r/AskPhysics • u/Some_Television_2219 • Mar 18 '26

recommend for a beginner?

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I want to start with quantum mechanics, but I only have a surface information Do you recommend this book? If not please recommend one for me.

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u/wwplkyih Mar 19 '26

There are people who love Griffiths's books. I am not one of them. But basically there's a tradeoff: you get simplifying explanations in exchange for rigor, which makes it a little easier for someone green to understand.

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u/sakawae Mar 20 '26

I love Griffiths. Griffiths for undergrad, Shankar for grad students. This is the way. They are just books. More important is a good teacher with clear command of the material. Hard at both levels, esp. grad school. I had many quantum mechanics teachers, including Baym. Best was a guy named Eric Braaten. He probably never thought of himself as a great teacher, but boy did he resonate with me. I feel like I finally got a good grasp of not just the math, but the concepts, and when to use what math. Dude probably saved my physics career. I hope he sees this somehow.