Modern Physics

This undergraduate textbook creates a bridge between classical and modern physics, filling the gap between descriptive elementary texts and formal graduate textbooks. Intended for science and engineering students with an introductory physics and calculus background, the book aims to give students a feeling for the principles of modern physics through topics that complement and draw upon each other, enhancing student understanding.

Beginning by discussing the basic aspects of classical physics, including theoretical and experimental aspects the book then analyses the same topics within a modern physics frame, critically addressing the complexity of modern physics compared to classical physics. The classical experiments that gave rise to modern physics are also presented and reviewed: the authors discuss empirical methods to explain the experiments and argue that the difficulty with describing these phenomena can be transformed into cultural challenges that require new forms of reasoning. Special relativity and quantum mechanics are thus presented in a way that undergraduate students can approach and fully understand them.

Special emphasis is devoted to solid-state physics and its relationship with modern physics, referring in particular to experiments that manifest quantum macroscopic effects. Practice exercises and solutions are included to enhance student understanding. The book is essential reading for undergraduate students of modern physics and is a valuable reference for advanced students, high-school teachers, and general readers interested in the fascinating field of modern physics.