Product Description
The ideal companion in condensed matter physics – now in new and revised edition.
Solving homework problems is the single most effective way for students to familiarize themselves with the language and details of solid state physics. Testing problem-solving ability is the best means at the professor’s disposal for measuring student progress at critical points in the learning process. This book enables any instructor to supplement end-of-chapter textbo… More >>
Solid State Physics: Problems and Solutions
Tags: companion, condensed matter physics, critical points, homework problems, physics problems, solid state physics, student progress
#1 by webmaster on June 29, 2010 - 12:25 am
One rarely comes across a book, about which one can say without any qualifying adjective, that it is simply great. The book of Mihaly and Martin however does belong in this rarefied category.
As anyone teaching solid state physics knows from experience, it is always demanding to find quality examples. The problems in the previous standard books are unfortunately dated, often decades back. In contrast, Mihaly and Martin bring examples from the very latest developments in solid state physics. At the same time they find room for covering the actual workings of such must-know experimental apparatii, as the triple axis spectrometer and the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It is hard to find books, which adress the theoretical and experimental sides of our discipline with such balance.
When the authors cover more conventional topics, like symmetries and band structures, they make them exciting for the student by chosing fascinating applications, for instance lattices of fullerenes instead of sodium. When they cover modern areas, they devote space extensively, very much unlike similar treatises. These include optical properties, correlation effects in infinite and low dimensional models, and phase transitions in electronic systems.
The best recommendation goes beyond words; it is reflected in actions: I already adopted the book in my course, and the students cannot get enough of these inventive problems. They actually like solving the homework problems, a true satisfaction for any teacher.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by webmaster on June 29, 2010 - 2:09 am
One rarely comes across a book, about which one can say without any qualifying adjective, that it is simply great. The book of Mihaly and Martin however does belong in this rarefied category.
As anyone teaching solid state physics knows from experience, it is always demanding to find quality examples. The problems in the previous standard books are unfortunately dated, often decades back. In contrast, Mihaly and Martin bring examples from the very latest developments in solid state physics. At the same time they find room for covering the actual workings of such must-know experimental apparatii, as the triple axis spectrometer and the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It is hard to find books, which adress the theoretical and experimental sides of our discipline with such balance.
When the authors cover more conventional topics, like symmetries and band structures, they make them exciting for the student by chosing fascinating applications, for instance lattices of fullerenes instead of sodium. When they cover modern areas, they devote space extensively, very much unlike similar treatises. These include optical properties, correlation effects in infinite and low dimensional models, and phase transitions in electronic systems.
The best recommendation goes beyond words; it is reflected in actions: I already adopted the book in my course, and the students cannot get enough of these inventive problems. They actually like solving the homework problems, a true satisfaction for any teacher.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by TOE on June 29, 2010 - 2:50 am
This problems and solutions in solid state physics book leaves much freedom and autonomy to the reader. The expositions of the many problems this book contains are generally short and cover a wide range of solid state physics notions. Much more instructive than Kittel’s or Ashcroft and Mermin’s exercises set.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Anonymous on June 29, 2010 - 3:05 am
This book compiles a large number of problems in SSP (included solutions to the problems as well). It could certainly be used as a supplement for a first course in SSP very effectively.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Anonymous on June 29, 2010 - 5:05 am
This book offers a nice set of pretty standard undergraduate to first year graduate problems in solid state physics. The answers, unfortunately, are sloppy and remarkably lack the detail you would expect from a question and answer book. Each chapter has a superficial and not too insightful introduction to the topic before asking the questions. Probably, most disappointing are the problems for which there are no answers. Isn’t this supposed to be a problem and answer book? If you are looking for an insightful solution guide or a general overview as a companion for an introductory solid state course, you don’t want this book. If you just want to see a result and have some stuff to jot down on homework assignments, then perhaps this book is just what you need.
Rating: 2 / 5