The Principles of Quantum Mechanics
 Title page of the first edition | |
| Author | Paul Dirac |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Quantum mechanics |
| Genres | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Publication date | 1930 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 257 |
The Principles of Quantum Mechanics is an influential monograph on quantum mechanics written by Paul Dirac and first published by Oxford University Press in 1930.[1] Dirac gives an account of quantum mechanics by "demonstrating how to construct a completely new theoretical framework from scratch"; "problems were tackled top-down, by working on the great principles, with the details left to look after themselves".[2] It leaves classical physics behind after the first chapter, presenting the subject with a logical structure. Its 82 sections contain 785 equations with no diagrams.[2]
Dirac is credited with developing the subject "particularly in Cambridge and Göttingen between 1925–1927" (Farmelo).[2]
History
The first and second editions of the book were published in 1930 and 1935.[3]
In 1947 the third edition of the book was published, in which the chapter on quantum electrodynamics was rewritten particularly with the inclusion of electron-positron creation.[3]
In the fourth edition, 1958, the same chapter was revised, adding new sections on interpretation and applications. Later a revised fourth edition appeared in 1967.[3]
Beginning with the third edition (1947), the mathematical descriptions of quantum states and operators were changed to use the Bra–ket notation, introduced in 1939 and largely developed by Dirac himself [4]
Laurie Brown wrote an article describing the book's evolution through its different editions,[5] and Helge Kragh surveyed reviews by physicists (including Heisenberg, Pauli, and others) from the time of Dirac's book's publication.[6]
Contents
- The principle of superposition
- Dynamical variables and observables
- Representations
- The quantum conditions
- The equations of motion
- Elementary applications
- Perturbation theory
- Collision problems
- Systems containing several similar particles
- Theory of radiation
- Relativistic theory of the electron
- Quantum electrodynamics
See also
- The Evolution of Physics (Einstein)
- The Feynman Lectures on Physics (Feynman)
- The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory (Heisenberg)
- Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (von Neumann)
External links
- The Principles of Quantum Mechanics Scanned copy of 1930 edition at the Internet Archive.
References
- ^
"Paul A.M. Dirac – Biography". The Nobel Prize in Physics 1933. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
Dirac's publications include ... The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (1930; 3rd ed. 1947).
- ^ a b c Farmelo, Graham (June 2, 1995). "Speaking Volumes: The Principles of Quantum Mechanics" (Book review). Times Higher Education Supplement: 20. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
- ^ a b c Dalitz, R. H. (1995). The Collected Works of P. A. M. Dirac: Volume 1: 1924–1948. Cambridge University Press. pp. 453–454. ISBN 9780521362313.
- ^ PAM Dirac (1939). "A new notation for quantum mechanics". Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 35 (3): 416–418. Bibcode:1939PCPS...35..416D. doi:10.1017/S0305004100021162.
- ^ Brown, L.M. (2006), "Paul A.M. Dirac's The Principles of Quantum Mechanics" (PDF), Physics in Perspective, 8 (4): 381–407, Bibcode:2006PhP.....8..381B, doi:10.1007/s00016-006-0276-4
- ^ Helge Kragh (2013), Paul Dirac and The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Research and Pedagogy, Studies 2: A History of Quantum Physics through Its Textbooks
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