Wanna learn Quantum Mechanics?

Originally posted by Agerg
No worries, I think I've filled in and clicked on everything that needs to be filled and clicked respectively (though to be consistent with my aliases I'm starting to use elsewhere I used "TheHappyHexagon" instead of "agerg" (since I've found the latter is already used on some sites))

You're in.

I think I've seen TheHappyExagon at Cosmic Variance...

Originally posted by adam warlock
You're in.

I think I've seen TheHappyExagon at Cosmic Variance...

Ah...that wasn't me!

Originally posted by adam warlock
Griffiths should write a book on Classical Dynamics and another one on Thermodynamics/Statistical Mechanics. He has a knack on getting the right points across in a way that any decent Physics undergrad should understand.

What's wrong with dx?😠😠😠😠 Robinson gave them respectability a long time ago my dear friend. 😛

By the way, PM an email of yours so that you can join the hippest group blogging team on wordpress.com: The Quantum Gang.

Physics books treat differentials as "very very teeny tiny infinitesimal little quantities," which I suppose is how Leibniz treated them centuries ago but it's lacking in rigor. I also do not like the use of "differentials" in mainstream calculus books, where they're juggled around as linear approximations of a sort, and suddenly something like dy/dx is treated like a fraction -- which it isn't, and so students get the wrong ideas in their heads! True differentials are what are more properly called "differential forms," which is a kind of alternating tensor field.

What I'm trying to say is that I think physicists play fast and loose with math, and it can drive me crazy. 😉

I'm a little fuzzy on what this gang of miscreant Quanta you're forming is going to do, exactly, so I'm hesitant to commit to joining. While my math is good my physics is very rusty, and I'm committed to other projects that will result in my being at best a bit player. How many members will there be? One thing I can tell you is that not everyone who joins will be committed, and you can probably expect the course to have a 50% withdrawal rate halfway into the semester. So, make sure to have some "surplus" members at the outset.

You say your box is full? It doesn't matter, my e-mail address is soothfast@zoho.com

Originally posted by Soothfast
Physics books treat differentials as "very very teeny tiny infinitesimal little quantities," which I suppose is how Leibniz treated them centuries ago but it's lacking in rigor. I also do not like the use of "differentials" in mainstream calculus books, where they're juggled around as linear approximations of a sort, and suddenly something like dy/dx is t ...[text shortened]... y your box is full? It doesn't matter, my e-mail address is soothfast@zoho.com

After an initial period where we will see Newtonian Mechanics, Lagrangian Mechanics, Hamiltonian Mechanics, a little bit of Electrodynamics and Thermodynamics we'll use Griffiths book to learn Quantum Mechanics.

The goal is to go through the book linearly while solving (almost) all the exercises. I've already posted a link to a pdf file of the book in this thread so that people don't have to buy the book.

This will take some time on us all and we'll have to work hard, but it'll be rewarding on a lot of levels.

Check out these pages if you haven't already:
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/latex-and-equations/
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/blogging-at-wordpress-com/

If you still want to be a part of this let me know and send me a PM with your profile. Other team members profiles are(you're entirely free in what you'll write):
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/about/ateixeira/
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/about/joeshmo26/
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/about/palynka/
http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/about/thehappyhexagon/

😛 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-standard_analysis and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Robinson 😛

Originally posted by adam warlock
After an initial period where we will see Newtonian Mechanics, Lagrangian Mechanics, Hamiltonian Mechanics, a little bit of Electrodynamics and Thermodynamics we'll use Griffiths book to learn Quantum Mechanics.

The goal is to go through the book linearly while solving (almost) all the exercises. I've already posted a link to a pdf file of the book i ...[text shortened]... edia.org/wiki/Non-standard_analysis and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Robinson 😛

"After an initial period where we will see Newtonian Mechanics, Lagrangian Mechanics, Hamiltonian Mechanics, a little bit of Electrodynamics and Thermodynamics we'll use Griffiths book to learn Quantum Mechanics. "


Will i need a different set of wrenches for each of these Mechanics courses?


GRANNY.

Originally posted by smw6869
"After an initial period where we will see Newtonian Mechanics, Lagrangian Mechanics, Hamiltonian Mechanics, a little bit of Electrodynamics and Thermodynamics we'll use Griffiths book to learn Quantum Mechanics. "


Will i need a different set of wrenches for each of these Mechanics courses?


GRANNY.

I was once asked if I could fix someone's bike, since I study quantum mechanics. My reply: "only if you have a very small bike."

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
I was once asked if I could fix someone's bike, since I study quantum mechanics. My reply: "only if you have a very small bike."

...And with uncertain results...

Originally posted by adam warlock

😛 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-standard_analysis and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Robinson 😛

I've read about hyperreal numbers and nonstandard analysis about a year ago, but I seriously doubt that when physicists use "differentials" in their textbooks that's what they're really using. We should just admit that physicists use differentials in the sense of "arbitrarily small" or "infinitely small" quantities, or what George Berkeley disparagingly called "the ghosts of departed quantities".

I can deal with it. 😉

What, from week to week, will you be expecting the members of the gang to be doing? How long do you expect it to take to get through the Griffiths book? A year?

Are you familiar with the quantum mechanics book by Bransden and Joachain? It's the one I used for a semester 15 years ago, and I see it's in a 2nd edition now.

Originally posted by adam warlock
If you still want to be a part of this let me know and send me a PM with your profile.

Okay, I think I'm "in", so I'll get around to that maybe tomorrow.

Originally posted by Soothfast
I've read about hyperreal numbers and nonstandard analysis about a year ago, but I seriously doubt that when physicists use "differentials" in their textbooks that's what they're really using. We should just admit that physicists use differentials in the sense of "arbitrarily small" or "infinitely small" quantities, or what George Berkeley disparagingly c 's the one I used for a semester 15 years ago, and I see it's in a 2nd edition now.

Pfffffffffffff. Rigor, we don't need no stinking rigor.

George Berkely actually is one of my intellectual heroes. His critique of Newton's fluxions was pretty much spot on.

The plan is for me to expose the contents of Griffiths with weekly, give or take a few days, updates solving a few exercises and talking about what why know that are the finer points on QM and people usually get confused about. Then I'll propose a few exercises for you guys to solve and discuss.

Apart from that you guys can and should say where your doubts are and press me when you feel that my explanations aren't good enough. You guys should also interact a lot with each other.

And I think that a year is a good enough time for us to see the whole book but only time will tell.

I don't think I know that book and if I did know about I forgot about it. I do remember that the book on Atomic and Molecular Physics was from a guynamed Joachain... Or something very similar to it...

Edit: check your email account because I've sent you an invite
Edit2: http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/blogging-at-wordpress-com/ and http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/blogging-at-wordpress-com/

In case you have forgotten: http://thequantumgang.wordpress.com/

Do you have an e-mail address there, or something?