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David McMahon
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Quantum Field Theory Demystified: A Self-Teaching Guide Paperback – Illustrated, 21 Mar. 2008

by David McMahon (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 64 ratings
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Learn quantum field theory relatively easily

Trying to comprehend quantum field theory but don't have infinite time or the IQ of Einstein? No problem! This easy-to-follow guide helps you understand this complex subject matter without spending a lot of energy.

Quantum Field Theory Demystified covers essential principles such as particle physics and special relativity. You'll learn about Lagrangian field theory, group theory, and electroweak theory. The book also explains continuous and discrete symmetries, spontaneous symmetry breaking, and supersymmetry. With thorough coverage of the mathematics of quantum field theory and featuring end-of-chapter quizzes and a final exam to test your knowledge, this book will teach you the fundamentals of this theoretical framework in no time at all.

This fast and easy guide offers:

  • Numerous figures to illustrate key concepts
  • Sample equations with worked solutions
  • Coverage of quantum numbers
  • Details on the Dirac equation, the Feynman rules, and the Higgs mechanism
  • A time-saving approach to performing better on an exam or at work

Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for an advanced student, Quantum Field Theory Demystified is your shortcut to understanding this fascinating area of physics.

Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0071543821
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0071543828
  3. Edition
    Illustrated
  4. Publisher
    McGraw-Hill Education
  5. Publication date
    21 Mar. 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    18.03 x 1.63 x 23.11 cm
  8. Print length
    318 pages
  9. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

David McMahon is a Microsoft Certified Visual Basic developer. He writes object-oriented software and hardware drivers for Windows NT and 95/98 using Visual Basic and Visual C++. He is also a Microsoft Certification instructor for Visual Basic and Microsoft Access.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McGraw-Hill Education; Illustrated edition (21 Mar. 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0071543821
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0071543828
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.03 x 1.63 x 23.11 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

About the author

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David McMahon

David McMahon

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I am is the author of Linear Algebra Demystified, Quantum Mechanics Demystified, Relativity Demystified, and A Beginner's Guide to Mathematica. He holds advanced degrees in physics and mathematics and works as a consultant at Sandia and Los Alamos National laboratories. He has worked on space nuclear propulsion, the ITER fusion project, optics, and quantum information theory. More information about my books including sample text can be found at http://www.davidmcmahonbooks.com/

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
We don’t use a simple average to calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star. Our system gives more weight to certain factors – including how recent the review is and if the reviewer bought it on Amazon. Learn more
64 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a book to learn theory from but treat it like a revision guide and it'll serve you well.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 December 2018
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Fantastic book, very explicit when other works are often not. Has been useful duing my masters qft module for filling in the gaps in some calculations and providing an actually introductionary level overview of group theory topics. Not a book to learn theory from though, it lacks the physical insights and mathematical nunences of real texts (peskin and schroder for example) - treat it like a revision guide or exam prep and it'll serve you well.
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Gareth Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice clear book on a difficult subject despite its flaws. Excellent value for money.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2016
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I agree with most of the other reviewers except that I'm maybe more positive about it. It's a good book despite its many typos. I've covered this topic earlier with Griffiths superb book on Particle Physics and am building up for a bout with Peskin and Shroeder. I like its clear, step by step explanations and the many worked examples. It works well in conjunction with more serious works. Given that it's a fraction of the price of these serious text and the effort made by the author to cover such a difficult subject with clarity I have no hesitation to award 4 stars; it loses a star because of the typos.
2 people found this helpful
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ian myers
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 January 2018
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Great reference for all maths and physics students.
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Gordon
3.0 out of 5 stars 1414 at Abe.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 March 2022
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Like many other below I found this helpful and frustrating in equal measure. Given the typos and sometimes skating over (yes I know he’s trying hard to simplify a very complex matter) one cannot always be sure that what one is reading is actually correct especially the equations which are in many cases a mess.

With patience one can learn a lot from this book but with a bit better production (It’s McGraw Hill for goodness sake) and editing it could be a lot better. One could say that it is a good start provided one is wary!

To be fair it is simpler than more rigorous texts. If you are worried about cost Zee which is tough going is only a few pounds dearer and Griffiths can be had 2nd hand for £14 at Abe but is also hard going. So on balance a helpful start to learning about QFT.
2 people found this helpful
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Nyein Chan
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book that will make you a real theoretical physicist
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2010
Most demystified series book are excellent in general, in terms of the course design and the way concepts are presented. I see negative comments on this book, but I find the book really good. This book helped me learn not only quantum field theory but also supplemented my other course, Particle Physics. Quantum Field Theory, without a doubt, is one of the most difficult subjects in theoretical physics and this book makes things really easy. It is an extra-ordinary textbook. If you are new to the area of quantum field theory and have exams and do not have much time, grab this book, and in less than 2 weeks you will be field confident about your exams!! Trust me, this is with my own experience!
One person found this helpful
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Joseph
4.0 out of 5 stars Good if used as directed...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 December 2011
I found it extremely hard to rate this book, but in the end, I felt it's worth four stars -- *provided* it's used in conjunction with other QFT textbooks.

The bad: (A) some of the equations are garbled (I'm going on the kindle edition which I've read using a kindle app -- not bad, but I wish they'd scan the equations at a higher resolution) and contain some errors. (B) Strange, obscure overall logic to the book. The logic between the chapters is unclear at times...a new topic or approach will be suddenly introduced and it's not clear how or whether it's meant to follow from what's gone before; (C) No calculation of cross sections and empirical evidence.

On the other hand, there's the good: (A) it's very helpful to the self-teacher (like myself) to see certain fairly elementary proofs and arguments filled out in detail, rather than being left as exercise. (B) Most chapters are, in and of themselves, pretty clear and fairly well explained. There will be times when one thinks -- what's going on?? what do these equations mean?? WTF!?!?! -- but that's in the nature of the subject, and whereas I had got hopelessly stuck in other books, I never really did with this one. (C) I got an insight into certain areas of QFT I simply hadn't managed with other, more detailed, books, and when I returned to these books, this helped me overcome some of those blocks.

In the end, I felt that those good points were significant enough to make this book worth 4 stars. It shouldn't be the only book you learn QFT from, but it played a unique and very helpful role my learning and -- at the price -- it's got to be worth it.
One person found this helpful
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Mr. C. D. Finlay
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad as far as it goes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2010
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This isn't bad as far as it goes as has been pointed out by other reviewers. However I did find the fact that no real attempt was
made to calculate a scattering cross section rather irritating as this is the fundamental quantity used by particle physicists
to test their theories. All we get in the one concrete example of how the Feynman diagrams are used is a calculation of the
probability amplitude with no attempt to relate it to experimental data. I accept that a full derivation of the scatering cross
section formula and decay rate and how they relate to the probability amplitude is probably best left to an appendix.
Nevertheless it would have better if this book at least quoted the formula for the 2-> 2 scattering cross section in the centre
of mass frame (which is quite straight forward) and showed how you go from the probability amplitude to the scattering cross section.

Another severe lack is any mention of QCD which is a simpler gauge theory than the Weinberg Salam model and would have been good
as a chapter before the Weinberg Salam model.

So the neo-phyte looking for a quick introduction to quantum field theory will come away reading this book rather confused.
Better introductions to particle physics are Halzen and Martin or Aitchison and Hey. Although admittedly Halzen and Martin
is rather pricey.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dr. Thomas B. Fowler
5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful book, but not a substitute for a comprehensive text
Reviewed in the United States on 23 December 2020
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I have found this book to be extremely useful as a general introduction to QFT, and also as a supplement to more comprehensive textbooks. It should not be thought of as a replacement for a book such as that by Klauber, or the newer book by Schwichtenberg. Though as other reviewers have noted, McMahon's book has lots of errors, it does give many good explanations, and has lots of worked out problems. These are very helpful for learning the material; even though a few have mistakes, just trying to work out the problems myself and then referring to the book when I get stuck is a good way to learn. I have also found that a subject such as QFT cannot be learned from a single book; it is necessary to read several books and pick up insights from each. Then gradually the overall picture comes into view.
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Marina T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fisica quantistica
Reviewed in Italy on 4 October 2016
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Una serie ben fatta e un libro molto utile per chi ha delle basi di fisica e vuole approfondire l'argomento senza affrontare un livello estremamente specialistico, arrivato in perfetto stato nel tempo previsto.
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Joseph
5.0 out of 5 stars Evaluation of David McMahon's "Quantum Field Theory"
Reviewed in Canada on 16 February 2016
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This book focuses in on the essentials only, no unnecessary abstractions. The author has done his best to make the material intelligible to a non-specialist in the theory of quantum fields.
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physnar
3.0 out of 5 stars Einfacher Einstieg aber viele Tippfehler in Formeln
Reviewed in Germany on 5 October 2012
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Dieses Buch bietet einen einfachen Einstieg in die QFT. Leider haben sich oft Vorzeichenfehler und ähnliche Tippfehler in die Formeln eingeschlichen, die das kritische Hinterfragen jeder Formel notwendig und dieses Buch als Nachschalgewerk unbrauchbar machen. Ab der Hälfte werden die Kapitel wegen der vielen Rechnungen sehr unübersichtlich.
Trotzdem ist dieses Buch meiner Meinung nach geeignet, einem Physikstudenten mit Vorkenntnissen in Mathematik und Quantenmechanik einen guten Einstieg in die Materie zu liefern.
3 people found this helpful
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Kamada
5.0 out of 5 stars Quantum Field Theoryは、皆つまづきます。この本で深く理解しましょう☆
Reviewed in Japan on 9 May 2013
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Quantum Field Theoryは、皆つまづきます。

この本は、易しくかかれていますので、皆さんに強く推薦します。

他の、Demystifiedシリーズも是非☆
2 people found this helpful
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