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A L L I S O N Science susskind $26.99 US / $30.00 CAN PDF KM PE & friedman q u a n t u m From the bestselling author of PDF CG AUTHOR q The Theoretical Minimum, a DIY introduction to the AC math and science of quantum mechanics Advance Praise for u n e r ar qua n t u m m e c h a n ic s a m e c h a n i c s CH W e F nn n irst he taught you classical mechanics. Now, A © physicist Leonard Susskind has teamed up with NC Leonard Susskind t data engineer Art Friedman to present the has been the “This is quantum mechanics for real. This is the good stuff , the most mysterious Felix Bloch Professor in Theoretical Physics at Stanford aspects of how reality works, set out with crystalline clarity. If you want to u t h e t h e or e t ic a l m i n i m u m theory and associated mathematics of the strange world of CG quantum mechanics. University since 1978. He is the author (with George know how physicists really think about the world, this book is the place to start.” m Hrabovsky) of The Theoretical Minimum, as well as The Black Hole —Sean Carroll, physicist, California Institute of Technology, and W hat You Need to Know to In this follow-up to The Theoretical Minimum, Susskind and LH Friedman provide a lively introduction to this famously War and The Cosmic Landscape. He lives in Palo Alto, California. author of The Particle at the End of the Universe m start doing ph ysics diffi cult fi eld, which attempts to understand the behavior TJK of sub-atomic objects through mathematical abstractions. “Susskind does a wonderful job of carefully going through in great detail e Unlike other popularizations that shy away from quantum AL the story of the simplest quantum system. As advertised, it’s the theoretical c mechanics’ weirdness, Quantum Mechanics embraces the utter minimum, but a great place for someone to start on the road to a serious strangeness of quantum logic. The authors off er crystal- n h oa understanding of the mysteries of quantum physics.” clear explanations of the principles of quantum states, 5-5/8” x 8-1/2” Sl Peter Woit S: 1-1/4” ret — , Professor of Mathematics, Columbia University, and a uncertainty and time dependence, entanglement, and B: 1-1/16” a rg author of Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law particle and wave states, among other topics, and each a M n BASIC © chapter includes exercises to ensure mastery of each HC Art Friedman is a data consultant who i area. Like The Theoretical Minimum, this volume runs parallel 4/C, PMS 8600 previously spent fi fteen years at Hewlett-Packard as a c to Susskind’s eponymous Stanford University-hosted C Metallic, PMS software engineer. A lifelong student of physics, he lives continuing education course. 290 C s in Mountain View, California. An approachable yet rigorous introduction to a New York Times bestselling author FINISH: famously diffi cult topic, Quantum Mechanics provides a tool gritty over PGS leonard susskind kit for amateur scientists to learn physics at their own pace. mylar $26.99 US / $30.00 CAN ISBN 978-0-465-03667-7 52699 & art friedman Jacket design by Nicole Caputo A Member of the Perseus Books Group Jacket photograph by Rick Schwab www.basicbooks.com 9 780465 036677 This book is the second volume of the Theoretical Minimum series. The first volume, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics, covered classical mechanics, which is the core of any physics education. We will refer to it from time to time simply as Volume I. This second book explains quantum mechanics and its re- lationship to classical mechanics. The books in this series run parallel to Leonard Susskind’s videos, available on the Web through Stanford University (see www.theoreticalminimum.com for a listing). While cov- ering the same general topics as the videos, the books contain additional details, and topics that don’t appear in the videos. QUANTUM MECHANICS Also by Leonard Susskind The Theoretical Minimum What You Need To Know to Start Doing Physics (with George Hrabovsky) The Black Hole War The Cosmic Landscape QUANTUM MECHANICS The Theoretical Minimum LEONARD SUSSKIND and ART FRIEDMAN A Member of the Perseus Books Group New York Copyright © 2014 by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman Published by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books, 250 West 57th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10107–1307. Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810– 4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. Designed by Art Friedman and Leonard Susskind Hilbert’s Place drawings were created by Margaret Sloan. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-465-03667-7 ISBN (ebook): 978-0-465-08061-8 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For our parents, who made it all possible: Irene and Benjamin Susskind George and Trudy Friedman Contents Preface xi Prologue xv Introduction xix 1 Systems and Experiments 1 2 Quantum States 35 3 Principles of Quantum Mechanics 51 4 Time and Change 93 5 Uncertainty and Time Dependence 129 6 Combining Systems: Entanglement 149 7 More on Entanglement 183 8 Particles and Waves 235 9 Particle Dynamics 273 10 The Harmonic Oscillator 311 Appendix 347 Index 353