Quantum Physics For Dummies, Revised Edition

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Small World, Huh? Essential Quantum Physics

Part II: Bound and Undetermined: Handling Particles in Bound States

Part III: Turning to Angular Momentum and Spin

Part IV: Multiple Dimensions: Going 3D with Quantum Physics

Part V: Group Dynamics: Introducing Multiple Particles

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Small World, Huh? Essential Quantum Physics

Chapter 1: Discoveries and Essential Quantum Physics

Being Discrete: The Trouble with Black-Body Radiation

First attempt: Wien's Formula

Second attempt: Rayleigh-Jeans Law

An intuitive (quantum) leap: Max Planck's spectrum

The First Pieces: Seeing Light as Particles

Solving the photoelectric effect

Scattering light off electrons: The Compton effect

Proof positron? Dirac and pair production

A Dual Identity: Looking at Particles as Waves

You Can't Know Everything (But You Can Figure the Odds)

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Rolling the dice: Quantum physics and probability

Chapter 2: Entering the Matrix: Welcome to State Vectors

Creating Your Own Vectors in Hilbert Space

Making Life Easier with Dirac Notation

Abbreviating state vectors as kets

Writing the Hermitian conjugate as a bra

Multiplying bras and kets: A probability of 1

Covering all your bases: Bras and kets as basis-less state vectors

Understanding some relationships using kets

Grooving with Operators ...