5 books
—
2 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (Theoretical Minimum #2)” as Want to Read:
Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum
(Theoretical Minimum)
by
From the bestselling author of The Theoretical Minimum, a DIY introduction to the math and science of quantum physics
First he taught you classical mechanics. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind has teamed up with data engineer Art Friedman to present the theory and associated mathematics of the strange world of quantum mechanics.
In this follow-up to The Theoretical Minimum, Su ...more
First he taught you classical mechanics. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind has teamed up with data engineer Art Friedman to present the theory and associated mathematics of the strange world of quantum mechanics.
In this follow-up to The Theoretical Minimum, Su ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 364 pages
Published
February 25th 2014
by Basic Books
(first published January 1st 2014)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Quantum Mechanics,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Quantum Mechanics
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (Theoretical Minimum #2)

Sep 11, 2014
Manny
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Manny by:
Anyone who wants to understand quantum mechanics and knows some math
Shelves:
science
I've finished volume one and now I'm dying to find out what happens next. Talk about a cliffhanger ending!
__________________________________
I must confess that I didn't enjoy the second volume quite as much as the first, but that mainly shows how high the bar was; this is still the best introduction to quantum mechanics I have ever seen, and if you have some mathematical background (linear algebra, calculus) I can't recommend it too highly. It requires some effort to read, but it's definitely wo ...more
__________________________________
I must confess that I didn't enjoy the second volume quite as much as the first, but that mainly shows how high the bar was; this is still the best introduction to quantum mechanics I have ever seen, and if you have some mathematical background (linear algebra, calculus) I can't recommend it too highly. It requires some effort to read, but it's definitely wo ...more

If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.
ΔE Δt ≥ ℏ/2: "Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum" by Leonard Susskind, Art Friedman
I was on a train the other week and I was sitting opposite Einstein who asked me if I would mind changing seats because he liked to see where he was going for a half a journey and then he liked to see where he had been for the other half of the journey and I told him I didn't mind changing seats and I asked him if he minded me asking him if he wa ...more
ΔE Δt ≥ ℏ/2: "Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum" by Leonard Susskind, Art Friedman
I was on a train the other week and I was sitting opposite Einstein who asked me if I would mind changing seats because he liked to see where he was going for a half a journey and then he liked to see where he had been for the other half of the journey and I told him I didn't mind changing seats and I asked him if he minded me asking him if he wa ...more

This is a really nice introductory book on Quantum Mechanics - Quantum Mechanics done for real, with some decent detail and good mathematical treatment of some of its most important aspects.
As a list of prerequisites for fully enjoying this book, I would recommend the following:
- read volume 1 (on Classical Mechanics) which is simply fantastic on its own
- basic knowledge of linear algebra, calculus and complex vector (Hilbert) spaces
The author is great at explaining potentially tricky and compl ...more

Oct 12, 2020
Bernardo
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science,
non-fiction
Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum is the second book in the Theoretical Minimum series. The first book was about classical mechanics, covering both Newtonian and advanced mechanics, and in a way it felt like a preparation for quantum mechanics. Having read this book, I can safely say that quantum mechanics is even weirder than I thought.
The first half of the book moves at a slow speed. In that sense it reminded me of the first book, just introducing the reader to the necessary tools and ...more
The first half of the book moves at a slow speed. In that sense it reminded me of the first book, just introducing the reader to the necessary tools and ...more

We could, of course, use any notation we want; do not laugh at notations; invent them, they are powerful. In fact, mathematics is, to a large extent, invention of better notations.
—Richard Feynman
I’m a bit sad to be finally putting this book down. Now, I can no longer tell friends and coworkers that I’m reading a book about the mathematics of quantum mechanics. Oh well.
I’ve already written a fairly detailed review of the first volume (which can be found here); and since this volume is very s ...more

Apr 26, 2014
Ivan Vuković
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
physics,
informal-but-technical
Susskind's Theoretical Minimum series might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I'm really beginning to love this style (way more than the video lectures, I should add!).
It's not your usual popular science with so much hand waving and analogies it almost feels like patronising, but it's not the usual cold and formal textbook style either.
Susskind manages to explain all the core ideas of the theory in a beautiful and coherent way. Some details must, of course, be omitted, but there's no BS and swe ...more
It's not your usual popular science with so much hand waving and analogies it almost feels like patronising, but it's not the usual cold and formal textbook style either.
Susskind manages to explain all the core ideas of the theory in a beautiful and coherent way. Some details must, of course, be omitted, but there's no BS and swe ...more

Great introduction to the subject giving a very insightful depth to linear algebra. Unlike most books for quantum mechanics this book requires that you have some fundamental knowledge. This brings me to my first issue. For some reason it is expected of you to have read the earlier book published about classical mechanics, although my training in this has come from other means fortunately; people buying this book separate from the other theoretical minimum series without training in classical dyn
...more

Spooky Action at a Distance by George Musser
and
Quantum Mechanics the Theoretical Minimum by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman
review by Galen Weitkamp
Perhaps it’s unfair to compare these two works given the differences in the intent of their authors. George Musser is fascinated by what some identify as the nonlocal nature of the measurement process in quantum theory. It seems to this reader that his intent is not only to inform but to convince the reader of its “reality” and the consequences that ...more
and
Quantum Mechanics the Theoretical Minimum by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman
review by Galen Weitkamp
Perhaps it’s unfair to compare these two works given the differences in the intent of their authors. George Musser is fascinated by what some identify as the nonlocal nature of the measurement process in quantum theory. It seems to this reader that his intent is not only to inform but to convince the reader of its “reality” and the consequences that ...more

Oct 09, 2017
Alexandra
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
unfinished,
non-fiction
I am putting this book on hold for now. I started reading it during a long voyage and it was very interesting and invigorating, like a good workout for the brain. But as soon as I got back to work, I lost the stamina necessary to keep up with the book.
It is hard. The math is real and you have to learn a whole new vocabulary to follow the explanations.
But even if I read only a half of this, I got what I wanted originally. My big question to quantum mechanics was something like "Don't they see ho ...more
It is hard. The math is real and you have to learn a whole new vocabulary to follow the explanations.
But even if I read only a half of this, I got what I wanted originally. My big question to quantum mechanics was something like "Don't they see ho ...more

The motivation for this book is to explain the fundamental ideas of quantum mechanics (QM) in such a way that readers with very little mathematical knowledge (some calculus, vectors in 3-space) are able to understand it. In this, the book is mostly successful.
As someone with a broader mathematical background who learned some QM before, I was mostly interested in the pedagogical angle the book would take. Most physics books introduce QM from a historical point of view, reviewing the problems lead ...more
As someone with a broader mathematical background who learned some QM before, I was mostly interested in the pedagogical angle the book would take. Most physics books introduce QM from a historical point of view, reviewing the problems lead ...more

Excellent, effective, and entertaining. Compared to the first volume, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics, this one has much more accurate editing and typesetting, along with a better co-author. This series of books is destined to be classic.
...more

An excellent continuation of The Theoretical Minimum, which is a prerequisite to reading this book.
I say here that I've "read" this book, but so far I've only skimmed to get the lay of the land. Because this is not a bullshit popularized treatment of quantum mechanics, it takes actual work and concentration to make your way through it and really understand the mathematics. So this is going to be my background reading for some time to come. ...more
I say here that I've "read" this book, but so far I've only skimmed to get the lay of the land. Because this is not a bullshit popularized treatment of quantum mechanics, it takes actual work and concentration to make your way through it and really understand the mathematics. So this is going to be my background reading for some time to come. ...more

Susskind shows you how beautiful quantum mechanics is. He does a great job - it's almost impossible to believe that something as cool and elegant as this wouldn't be true. Well... string theory is even cooler and even more elegant, so that must be true too. You see?
Okay Len, nice try. But I wasn't born yesterday.
...more
Okay Len, nice try. But I wasn't born yesterday.
...more

This book is a continuation of The Theoretical Minimum which covered Classical Mechanics in physics. Using simple language and explaining the terminology, Susskind and Friedman go through the basics of Quantum Mechanics. They talk about eigenvectors and eigenvalues, bra-ket notation, wave forms, uncertainty and linear operators. Even more is covered, but you get the basic idea I hope.
This book leaves some things to the reader, for instance, you might have to prove some sort of mathematical theor ...more
This book leaves some things to the reader, for instance, you might have to prove some sort of mathematical theor ...more

Considering this was written for a lay audience (or, perhaps more accurately, a mathematically savvy but not-too-knowledgeable audience), it's quite a remarkable book.
The focus is on finite dimensional systems (i.e., quantum information) initially. This is a similar approach, if I recall correctly, that Isham takes in his Lectures on Quantum Theory: Mathematical and Structural Foundations.
Susskind nicely avoids the problematic terminology physicists have with dimensions. The free particle in one ...more
The focus is on finite dimensional systems (i.e., quantum information) initially. This is a similar approach, if I recall correctly, that Isham takes in his Lectures on Quantum Theory: Mathematical and Structural Foundations.
Susskind nicely avoids the problematic terminology physicists have with dimensions. The free particle in one ...more

This is a fantastic introduction to quantum mechanics. It goes over vector and wavefunction formalisms, and discusses almost all the math you need to understand (you'll need calculus before reading this book).
The book starts from a discussion of electron spins, and develops quantum mechanics to explain how spin changes on measurements or if placed in a magnetic field. The Schroedinger equation is derived and explained, and then applied to harmonic oscillators in general.
This book is engaging, we ...more
The book starts from a discussion of electron spins, and develops quantum mechanics to explain how spin changes on measurements or if placed in a magnetic field. The Schroedinger equation is derived and explained, and then applied to harmonic oscillators in general.
This book is engaging, we ...more

Leonard Susskind puts quantum mechanics in the most entertaining and relatable terms. All you need to understand all this is calculus, linear algebra, statistics and probability. I haven't got all my linear algebra down, but so far haven't run into anything I couldn't figure out within 5 mins of googling.
...more

A deeply succinct introduction to the world of Quantum Mechanics, the foundations that govern our world, and the basis on which future discoveries of physical laws will be built. Leonard and Art do a wonderful tribute to the big players of the late 19th - early 20th century from Maxwell to Einstein, and my personal favourite, Paul Dirac; whilst I believe having a precursory knowledge of the mathematics involved is useful, with the structure of the literature involved it is not entirely necessary
...more

Never thought learning the essentials of quantum mechanics would be this easy. It's probably because I'm a math student tho, and sadly it might be challenging for those who are not so familiar with maths. (But hey, the series do introduce you to the mathematical concepts that you need to know.) I think I can safely say that this serves as the most acccessible introductory text on quantum mechanics.
...more

Jun 13, 2020
Revert
marked it as did-not-finish
DNF at page 64. I tried I really did. My brain just isn’t cut out for a book that is clearly written for people much smarter than me.
If anything, I’m now convinced that Physics isn’t the A Level subject for me. I’ll probably choose History instead.
If anything, I’m now convinced that Physics isn’t the A Level subject for me. I’ll probably choose History instead.

I didn't like this book.
I think it approches teching QM entirely the wrong way.
- They start from math and show that it can be used to describe QM. This seems backwards to me. We should learn about quantum phenomena, the data, and then stumble on some math than can help us describe that data.
Also, I think their interpretation of QM doesn't make any sense.
- Waves of probability, spin just 'is', entanglement and spooky action at a distnace, observables are treated differently, ... I mean come on.
Bu ...more
I think it approches teching QM entirely the wrong way.
- They start from math and show that it can be used to describe QM. This seems backwards to me. We should learn about quantum phenomena, the data, and then stumble on some math than can help us describe that data.
Also, I think their interpretation of QM doesn't make any sense.
- Waves of probability, spin just 'is', entanglement and spooky action at a distnace, observables are treated differently, ... I mean come on.
Bu ...more

4,5. An educational beginning and a fantastic introduction to quantum mechanics but it certainly makes your head spin!

I saw this book on the shelves in my local booksellers which are usually reserved for books which are new, interesting and likely to sell a lot of copies. They were right on two out of them, but they were in cloud cuckoo land on the ‘lot of copies’ part (unless we get a ‘Brief History of Time effect’ where lots buy it and don’t read it). This is a new and interesting book, and for the niche it is aimed at it is brilliant – but that is a narrow niche indeed.
Usually there are two kinds of science ...more
Usually there are two kinds of science ...more

Once again, the Theoretical Minimum takes you past the pop-science to take a real look at the mathematical foundations of physics, in this case quantum mechanics, building on the formulation of classical mechanics from the first book. And once again, for someone who has learned a bit about quantum mechanics in various school/work contexts, I was surprised how much more there was to it than I was aware.
I get a feeling that a lot of introductory physics courses teach QM in the order that it was d ...more
I get a feeling that a lot of introductory physics courses teach QM in the order that it was d ...more

The sequel to The Theoretical Minimum, which dealt with classical physics, this book explains the basics of quantum theory in a simple (but not oversimplified) way beginning with spin states and working through the Schrödinger equation, combinations of states, entanglement, and the uncertainty principle. The first half of the book introduces the mathematics of complex vector spaces in a very understandable way (I had never studied linear algebra at all, even with real vectors, and I had no troub
...more

I have read a lot of popular physics books that left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. Finally I have found a book that I can almost completely understand that does not pull any punches. It was sometimes a slog to get through the material, and I will probably have to do some additional reading before it all completely sinks in, but now I finally feel that I have the grounding to be able to move on to higher level material. There is a bit of hand waving in the math in this book, which bothered me a
...more

Great book but becomes difficult fairly quickly. Be prepared to read sections over and over again to understand some of the concepts better. Presented very well, but some bits could have done with a bit more explanation. The notation could also be clearer in some areas which would have reduced the difficulty a bit. I haven't read Volume I on classical mechanics yet, and maybe reading that first would have made it a bit easier to follow things here but it doesn't hamper understanding. Also, a pri
...more

Wow, that has been a very nice journey. This book is not an easy job, especially if your physics definitions are a bit rusty. But it is definitely a self-contained and you need very little to go through it. The only things you need is courage, persistence and an open mind for grasping new way of thinking.
This is really a great introduction to fundamental Quantum Mechanics, which might allow you to go deeper in the field and sub-fields. However, it is just the current state of how QM is described ...more
This is really a great introduction to fundamental Quantum Mechanics, which might allow you to go deeper in the field and sub-fields. However, it is just the current state of how QM is described ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Leonard Susskind is the Felix Bloch Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University. His research interests include string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics and quantum cosmology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an associate member of the faculty of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Phys
...more
Other books in the series
Theoretical Minimum
(3 books)
News & Interviews
Readers have a lot to look forward to this year! Just feast your eyes upon all of these debut books to check out and emerging authors to...
55 likes · 27 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“world seems filled with people who are genuinely, deeply interested in physics but whose lives have taken them in different directions. This book is for all of us.”
—
1 likes
“The units that we use reflect our own size. The origin of the meter seems to be that it was used to measure rope or cloth: it’s about the distance from a person’s nose to his or her outstretched fingers. A second is about as long as a heartbeat. And a kilogram is a nice weight to carry around. We use these units because they are convenient, but fundamental physics doesn’t care that much about us. The”
—
0 likes
More quotes…