Methods of Theoretical Physics, Part I (International Series in Pure and Applied Physics) by Philip McCord Morse (PDF)

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Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Thank you seller for this used book!I purchased this book to replace my lost one while mistakenly left behind while paid my bill at Home depot.My lost book I used for Physics training in theoretical Physics course during the BSc study.This is the second time I have this book.Thank you Amazon.com and Seller of this book to assist me having again the good book I have used as references in Physics. The contents of this book are precise and useful for Physics educators.This year I have to purchase both Volune 1 and Volume 2 in a month apart.

⭐I have had Part II for decades. For economy I wanted a gently used copy of Morse and Feshbach text, Part I. The book I bought from amazon was in good shape and was at a reasonable cost. I have a few thousand different texts and this was one of the missing pieces of scientific completeness that has been acquired. The text was published first about 50 years ago but it is still one of several that are an essential components of the theory of physics and engineering and the mathematics thereof. For example, they discuss the discovery of another scientist that the relevant mathematics for a certain physical system has separable x, y, and z components in 13 different coordinate systems. That leads to special mathematical functions such as Bessel functions in one case. That ties together the common special functions of mathematical physics and engineering. Without the knowledge presented in comprehensive texts such as that of Morse and Feshbach the topic has little raison d’ etra, reason for existence. This is an unusual text with none comparable. Gordon e martin.

⭐This book, although 60 years old, has separable DE detailwhich is no where else, and the precision of what is is donewas/ is relevant to what I am doing with Tokamak physics.In all one of the smartest references in terms of essential detailI have ever seen

⭐I recall a fine physics professor who informed me “if I already had Courant-Hilbert, there was no need to study Morse-Feshbach.” I ignored Morse-Feshbach for many a year, simply believing that their volumes overlapped in content with Courant-Hilbert. My belief was mistaken. There is the obvious linguistic difference: theoretical physics (Morse) versus mathematical physics (Courant) but similarities between the two are minimal. Rather than offer a direct comparison, I offer observations on volume one of Morse and Feshbach: “this book is primarily concerned with working out solutions of the equations once they are derived…” (page 265).(1) A rather old-fashioned exposition of Dyadics (an operator taking a vector to another vector) is here (pages 55-75), while downplaying Quaternions as “chiefly historical.” (page 91). Read: “a dyadic in spin space is a vector in space-time.” (page 101).(2) Special Relativity, you get the full “ict” treatment (a time-component which is “imaginary”). Reading: “The equation suggests that the proper times for two observers moving with respect to each other are related by an imaginary rotation in space-time.” (page 93). Afterward, read “Farewell to ict.” (page 51 of Gravitation, Misner, Thorne, Wheeler ).(3) Delta function viewed as a “pathological function.” Read: “… is also pathological, in that differentiation should be attempted only with considerable caution.” (page 122-123). Afterward, read Barton: Elements of Green’s Functions.(4) Canonical Transformations: “the fundamental peculiarity of classical mechanics, that the acceleration–the second derivative–is proportional to the force, and therefore that both the initial position and initial velocity can be chosen arbitrarily.”(page 287).(5) Note: Diffusion equation (page 313) and introduction of an “anti-diffusive field,” and “the introduction of the mirror-image field in order to set up a Lagrange function from which to obtain the diffusion equation is probably too artificial a procedure to expect to obtain much of physical significance from it, discussed to show similar introductions of mirror-fields are necessary in some quantum equations.” (page 314). If for no other reason than that, these pages (313-318) make for interesting reading. That is: Diffusion, Schrodinger, Klein-Gordon.(6) A highlight: chapter four, complex variables. Read: “Given as examples some electrostatic interpretations of some familiar theorems of function theory.” (page 356). Conformal Mapping: “most of the interesting and important geometrical applications to problems of physics may be grouped under the heading of conformal mapping.” You get it for ten pages (pages 443-453). My instructor advised against its study ! Exercises conclude.(7) Regards Green’s functions, read: “by our choice of vocabulary, we are able to make statements which hold both for boundary conditions and source distributions; we have made our words conform to our equations.” (page 793). Chapter Seven is elaboration of that statement. This well-written chapter leads to the next, final, chapter integral equations: “it represents the entire physics of the problem in a very compact form” (page 896). This is a lucid exposition, examining the relationship to our friend the continued fraction (page 958).(8) Allow me to conclude. We have a potpourri of the intermingling of mathematics and physics. Certain things I am not in concert with (the approach to special relativity and discussion of covariant electrodynamics). There are certain topics that I find interesting (the approach to Lagrangians and field theory, electrostatics and conformal mappings). Some topics are old-fashioned (dyadics, time component as ‘ict’ ).Other topics are of continuing efficacy (continued fractions and integral representations).(9) The problem are straightforward ( “prove the Bessel Inequality” page 112) some are quite involved ( “set up Schrodinger equation in spherical coordinates for the electron in 1/r potential, separate variables, and show solution in terms of hypergeometric function” page 650). There is something for everyone.(10) As with most such offerings which attempt to encompass everything, something is always slighted. Morse and Feshbach is fun to peruse, even if one fails to see the forest for the trees, and there are a lot of trees !As preliminary to the style, I recommend an easier book by Morse: Vibration And Sound (1936).

⭐I love this book and I learn something new every time I open it up. . Every theoretical physicist I know has a copy of “Morse and Feschbach” and “Arfkin” somewhere within 15′ of his desk at any given time. Arfkin’s book is far more pedagogic and we use it in our “Math Methods” course (in fact his rating and review of M&F part 1 are spot on), but M&F is the classic “Methods” book and harkins back to the time where Green’s functions and analytic methods ruled the day.

⭐In response to questions from colleagues and students i’m posting this review.This was the standard text many years ago.Many current topics on mathematical Quantization and Stochastic Optimization are conspicuously abscent.The publisher is working on a two Volume Paperback edition that will be available shortly, so save your money and buy this 2-vol set for one fifth the price.

⭐This Methods of Theoretical Physics: Chapters 1 to 8 Vol. I I had used for several decades as a references book for Physics studies in universities, it’s a well and precise written by theoretical and mathematical physicists and mathematicians.I lost this volume I during shopping and paying a bill while I carried it for reading.This book Vol. I was useful for me during studying a course of theoretical physics in undergraduate level.I believe that this book should be reprinted for physics students to use.

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