Rating: 
Summary: Remarkably clear and self-contained
Review: One major complaint I have about many textbooks is that they are not particularly self-contained: often times the texts simply don't develop the subjects you need to know to read the book, instead depending on other texts to do so. To some extent I understand this, you can't teach somebody everything they need to know about differential equations in the first chapter of a classical mechanics book and still leave space for classical mechanics.This text addresses that issue perfectly. The introductory section on linear algebra stands by itself very well, and in my opinion is at least as good as the opening sections of Sakurai on linear algebra. It also provides a section on Hamiltonian and Lagrangian mechanics, which the reader can either skip and refer to later or read through, without really disrupting the continuity of the book. All well and good, it sets up the background for quantum mechanics very well, but the key point is how it addresses quantum mechanics itself. And I have to say that it addresses the subject elegantly. It provides well-written sections that are actually entertaining to read, and presents each problem with the brevity it deserves. With the free particle, Shankar simply gives the propagator and procedes to the next section, which is about all that can be done for the free particle, since the energy eigenstates are not normalizeable. The treatment of the quantum harmonic oscillator is among the most complete I've ever seen, approaching it from every possible angle and devoting an entire chapter to the varied solutions. And all this is done with a great deal of clarity. If the text comes across something you might not understand, Shankar stops and discusses it for a page, going into the physical implications of various solutions and theorems, making you feel comfortable that you actually understand the results and are not merely quoting them. In some areas it seems like Shankar holds back on things, and if you want a little group theory in your quantum you'll have to go to another source to supplement, Sakurai comes to mind. But the Shankar can stand alone as the best overall quantum mechanics textbook I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A classic. Destined to become a, perhaps the, standard text.
Review: Quantum mechanics is the most fascinating of modern theories precisely because it is at once the most confirmable and the most mysterious. Richard Feynman once famously claimed that "no one understands quantum mechanics." Introductory expositions of quantum theory are notoriously confusing for students, it is claimed, precisely because no one understands it. In his tour de force presentation, Shankar renders moot this excuse: mystery and confusion are wholly different matters; to not understand a thing is not the same as to have a poor conception of it. Indeed, by rendering clear what quantum mechanics is, he makes it possible to appreciate just how mysterious, how fundamentally non-understandable it is-hence how bewitching. The transparency of Shankar's exposition makes it possible for him to present quantum mechanics using its most advanced mathematical tools-matrix mechanics-instead of the historical tools by which, in fits and starts, it actually developed, and which form the basis for most other introductory texts. The advanced tools, it is claimed, are too difficult for a first exposure, and should be reserved for advanced courses. But Shankar has grasped the subject so well, with such depth and elegance, that he is able to use these tools to expose the heart of quantum theory for the beginner, forcing it to reveal its power, orderliness, internal logic and physical mysteriousness. Because the reader is immediately brought up to speed, and made comfortable, with the notions of Hilbert spaces, the deep connection between the Schroedinger wave equation and Heisenberg matrices, the decomposition of state vectors into various bases and variational principles-all using a beautifully-explained Dirac notation-it is also possible for Shankar to introduce early on the most interesting aspects of quantum mechanics: state vector collapse, for example. He is likewise able to get to more difficult topics sooner: the path integral formulation, for one. I am currently using the text in a jr./sr. level quantum mechanics course at Yale taught by an instructor who himself had learned the subject at Johns Hopkins using it.Shankar writes with ease and dry wit that made me laugh out loud at times. Problems are carefully chosen and spaced within the text to both consolidate the principles just covered and to raise the student's understanding by an extra notch. (I noticed that some problems were classics: I had seen them before elsewhere, and had difficulty with them. Following Shankar's exposition of the material, the problem became easy.) The text is not only a terrific introduction for the serious student of quantum mechanics, it is an intellectual pleasure as well.
Rating:
Summary: best quantum mechanics book
Review: Quite simply this is the best quantum mechanics textbook yet written. The clarity in this book is astounding. Things that had previously seemed completely obscure and difficult are explained here perfectly. Nice layout puts all mathematical background first so you can tackle the physics more efficiently later. Excellent review of lagrangian and hamiltonian mechanics before diving into QM. Again, that part of the book is clearer than any other I've read. Personally, I don't understand why this book isn't being used to teach QM everywhere. Its simply heads and shoulders above all other books. Sakuri, Griffiths, Cohen-Tannoudji, Liboff, they all seem like haphazard messy books compared to this one in my view. If you are a grad student, get it as a supplementary self-study book. For an undergrad its a must. Well actually I'd say its a must for grad students too. Would be nice if the author wrote more textbooks on other areas of physics, because clearly he is gifted in this area, and writing and explaining well is something sorely lacking among most physicists.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome introduction to field using Dirac notation
Review: Shankar has produced a lucid examination into the field of quantum mechanics employing Dirac notation from the very beginning. His initial 80-page introductory chapter on the mathematical notation needed for quantum mechanics (inner-products, Hilbert spaces, Hermitian operators, etc.) is the best I've seen (and one of the only) written for the introductory student. Much better book than Gasiorowicz, Bohm, or others I've seen as introductions.
Rating:
Summary: wow
Review: Shankar is one of those rare beasts which attain the perfect mixture of physical insight and rigourous mathematics. The way quantum mechanics is being taught these days is slowly evolving to take into account the recent advances in condensed matter physics and quantum information science. Shankar's book has a thoroughly modern feel to it, which I feel is entirely complementary the new understanding of quantum mechanics currently being developed. Shankar presents the axioms of quantum mechanics early, just after going through a self-contained introduction to the mathematics required to understand the content of the book. The only criticism I have of this book is that the motivation for the axioms seems a little weak. He then goes through all the standard subjects, eg., angular momentum, scattering theory etc. One nice feature is a very clear description of Feynman's path integral. Another great feature of this book is the inclusion of a broad selection of exercises, most of which are trivial (and hence confidence-building), but still *interesting*. There are partial solutions as well. One of the most unexpected features of this book is that, unlike most learning books, it does not become useless once you have gone through it. At the end of the book there is a beautiful chapter on advanced topics, including, the quantum Hall effect, the Berry phase, and Feynman's path integral as applied to condensed matter physics. The small section on the integral and fractional quantum Hall effects is surely the quickest way to learn about the basic effect. Shankar will continually reward the reader, from the moment you pick it up to learn quantum mechanics for the first time, to the point where you begin research in condensed matter physics, high energy physics, quantum information or any other branch of physics.
Rating:
Summary: The best book on the subject
Review: Shankar seems to feel where the problems
for the reader lie. His calculations are
understandable and his style is just great.
He creates understanding in a way I've
never seen before (and I've looked at
a lot of textbooks on the subject)
Rating:
Summary: Pure delight!
Review: Shankar's text is a true marvel. I could never expect to come across such a clear and thrilling expose of quantum mechanics for undergraduates. This book deserves much appraisal because it is extremely self-contained, reasonably rigorous, and the tour is but wholly satisfying. The book starts with a good chapter on the algebra used in QM, the mathematical principles. This is followed by a review of classical mechanics, which reminds us of the limitations of classical physics and where and when QM comes into play. Then, Feynman's path integral formulation follows immediately, and further chapters deal with perturbation theory (time dependent and independent), and scattering theory. The last chapter, which is the most exciting, covers more material of path integrals. This book is well-suited for those who want to learn quantum mechanics the modern way, without sacrificing relevant details and harmony. I started with Messiah's QM text, itself a classic, but after having read the first 3 chapters in Shankar's, I couldn't but put Messiah's aside and give myself to the pleasure of studying this beautiful book. But with Shankar's, Messiah's and Feynman's (Lectures on Physics vol3) texts, one can easily master quantum mechanics in a most delightful way.
Rating:
Summary: almost perfect
Review: the treatment is always mathematically rigorous, but never gets dry or boring. Shankar uses the modern notations and methods right from the beginning, and uses them to their utmost advantage throughout. Many times, while learning QM, subtle math logic questions might arose for me, that neither my grad school prof, nor our text (merzbacher) answered satisfactorily. Like the real relationship between commutator axioms and wave mechanical axioms, i could find in no other text. i found it a great reference for further understanding as an undergrad, and an indespensible tool as a grad student, keeping it always open for QM studies, and a nice introduction to some QFT topics. in short, the only quantum mechanics textbook i will ever need.
Rating:
Summary: The Only QM i will ever need
Review: the treatment is always mathematically rigorous, but never gets dry or boring. Shankar uses the modern notations and methods right from the beginning, and uses them to their utmost advantage throughout. Many times, while learning QM, subtle math logic questions might arose for me, that neither my grad school prof, nor our text (merzbacher) answered satisfactorily. Like the real relationship between commutator axioms and wave mechanical axioms, i could find in no other text. i found it a great reference for further understanding as an undergrad, and an indespensible tool as a grad student, keeping it always open for QM studies, and a nice introduction to some QFT topics. in short, the only quantum mechanics textbook i will ever need.
Rating:
Summary: very probably the best QM text book.
Review: This book is great for beginning graduate students of
physics who wish to go beyond Griffith level of knowledge.
Mathematically rigurous without boring you.
It is well worth the effort to spend time with this
book reading the physical explanations and doing the
problems. Because you will be awarded with the FEELING
that you've got a SOLID undestanding of QM.
Not only that. You will find yourself picking up this book from the bookshelf quite often even after years of having taken the course.
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