Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals: Emended Edition (Dover Books on Physics) - Softcover

Richard P. Feynman; Albert R. Hibbs

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486477223 ISBN 13: 9780486477220

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2010

Synopsis

With its clear explanations, comprehensive coverage, and contributions from renowned physicists, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals is an indispensable resource for students, professionals, and anyone interested in understanding the path integral technique and its applications in modern physics.
  
The developer of path integrals, Nobel Prize–winning physicist Richard Feynman, presents unique insights into this method and its applications. Feynman starts with an intuitive view of fundamental quantum mechanics, gradually introducing path integrals. Later chapters explore more advanced topics, including the perturbation method, quantum electrodynamics, and statistical mechanics. 1965 edition, emended in 2005.
 

• Insights from a Renowned Physicist: Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard P. Feynman presents unique insights into the path integral technique and its applications, offering a firsthand perspective from one of the greatest scientific minds of all time.
• Emended Edition for Clarity: This emended edition corrects hundreds of typographical errors and recasts equations for clearer comprehension, ensuring that readers can grasp the concepts with ease.
• Clear and Concise Presentation: Feynman articulates his theory in a clear and concise manner, striking a perfect balance between mathematics and physics. The book avoids dense and complicated descriptions, making the material accessible to a wide range of readers.
• Comprehensive Coverage: The book covers fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics, introduces path integrals, and delves into more advanced topics, including the perturbation method, quantum electrodynamics, and the relation of path integrals to statistical mechanics.
• Versatility as a Textbook and Resource: Suitable for graduate courses in physics, this volume serves as an excellent resource for professionals in the field, providing comprehensive coverage and insights into path integrals and their applications.
• Endorsed by the Feynman Family: Approved and endorsed by the Feynman family, this book retains the original's verve and spirit, ensuring readers experience Feynman's teachings as intended.
• Contributions from Prominent Scientists: The book includes transcribed and edited lectures by Albert R. Hibbs, a prominent scientist who studied under Feynman's tutelage, and contributions from Daniel F. Styer, a respected physicist and professor.

About the authors: Richard Feynman (1918-88), known as the Scientist's Scientist, is one of the most famous scientists of the twentieth century, receiving the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics. One of the best-known scientists of his generation, Feynman assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a prominent member of the panel that investigated the 1986 Challenger disaster.
Known worldwide as the voice of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Albert R. Hibbs (1924-2003) studied for his doctorate under Feynman's tutelage and transcribed and edited Feynman's lectures in quantum electrodynamics.
Daniel F. Styer holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and is the John and Marianne Schiffer Professor of Physics at Oberlin College.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Feynman (1918-88) received the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics. One of the best-known scientists of his generation, Feynman assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a prominent member of the panel that investigated the 1986 Challenger disaster.
Known worldwide as the voice of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Albert R. Hibbs (1924-2003) studied for his doctorate under Feynman's tutelage and transcribed and edited Feynman's lectures in quantum electrodynamics.
Daniel F. Styer holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and is the John and Marianne Schiffer Professor of Physics at Oberlin College.

Richard P. Feynman: The Scientist's Scientist
One of the most famous scientists of the twentieth century, and an inexhaustible source of wonderful quotes, Richard Feynman shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics. 1965 was also the year in which Feynman and A. R. Hibbs first published Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals, which Dover reprinted in a new edition comprehensively emended by Daniel F. Styer in 2010.

In the Author's Own Words:
"Our freedom to doubt was born out of a struggle against authority in the early days of science. It was a very deep and strong struggle. It is our responsibility as scientists to proclaim the value of this freedom; to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed and discussed; and to demand this freedom as our duty to all coming generations."

"I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics."

"Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there."

"To those who do not know mathematics it is difficult to get across a real feeling as to the beauty, the deepest beauty, of nature. . . . If you want to learn about nature, to appreciate nature, it is necessary to understand the language that she speaks in." — Richard P. Feynman

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486477223
• ISBN 13: 9780486477220
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384
• Editor: Daniel F. Styer