No comments about Lost Causes in and beyond Physics.

No comments about Advances in Nuclear Physics: Volume 20 (Advances in the Physics of Particles and Nuclei).

No comments about Variational Principles and Methods in Theoretical Physics and Chemistry.

3 comments about The Fractional Fourier Transform: with Applications in Optics and Signal Processing.

1. This is a delightful reference book on the Fractional Fourier Transform. The authors did a great job explaining systems theory leading up to a thorough treatment of the Fractional Fourier Transform and other fractional transforms. Plenty of references are cited leading the reader to a rich source of background and follow-up material. Later chapters delve into suggested applications which complete a rather pleasing read of the entire subject. Buy this book.



2. From my point of view as a deeply intested reader of the book, this book is an excellent source book for those who want to increase his/her knowledge on concepts of signals and sytems. It is a comprehensive study on the signal and system representation in generalized frequency domains with very useful applications in different era of electrical engineering. Starting with a general representation theory and then focusing on time-frequency representations, the book prepares the reader for the novel generalized Fourier trasnform. In this new world, the traditional frequency domain is no more than a special condition. Thus, in any application that Fourier transform can be used, the FrFT lends itself to a variety of applications including image restoration, denoising, optical wave propogation, filtering, quantum mechanics, information theory etc., generally as an optimization problem over a contiuum of frequency domains. You should read this book if you are a EE. Thanks to the authors.



3. I am an optical engineering student and felt that this book was quite understandable (although I read the optics back half first, which then motivated the mathematical front half for me). It gave me additional insight into the Fourier transform as well as the applications of Fourier analysis in optics. I also learned as much on optics from this book as I have from any dedicated optics book. It has so many jewels that other books don't have that I wish I was rich enough to own a copy rather than having to check it out from the library.

No comments about Statistical Physics of Crystals and Liquids: A Guide to Highly Accurate Equations of State.

No comments about Nonlinear Problems of Elasticity (Applied Mathematical Sciences).

No comments about The Lace Expansion and its Applications: Ecole d'Eté de Probabilités de Saint-Flour XXXIV - 2004 (Lecture Notes in Mathematics / Ecole d'Eté Probabilit.Saint-Flour).

No comments about Quantum Tunneling in Complex Systems: The Semiclassical Approach (Springer Tracts in Modern Physics).

5 comments about Mathematical Methods for Physicists.

1. I am a graduate physics student with a strong mathematical background. This is the textbook used for our 2 semester course in mathematical methods for physics. The book is massive, both in content and physical weight. The cover is attractive and the printing seems to be fairly high quality. Now comes the difficult part of the review: finding other positive comments. First of all, I have only used a few chapters of the book thus far, so my comments pertain only to those. Some difficulties I have found... There are no answers to any exercises making the book fairly useless for self-study. The material is very uneven, as if each section was written by a different author (graduate student?). The explanations and examples are mediocre at best (contrast with the Mary Boas book). There are MANY typos - what ever happened to proof reading? The class INSTRUCTOR doesn't like the book, but is forced to use it by the department, and has regularly emailed the authors with corrections and recommendations. None of the students in the class like the book. You may be forced to use this book, but I would recommend other books as supplements (e.g., the book by Mary Boas and several in the Schaum Outline Series).



2. I appreciate the quick delivery of the book! I received it on the first day of the estimated time interval. I enjoy shopping at amazon.com!



3. This book is the epitome of useless texts. I used this book for graduate mathematical physics as well as the "essential" version for undergraduate math methods. I have yet to learn a single thing from this book or find it remotely useful as a reference.
   
   The explanations range from non-existent to shockingly awful to terribly incomplete.
   
   It appears that the authors simply vomited a collection of formulas into a word processor and sold it as a textbook. Mathematical Methods of Physics (2nd Edition) is much better.



4. Arfken and Weber is a wonderful reference text covering a large number of topics that are not too easy to understand at first glance. I think of it as kind of a 'bridge' between Abromowitz and Stegun on one side and Jackson on the other. Most purely physics books do not explain how the mathematics is developed, instead assuming that the reader already has some kind of familiarity with the subject in advance. On the other hand, most purely mathematics books are far too abstract to be of immediate use to the physicist. Arfken and Weber develop enough of the mathematics to give the reader the gist of how the arguments go, then present a number of good problems to practice the techniques.
   
   Many of the other reviews of this book are very low - especially from students attempting to learn the material for the first time, presumably without a good teacher. I will admit that this would be a very daunting task! However, the material is quite accessible once the student gets the hang of it. This book has been one of the most prized volumes on my shelves for the better part of 10 years. The sections on special functions are especially useful, and I really like the way that interesting and important functions permeate the book rather then being trapped in their own chapter. This gives the reader a sense of how all of the topics are interrelated rather than separate entities. I do understand how it would be very confusing to a student trying to learn the material for the first time, however. As a textbook, this book is best used with a teacher who directs students to specific problems associated with the material being covered in class so that the class can fill in the holes.
   
   The fourth edition does have a large number of typos - some in complicated equations where they can lead to problems for the unsuspecting student. I wonder if this is the source of some of the negative reviews.. I can only hope that the sixth edition contains less of these...
   
   All in all, a great reference that uncovers some of the 'secrets' associated with the formulas found in Abromowitz and Stegun. I find it fun to sit down with AMS-55 and try to derive some of the relations found therein after reading a section in Arfken and Weber. Maybe that's just me... If all you need is a formula book, pick up a paperback copy of AMS-55 and save yourself $60 or more. If you want to have a deep understanding of the mathematics behind it, take seven or eight graduate level courses from the mathematics department at a respectable university (good luck learning the ins and outs of the special functions...!). If you just want to see how the functions and techniques are used in practice and to explore some of their properties, this book is for you.



5. Just got this book for my graduate math methods class and this book sucks!!! it takes things you already know and convolutes them and makes it really obscure. a total waste of money. is griffiths the only decent physics author??

No comments about Fourier Transformation for Pedestrians (Fourier Series).