Problems in Classical and Quantum Mechanics: Extracting the Underlying Concepts

J. Daniel Kelley · Jacob J. Leventhal

Nov 2016 · Springer

About this ebook

This book is a collection of problems that are intended to aid students in graduate and undergraduate courses in Classical and Quantum Physics. It is also intended to be a study aid for students that are preparing for the PhD qualifying exam. Many of the included problems are of a type that could be on a qualifying exam. Others are meant to elucidate important concepts. Unlike other compilations of problems, the detailed solutions are often accompanied by discussions that reach beyond the specific problem.The solution of the problem is only the beginning of the learning process--it is by manipulation of the solution and changing of the parameters that a great deal of insight can be gleaned. The authors refer to this technique as "massaging the problem," and it is an approach that the authors feel increases the pedagogical value of any problem.

About the author

J. Daniel Kelley received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Georgetown University, and then joined Brookhaven National Laboratory, studying molecular collision theory. He next joined the McDonnell Douglas/Boeing Research Laboratory, working on projects ranging from analytical chemistry to laser development, and simultaneously served as an Adjunct Professor in the Chemistry and Physics Departments at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After retirement as a Boeing Technical Fellow in 2001, Dr. Kelley spent two years as a Visiting Scholar in the Thermosciences Division at Stanford University, and has been a consultant to Boeing, NASA and the University of Minnesota.
Jacob J. Leventhal received his Ph.D. in 1965 from the University of Florida, after which he became a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He joined the faculty at the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 1968 where he taught physics and conducted a research program in experimental atomic and molecular physics. He retired to Emeritus Status in 2015. During his career he published more than 100 research papers and is a co-author of Topics in Atomic Physics (Springer 2005) and Foundations of Quantum Physics (Springer 2008).