Vector spaces for Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 20602
Exam Feedback
Specific feedback on the 2009 and 2010 exams is available on Teachweb.
There are a few differences between the current syllabus and the one used in
2009; this will be detailed in a handout so that you can use the 2009 paper
for revision.
I have also prepared the following document which highlights
some of the common errors made by beginners in handling the mathematics of
quantum mechanics, which is probably worth reading both by most students on
this course.
Lecture Notes
Typeset lecture notes, slightly expanded from what was written down in the
lectures, are now available on Blackboard for the complete course.
(Lectures 1 to 22).
Handouts
I aim to release one handout every two weeks, mainly containing exercises
related to each lecture and the answers to the exercises on the previous
handouts.
Powerpoint Slides
Textbooks
There is no ideal textbook for the course and I recommend you consult several.
Handout 1 contains a discussion of some of the most useful. Shankar's book
is the nearest thing to a course text, but you may find Townsend more useful
as it gives a different perspective from the lectures:
-
Principles of Quantum Mechanics, 2nd Edition
by R. Shankar. The first half
of the course is covered by Chapters 1 and 4, the rest of the course is covered
by chapters 10--12 and 14--15. The book also covers much other material,
most of which will be taught in 3rd year.
-
A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics
by J. S. Townsend. This book is at about the right level but develops the
maths much more intuitively, focussing much more on the physics than my
lectures will. A useful supplement to come at the same material from a
different direction.
Resources at other web sites
Last modified: 2012 May 09
J. P. Leahy
University of Manchester
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics,
Alan Turing Building
Manchester M13 9PL
jpl@jb.man.ac.uk