Geared toward upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, this self-contained first course in quantum mechanics consists of two parts: the first covers basic theory, and the second part presents selected applications. Numerous problems of varying difficulty examine not only the steps of the proofs but also related ideas. Starting with an introduction that ventures beyond classical physics, the first part examines the physical content of the wave function; general principles; physics in one dimension; hermitian operators, symmetry, and angular momentum; and systems in two and three dimensions. Additional topics include approximate methods of calculation; the theory of scattering; spin and isospin; questions of physical meaning; electromagnetic radiation; systems containing identical particles; and classical dynamics and Feynman's construction. Focusing on applications, the second part explores the theory of alpha decay; electrons in a periodic lattice; the hydrogen spectrum; the helium atom; interatomic forces; the neutron-proton interaction; and the quark model of baryons. [sts2]

Introduction to the Quantum Theory

Science & Math

Park, David

Physics

McGraw=Hill

"What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks me, I do not know." Thus wrote St. Augustine over fifteen hundred years ago. And this paradox has troubled the human mind since man first began to think about time. Now distinguished physicist and noted writer David Park shows us how far we have come on a journey of discovery that begins with the ancient Egyptians and extends deep into te universe of modern quantum mechanics - a journey that includes the extraordinary farseeing speculations ot the Greeks, the mystery and meaning of Stonehenge, the monumental achievements of Newton, the epoch-making theories of Einstein. With wit, authority, and clarity, he reveals to us both the near-maddening gulf and truly marvelous connection between time as we personally experience it and the time as scientists have come to see it, thus opening the way to a new understanding of the fourth dimension and its complex relation to human existence.

The Image of Eternity: Roots of Time in the Physical World

Meridian

More than a chance to gain new insights into physics, this book offers students the opportunity to look at what they already know about the subject in an improved way. Geared toward upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, this self-contained first course in quantum mechanics consists of two parts: the first covers basic theory, and the second part presents selected applications. Numerous problems of varying difficulty examine not only the steps of the proofs but also related ideas. Starting with an introduction that ventures beyond classical physics, the first part examines the physical content of the wave function; general principles; physics in one dimension; hermitian operators, symmetry, and angular momentum; and systems in two and three dimensions. Additional topics include approximate methods of calculation; the theory of scattering; spin and isospin; questions of physical meaning; electromagnetic radiation; systems containing identical particles; and classical dynamics and Feynman's construction. Focusing on applications, the second part explores the theory of alpha decay; electrons in a periodic lattice; the hydrogen spectrum; the helium atom; interatomic forces; the neutron-proton interaction; and the quark model of baryons.

Introduction to the Quantum Theory: Third Edition (Dover Books on Physics)

Dover Publications

This is an excellent and stimulating account of the history and development of physics, a pleasure to read and of great value to anyone with an interest in the nature of science-John Polkinghorne, The Times Higher Education Supplement"A marvelous, technically competent, literate, engagingly written book that every student (whether a science major or not) in a science courseand instructorsshould have to read"-James T. Cushing, American Journal of Physics"Physicists should make every effort to enjoy this well-conducted tour of the history of physics"-John Barrow, New Scientist"A brilliant presentation of the ideas of modern physics presented in a richly painted historical setting. . . . This book contains more physics than most physicists know, and more intellectual history than most historians know, woven together in a thoughtful, erudite, and enthusiastic presentation that is unique in both popular and academic science writing. . . . The rise of statistical physics, quantum mechanics, particle physics, and cosmology are accompanied by trenchant examples that encapsulate the core of current controversy, and the older material is informed by recent sophistications of historical scholarship"-Choice

The How and the Why

History & Philosophy

Princeton University Press

The Fire within the Eye

In The Fire within the Eye, scientist and author David Park helps us reconceive the everyday phenomenon of light in profound ways, from spiritual meanings embedded in our culture to the challenging questions put forth by great scientists and philosophers. Park, who is both a gifted teacher and physicist, takes us on a tour through history spanning ancient Greek, Neoplatonic, and Arabic philosophy together with astrology, the metaphysics of Galileo and Kepler, and the role of mathematics and experimentation in modern physics. By creatively synthesizing a broad sweep of historical events and intellectual movements around the theme of light, the author offers readers of all backgrounds a unique perspective on Western civilization itself. Readers will find themselves immersed in lively discussions conducted by a physicist equally at home exploring the invention of perspective by Brunelleschi and Alberti, the writings of Goethe, or the mathematical models inspiring Maxwell's electromagnetic theory.
 Plato made light the earthly counterpart of the Good; the early Christians believed the command "Let there be light" unleashed a power that shaped and energized the world. Park follows the connotations of spirituality and power attributed to light in religion, philosophy, art, and literature. At the same time he enables us truly to feel the excitement surrounding scientific discoveries and debates about the nature of light throughout history --Isaac Newton's scientific explanation of color and the raging battles between proponents of light as particles and light as a wave. Park traces the attempts to define light, beginning in the nineteenth century with the proposal that light is a wave motion in a field that unites electricity and magnetism. How this theory was reconciled with the particle theory of light is one of many paradoxes that Park guides us in understanding.
 Park writes eloquently of the physical, aesthetic, and spiritual aspects of light, making this book an invaluable guide for all readers wishing to explore the fascinating relationship between science and culture.

The description for this book, The How and the Why, will be forthcoming.

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

The Grand Contraption: The World as Myth, Number, and Chance

The Grand Contraption tells the story of humanity's attempts through 4,000 years of written history to make sense of the world in its cosmic totality, to understand its physical nature, and to know its real and imagined inhabitants. No other book has provided as coherent, compelling, and learned a narrative on this subject of subjects. David Park takes us on an incredible journey that illuminates the multitude of elaborate "contraptions" by which humans in the Western world have imagined the earth they inhabit--and what lies beyond. Intertwining history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the physical sciences, this eminently readable book is, ultimately, about the "grand contraption" we've constructed through the ages in an effort to understand and identify with the universe.
 According to Park, people long ago conceived of our world as a great rock slab inhabited by gods, devils, and people and crowned by stars. Thinkers imagined ether to fill the empty space, and in the comforting certainty of celestial movement they discerned numbers, and in numbers, order. Separate sections of the book tell the fascinating stories of measuring and mapping the Earth and Heavens, and later, the scientific exploration of the universe.
 The journey reveals many common threads stretching from ancient Mesopotamians and Greeks to peoples of today. For example, humans have tended to imagine Earth and Sky as living creatures. Not true, say science-savvy moderns. But truth isn't always the point. The point, says Park, is that Earth is indeed the fragile bubble we surmise, and we must treat it with the reverence it deserves.

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Essays explore the concept of the impossible in mountaineering, biology, medicine, chemistry, computer science, technology, physics, mathematics, law, politics, economics, education, music, and philosophy

No Way: The Nature of the Impossible

Davis, Philip J.

W.H.Freeman

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Park, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Park, David

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Park, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Introduction to the Quantum Theory

The Image of Eternity: Roots of Time in the Physical World

Introduction to the Quantum Theory: Third Edition (Dover Books on Physics)

The How and the Why

The Fire within the Eye

The Fire within the Eye

The How and the Why

The Grand Contraption: The World as Myth, Number, and Chance

The Grand Contraption: The World as Myth, Number, and Chance

No Way: The Nature of the Impossible