Physics Book Reviews

 Often described as a physicist's physicist, Sidney Coleman is regarded as one of the greatest teacher of Modern Theoretical Physics (as well as being one of it's greatest practictioners during the 20th century). His Harvard course on Quantum Field Theory has been synonymous within the field of theoretical high energy physics, for being clear, concise and most importantly understandable. This last attribute, led many to  herald him as an engaging and dedicated teacher, whose methods have  long been the gold standard for teaching in theoretical physics. For many years, this exceptional course has only been accessible through rather grainy recordings from  the 1970s; or more recently, a typed up transcript of the lecture course, from meticulously kept hand written notes from one of the teaching assistant. This newly published edition is culmination of the later transcription as well as notes, memories and recollections of a whole host of  Physics- 253a alumni (whi...

The causation and consequences of the napoleonic era has remained one of the most hotly debated topics in human history for over 200 years.  Politically, this era in history was born out of perhaps the first definitive challenge against the ruling classes that had ruled over Europe in one form or the other since the recession of roman influence throughout the dark ages.  In addition, this newly found political rebirth, rebounded into perhaps the most ardent display of expansionism, and even autocracy that Europe had seen for centuries. Napoleon is often celebrated as one of greatest tacticians and military leaders of all time, as well as one of its greatest tyrants who threw it all away.  This 3-volume set covers in explicit detail the triggers, battles and legacies  of this era, in painstaking depth. A defining feature of this set is that it explores in great detail, the entire era from perspectives of the other players (both in Europe and the rest of the world), ra...

 In an evermore technological worlds, the need to understand the connections between various venders, groups and devices has never been so important.  The study of complex networks, or (as this box refers to them as) network science makes sense of these complicated systems in terms of extended methods applied to graph theory. The text first begins with an excellent review and introduction to network science, which provides context in terms of various real world examples. Then, it reviews introductory graph theory (which is very much appreciated for those that are non experts in the field), before delving into more succinct aspects of. network models.  This text is certainly aimed at those more familiar with the mathematician style of communication; ideas are presented through the usual "proof", "theorem" and "lemma". Moreover, the text assume at least an undergraduate level understanding of statistics and mathematics, which means that this text is primaril...

 This text provides an interesting spin on the already well-trodden pathway of Mathematical Methods Texts. Though it does not cover as much content as its competitors, what it does cover, is cover well and in sufficient detail that the reader is left in no doubt what is required. I am a particular fan of Green's function chapter which extended length allows for the reader to gain mastery in the subject. Moreover, this text also makes excellent connections to the related physics through each chapter; providing concrete and illustrative examples which puts the mathematics into context. This approach is particular unique at the level of undergraduate mathematical methods, and is welcomed.  Mathematical Methods and Physical Insights: An integrated Approach  by  Alec J. Schramm   ISBN:  9781107156418 Price: £ 54.99 

Modern machine-learning textbooks are often divided into two categories: Theory and application.  Often books either skimp on the details and go straight to educating the reader on how to code or spend their entire time dictating the interesting (but often verbose) mathematical background and derivation of the statistical learning techniques which underpin the algorithms.  This books strikes happy medium between the two with excellent code examples of how to implement the as well as beautiful explained derivations and motivations of the mathematics underpinning the techniques used through the text. Furthermore, the explanations used throughout the text are very well explained, so well in fact, that I'd argue that this is one the best introductions to machine learning that is avaliable on the market currently.  The text first begins with a simple, yet poignant overview of machine learning techniques as a whole, without the uses of mathematics or code examples.  The se...

 Physical Mathematics is textbook which strikes the right balance of advanced material (needed at the graduate or research level) and  pedagogical explanations. It should be first noted that this text is certainly not aimed at beginner or intermediate undergraduates, and is most certainly not written for those outside physics. Nevertheless, it is this narrow audience that aids in the success of this volume. Through the text, there are many interesting and well-laid connections to the physics which utilises these mathematical techniques. Numerous examples (covering family difficult problems) are distributed evenly in the text, which further aids the readers understanding of the topics.  On the mathematical front, the text successfully tackles difficult subjects that other textbooks often gloss over (such as Green functions and differential forms), provide unique and approachable explanations that are often hard to find elsewhere.  Moreover, the lat...

Riley, Hobson and Bence's Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering (or as those more intimately familiar with its contents refer to it: RHB ), has remained the foremost textbook on mathematical methods within the physical sciences for nearly 3 decades (especially so for physics undergraduates).  This honour is not without merit.  The strongest compliment and selling point of this compendium of mathematical techniques is the breadth of its discussion. One would be hard-pressed elsewhere to find such an array of subjects on display: from calculus to green functions, to complex analysis, group theory and statistics.  This book covers everything a physics undergraduate may ever need to contemplate throughout their studies. Moreover, what makes RHB  particularly thrilling to physics instructors is the sustained level the mathematical maturity used at every stage of the chapter.    Often introductory books to mathematical methods excel at teaching st...