Books in the Student's Guides series

Written to complement course textbooks, this book focuses on the topics that students find most difficult. It uses plain language to explain fundamental ideas, and features exercises and fully-worked examples. Ideal for undergraduates in physics and engineering, the book is supported by a suite of online resources.

Written for intermediate undergraduate students and independent learners with basic calculus, this Guide covers all of the core ideas of Special Relativity. It does so by using a modern, geometrical approach, which prepares the reader well for further study of General Relativity.

An accessible guide to analytical mechanics, clearly explaining the mathematical theory to help students formulate, solve and interpret problems in mechanics. Each chapter includes easily-visualised examples to provide context and reinforcement of important theory, and concludes with a set of exercises to test understanding.

This introduction to dimensional analysis covers the methods, history and formalisation of the field. Utilising topics including mechanics, hydro- and electrodynamics, and thermal and quantum physics, it illustrates the possibilities and limitations of dimensional analysis, making it perfect for students on introductory courses in physics, engineering and mathematics.

A concise but rigorous treatment of variational techniques, focussing primarily on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems, this book is ideal for physics, engineering and mathematics students. Written in clear, simple language and featuring numerous worked examples and exercises, this book is a valuable supplement to courses in mechanics.

Written for non-science majors taking introductory astronomy courses, this book explains how to use mathematics to solve problems in astronomy. It features plain-language explanations, dozens of fully worked examples, over 150 exercises and homework problems, and a rich set of online supporting materials.

Adopting the same approach used in his highly popular A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations, Fleisch explains vectors and tensors in plain language to give undergraduate and beginning graduate students a better understanding of how to use vectors and tensors to solve problems in physics and engineering.

Maxwell's equations are four of the most influential equations in science. In this book, each equation is the subject of an entire chapter, making it a wonderful resource for undergraduate and graduate courses in electromagnetism and electromagnetics. Audio podcasts and solutions to the problems are available at www.cambridge.org/9780521701471.

This compact guide presents key features of general relativity to help students understand its core ideas and the basics of differential geometry. It describes how general covariance and the equivalence principle motivate Einstein's theory of gravitation and introduces the mathematical technology which allows us to understand Einstein's equations.

An informal and practically focused introduction for undergraduate students exploring infinite series and sequences in engineering and the physical sciences. With a focus on practical applications in real world situations, it helps students to conceptualize the theory with real-world examples and to build their skill set.

Striving to explore the subject in as simple a manner as possible, this book helps readers understand the elusive concept of entropy, and is an ideal supplement to undergraduate courses in physics, engineering, chemistry and mathematics. Nearly 50 end-of-chapter exercises test readers' understanding.

Fourier transform theory is of central importance in a vast range of applications in physical science, engineering, and applied mathematics. This new edition of a successful student text provides a concise introduction to the theory and practice of Fourier transforms, using qualitative arguments wherever possible and avoiding unnecessary mathematics. After a brief description of the basic ideas and theorems, the power of the technique is then illustrated by referring to particular applications in optics, spectroscopy, electronics and telecommunications. The rarely discussed but important field of multi-dimensional Fourier theory is covered, including a description of computer-aided tomography (CAT-scanning). The final chapter discusses digital methods, with particular attention to the fast Fourier transform. Throughout, discussion of these applications is reinforced by the inclusion of worked examples. The book assumes no previous knowledge of the subject, and will be invaluable to students of physics, electrical and electronic engineering, and computer science.

All students taking laboratory courses within the physical sciences and engineering will benefit from this book. A concise, readable guide to data handling and error analysis, this book provides practical guidelines, computer programs (in Python), and recipes for the proper handling and presentation of scientific data and their inaccuracies.

Retaining the hugely successful approach used in Fleisch's other student's guides, this accessible resource provides plain language explanations of the fundamental concepts and techniques underlying the Schroedinger equation in quantum mechanics. A companion app from Edukado hosts additional resources including videos, quizzes and interactive graphs to further develop students' understanding.

A concise introduction to the fundamental concepts of atomic physics at an undergraduate level, including worked examples and problems, and many detailed illustrations of key concepts. The first part of the book discusses in depth the underlying principles of atomic physics, and the second part covers applications.

Written for senior undergraduates in all disciplines of physical science and engineering, the plain language style of this concise guide to numerical methods concentrates on developing computational skills and avoids potentially intimidating formal mathematical proofs. Including numerous worked examples and exercises, this textbook explains the practical realities of numerical techniques.

An accessible guide to analytical mechanics, clearly explaining the mathematical theory to help students formulate, solve and interpret problems in mechanics. Each chapter includes easily-visualised examples to provide context and reinforcement of important theory, and concludes with a set of exercises to test understanding.

Students studying classical mechanics can learn Newton's laws of motion through this accessible and pedagogical guide. Carefully scaffolded everyday examples and full explanations of concepts and equations ensure that students will develop a deep and confident understanding of this fundamental and important subject.