relations that are related to a physical counterpart, as with the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and proceeds by mathematical operation, rather than the physical operations that correspond to them, often referring to the physical result by analyzing the mathematical relations at the end of this formulation ----- this is the theoretical side taking root and sprouting. It is a wonderful book, full of gems with their corresponding sparkle, and many colors, all chosen by a master miner and jeweler.