Physics from Symmetry (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics)

I admired the premise of this book in terms of using symmetry as a starting point to see how the various pillars of physics like quantum mechanics, classical mechanics and electromagnetism are manifested and the connections between the subjects. In short, it is a masterpiece and actually demonstrates the line of thinking that most of my graduate physics professors only hinted at or suggested might be there (and I don't blame them, it's a deep and difficult topic that few have ventured into let alone mastered). Jakob walks a very fine line in trying to keep the math as simple as possible but also sufficiently powerful to connect and explain the ideas. The math is deep, there is no avoiding it at this level of exploration, but it's also very clearly annotated and described with the same clarity that other textbooks use to describe a simple pendulum. Keep in mind, this is not meant to be a quantum mechanics textbook or a reference for all of electromagnetism. The emphasis is on the origins of those areas, and the author does an amazing job. Bravo!

First off, I want to echo many of the reviews that have already been done. This book is a work of art. Anyone that is interested in QFT should read this book prior to starting any classes and maybe again once you have taken some QFT and are looking for a high level perspective. It fills in the conceptual gaps that rigorous treatments allude to but do not address in words. When studying QFT, this book can be viewed as a high level roadmap of where you are and maybe where you should look next. Will it help you solve homework problems in a group theory, lie algebra, or QFT class? Probably not. Will it help you understand and contextualize everything you are learning? Depending on your experience, quite likely. However, it provides a short list of references for every chapter in which you can usually find most of what you are looking for. I have bought four hard copies of this book so far. Initially one for myself, and another three as gifts. I also bought a ecopy pdf from his website to annotate on my iPad. I view even that first one as a gift from Schwichenberg. Thank you so much for putting this together. I have only one critical comment about this book (and his QFT textbook). The deep beauty of path integral formalisms is overlooked. However, this is likely beyond the purpose of these books and anyway the study of path integrals should be rigorous.

20+ years after my PhD I did not expect to finally gain a deeper understanding of the group theory underpinning of the most fundamental concepts in Physics. The author always keeps the big picture Physics motivation and interpretation clear and explicit. He does not skimp over the math but shows step by step derivations that other books may refer to homework assignments. A real page turner!

The review by MSE Fanatic is right on target. If you carefully read Chapter 3 on Lie Algebra behind the Lorentz and Poincare groups should become clearer. If you want to have a mathematical insight into spinors and spin this is a great place to start your study. This will help you approach the rotations,boosts, and translations seen in quantum field theory and other fields of physics. I would like to make clear exactly what math you need to get the most out of this book. As an example you will need to a clear understanding of tensor calculus, the Kronecker, Permutation tensors to understand math relating the K generator (formula 3.145 to 3.147) . The conversion between tensor format and matrices can be very confusing unless you have a foundation in both tensor calculus and linear algebra. (See author side note number 129). In places the author does a beautiful job demonstrating the switch from vector(tensor) format to matrix format.( Please see sections 3.157-3.158.) He also does a nice job of demonstrating the Taylor series for the first member of the Lorentz group. This would be a good time to refresh your memory on the hyperbolic sinh and cosh fuctions and series. In other places you have to figure out the math for yourself. The author frequently leaves it to the reader to calculate out the commutators. As stated in previously noted review it would be very helpful to self learners who are new to this math or have forgotten this math to have more of them written out. Overall a wonderful book which gives you the algebra to appreciate many aspects of modern physics.

This book makes learning about modern physics relatively easy. The writing style is engaging and clear. The book is rather short and focuses on the big picture while leaving many questions open. But this is actually a good thing because you first want to get an overview before diving into the details. I was somewhat disappointed that even in the second edition many typos (especially in the equations) remain uncorrected. Before reading this book, I recommend to first go through the author's No-Nonsense books (which are more elementary and detailed) or the similar Theoretical-Minimum books by Susskind.

If you are interested in books about the modern theory of quantum physics (e.g. quantum field theories) that are accessible for anyone with a STEM degree, this is the book for you! The premise of the book is that all of derivable physics is governed by the principal of symmetry. Why the physical world exist they way it does (e.g. fundamental constants, the occurrence of triples in theories and results) is not discussed because as of now it has no derivable theory. The author provides all the mathematics needed in a clean and digestible delivery. All that he assumes is basic familiarity with vector spaces, complex numbers, calculus, linear algebra but provides appendices to refresh the reader. After completing this book you will have a clear understanding for the current theory behind the physical world and how the mathematics of symmetry tells us this. The only critique I have is, it would be nice to see some examples working out the "mechanics" of the math . This book is just a pleasure to have read.

If you want to self study physics, this is it!

By George, I think he's got it! (And, more to the point, perhaps I finally get it as well.) What a great way to look at physics. Obviously other approaches have their strengths as well. But, this is a way to get a handle on the BIG PICTURE, the big fat, "What's it all about?" question. It's all about symmetry! Now, wouldn't it be wonderful if I knew about this book BEFORE I read the standard textbooks on quantum mechanics and quantum field theory? Ah yes, c'est la vie! Still, Great Job Jakob! (p.s. -- make sure you have a compatible device. I know a lot of other Kindle versions don't support a crisp font that resizes formulas, something a kin to PDF formats. This Kindle version requires a device that supports advanced fonts.)

I've got a Master degree in nuclear physics but still i've got a lot of question unsolved about QFT and his applications. This book has made me an incredible boost to improve mi knolewge of the matter and mainly a big perception about the group theory importance in the modern physics development and his deep consequences. From first principles this book offers the perspective that there's not other way so simple to modelate de reality with so big consequences. A must.

Big size, super quality paper, print and binding. Liked the setup better than the no-nonsense books by the same author. Moreover, I learned so much from this book. Typically one of those books you wanted to have read 30 years ago.

É um bom livro para estudantes de graduação.

This is what you need to understand the language of Physics. It's awesome!

One of the first textbooks where i truly wished it would just go on and on. Definitely helped my understanding, but it is only an introductory book that often scratches on the surface. Either way a good starting point and almost no prior-knowledge required. Afterwards or as alternatives i can recommend (imo) - Symmetry and the Standard model by Matthew Robinson (sligthly more demanding) - Quantom theory, groups and representations by Peter Woit (a lot more demanding)