Through five editions now, Mathematical Methods for Physicists has provided all the mathematical methods that aspiring physicists are likely to encounter as stu-
dents and beginning researchers. More than enough material is included for a
two-semester undergraduate or graduate course.
The book is advanced in the sense that mathematical relations are almost always
proven, in addition to being illustrated in terms of examples. These proofs are not
what a mathematician would regard as rigorous, but sketch the ideas and emphasize
the relations that are essential to the study of physics and related fields. This
approach incorporates theorems that are usually not cited under hhe most general
assumptions, but are tailored to the more restricted applications required by physics.
For example, Stokes's Theorem is usually applied by a physicist to a surface with
the tacit understanding that it be simply connected. In this edition such assumptions
have been made more explicit, starting in Chapter 1.