No-Nonsense Quantum Mechanics: A Student-Friendly Introduction, Second Edition

by Jakob Schwichtenberg

Learning Quantum Mechanics doesn’t have to be hard

What if there was a way to learn Quantum Mechanics without all the usual fluff and mystification? What if there were a book that allowed you to see the whole picture and not just tiny parts of it?

Thoughts like this are the reason that No-Nonsense Quantum Mechanics now exists.

What will you learn from this book?

Get to know the fundamental quantum features — grasp how different nature works at the level of elementary particles. Learn how to describe Quantum Mechanics mathematically — understand the origin and meaning of the most important quantum equations: the Schrödinger equation + the canonical commutation relations. Master the most important quantum systems — read step-by-step calculations and understand the general algorithm we use to describe them. Get an understanding you can be proud of — learn why there are alternative frameworks to describe Quantum Mechanics and how they are connected to the standard wave description.

No-Nonsense Quantum Mechanics is the most student-friendly book on Quantum Mechanics ever written.

Here’s why.

First of all, it's is nothing like a formal university lecture.  Instead, it’s like a casual conservation with a more experienced student. This also means that nothing is assumed to be “obvious” or “easy to see”. Each chapter, each section, and each page focusses solely on the goal to help you understand. Nothing is introduced without a thorough motivation and it is always clear where each equation comes from. The book contains no fluff since unnecessary content quickly leads to confusion. Instead, it ruthlessly focusses on the fundamentals and makes sure you’ll understand them in detail.

The primary focus on the readers’ needs is also visible in dozens of small features that you won’t find in any other textbook

In total, the book contains more than 100 illustrations that help you understand the most important concepts in visually.
In each chapter, you’ll find fully annotated equations and calculations are done carefully step-by-step. This makes it much easier to understand what’s going on in.

- Whenever a concept is used that was already introduced previously there is a short sidenote that reminds you where it was first introduced and often recites the main points.

- In addition, there are summaries at the beginning of each chapter that make sure you won’t get lost.

Genres: Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Science

534 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2021

Reviews

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. When I decided to read this book, it was supposed to be something I occasionally read when I don’t want to work on my university stuff but still need something to occupy my thinking apparatus. But this book helped my overcome my fear of Quantum Physics. The writing style and structure were extremely suitable for me, already having heard the basics but not really having understood anything.
The chapter about the different formulations of QM was very interesting, and helpful to see that to some degree there’s a fundamental difference between the description of a phenomenon and the phenomenon itself.
I enjoyed the author‘s writing style. I would love to read his introduction to Classical Mechanics soon.

[John Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a JS book feels almost like cheating, because you can breeze through concepts that would take 5-10x longer in a classroom.

Goes through the basics (motivations for studying, experimental motivations for development of the field, operators, eigenfunctions, etc), fundamental examples (particle in a box, hydrogen atom, scattering, QHO), as well as more advanced concepts (basic perturbation theory, QM in context of group theory, alternative formulations like Pilot Wave and Path Integral).

Perhaps the most valuable part of the book is how it gives you a roadmap for the future. You understand the basic examples and terminology, then JS gives you dozens of potential paths to explore with specific papers, books, and videos to continue.

Writing is clear, concise, and reassuring. No better way to begin a deep dive of one of the strange reality we inhabit.

[Eduardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flawed but useful book. It offers many insights into QM but I would argue that, with its lack of exercises and deep dives into topics, it is only useful as a review for those who have previously studied QM. I also found a number of errors in the calculations and some less than sturdy arguments in some passages, but I suppose in the latter case it is due to the time and page restraint inherent in such a book. I would recommend it as a review/overview of or refresher on the basis of the wave-function formulation of QM but definitely not for first time learners. With all that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the last few chapters which touched on alternative formulations of QM and the ongoing debate regarding its interpretations and the necessity thereof.

[Shreyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. This book is good for people who want an overview of Quantum mechanics (or for those who want a refresher for the subject). What I liked about it was the fact that the author spent some time discussing alternative formalisms as well as touched upon the question of what this all means (interpretation).

[Laurence Kirmayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview

An accessible overview of the terrain of quantum mechanics with helpful guidance for further study. Especially useful glimpse of alternate mathematical formulations.