Concepts and methods of theoretical physics

This book is an introduction to the methods of theoretical physics for students who have had intermediate college courses in physical mechanics and electricity as well as advanced calculus and elementary partial differential equations. It emphasizes clear definition and development of physical concepts and analysis of methods, rather than detailed factual content of theoretical physics.

After a brief introduction on the logical structure of theoretical physics, the book is divided into two main starts: particle physics and field physics. In the first part the logical development proceeds from the single particle to collections of particles and then to the statistical methods, with thermodynamics treated as a deduction from physical statistics. This part closes with a brief survey of the principles of quantum mechanics. Part II discusses the application of the field concept to both material media (deformable solids and fluids) and nonmaterial media (electromagnetic fields), with more stress on wave propagation than is usual in theoretical physics texts. The book closes with a treatment of classical electron theory and special relativity.