Course of Theoretical Physics
Encyclopedia
The Course of Theoretical Physics is a ten-volume series of books covering theoretical physics
that was initiated by Lev Landau
and written in collaboration with his student Evgeny Lifshitz
starting in the late 1930s.
It is said that Laudau composed much of the series in his head while in an NKVD
prison in 1938-39. However, almost all of the actual writing of the early volumes was done by Lifshitz, giving rise to the often repeated witticism, "not a word of Landau and not a thought of Lifshitz". The first eight volumes were finished in the 1950s, written in the Russian language
, and translated into English
by the late 1950s. The last two volumes were written in the early 1980s. Vladimir Berestetskii and Lev Pitaevskii also contributed to the series. The series is often referred to as "Landau and Lifshitz" in informal settings.
Volume 1
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Volume 2
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Volume 3
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Volume 4
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Volume 5
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
that was initiated by Lev Landau
Lev Landau
Lev Davidovich Landau was a prominent Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics...
and written in collaboration with his student Evgeny Lifshitz
Evgeny Lifshitz
Evgeny Mikhailovich Lifshitz was a leading Soviet physicist of Jewish origin and the brother of physicist Ilya Mikhailovich Lifshitz. Lifshitz is well known in general relativity for coauthoring the BKL conjecture concerning the nature of a generic curvature...
starting in the late 1930s.
It is said that Laudau composed much of the series in his head while in an NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
prison in 1938-39. However, almost all of the actual writing of the early volumes was done by Lifshitz, giving rise to the often repeated witticism, "not a word of Landau and not a thought of Lifshitz". The first eight volumes were finished in the 1950s, written in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, and translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by the late 1950s. The last two volumes were written in the early 1980s. Vladimir Berestetskii and Lev Pitaevskii also contributed to the series. The series is often referred to as "Landau and Lifshitz" in informal settings.
Impact
The books are well known for their concise, elegant and accurate formulation of the laws of physics. Generations of physicists, both in Russia and around the world, have been educated in physics through this series. The presentation of material is advanced, requires a foundation of physics, and is suitable for graduate-level study.English editions
Note that reprints and revised editions are not listed.Volume 1
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Volume 2
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Volume 3
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Volume 4
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Volume 5
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- Early version:
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Volume 6
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Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10
External links
- Course of Theoretical Physics on Britannica Online.
- All ten volumes on Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
- Early version: