Mastering Quantum Mechanics (2022)
Author: Barton Zwiebach.
Published by MIT Press on April 12, 2022. Available from Amazon and other online sellers.
Last updated on May 27, 2022
Corrections ordered by page number:
• p.43. [5/23/2022] A number of changes are useful, but not required if one just wants to work with
approximate expressions in the large N limit. Here are the changes.
– Second line from the top. Replace ‘that point’ for ‘the instant of the last hit’
– The part of the sentence beginning in line 7: ‘PN (D), and it’ must be changed for ‘PN −1 (D),
since the photon cannot explode the bomb after the detector DR has been activated at time
tN . This PN −1 (D)’
– Equation (2.3.15) should read
π 2(N −1)
Pexplode = PN −1 (D) = 1 − cos . (2.3.15)
2N
– Equation (2.3.16) should read
π 2 2N −2 π2
Pexplode = 1 − 1 − ≃ 1 − 1 − (2N − 2) , (2.3.16)
8N 2 8N 2
– On the following line, just before (2.3.7) change “This therefore gives” for “This therefore
gives, to leading approximation,”
– On the second paragraph from the bottom, add a line at the end (following “... beam split-
ter.”): “Thus the probability of certification is PN (L).”
• p.44. [5/19/2022, Sunjiv Varsani] Exercise 2.5. The numbers stated there do not work out accu-
rately, so change them as follows:
”Let N = 256 and imagine testing 25,000 operational bombs with the protocol, one at a time.
Confirm that we would expect to certify without doubt that about 24,760 bombs are operational.
We would also expect about 239 bombs to explode and one bomb to test inconclusively.”
• p.49. [5/23/2022] Figure 2.14. Change P~e for p~e .
• p.51. [5/22/2022, Sunjiv Varsani] Exercise 2.9. Change “the size of order a0 /Z, and the” for “a
relevant length scale for the most bound electrons is a0 /Z, and a” . Third line on the exercise,
change “of the”, for “of a”.
• p.64. [5/21/2022, Sunjiv Varsani] This refers to problem 2.6. In part 3. the problem incorrectly
states that the equations have two possible solutions for the velocity v of the electron. There is
just one. For this,
– Replace in 3., third line “that two possible speeds ... as fractions of c?” for “the speed v of
the electron.”
– In 4., first line, delete “Only one of the ... attainable.”
• p.83. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Exercise 3.7 second line, change ‘an assumed’ to ‘a assumed’.
• p.114. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Equation (5.1.16), second line, first term: Lower limit of
integration should be −∞ instead of ∞.
• p.194. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Equation (7.7.24). Since equalities are used, after the second
equal sign, there should be division by T , even though this has no effect since it is equated to zero.
Equation will look:
D dO E T
1 dO 1
Z
= (t)dt = O(T ) − O(0) = 0 , (7.7.24)
dt cl T 0 dt T
• p.248. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Not a correction, but a change to help the reader. Equation
(9.4.17), second line, insert one extra step in the calculation. That line will look like
= hϕ0 , 2â↠ϕ0 i = hϕ0 , 2[â, ↠]ϕ0 i = hϕ0 , 2ϕ0 i = 2 . (9.4.17)
• p.264. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Equation (10.4.1), a LaTeX problem. The symbols on the
right-hand side should be lx and ly not that strange 1 with a bar through it. The equation will
look
L̂x φ0 = lx φ0 ,
L̂y φ0 = ly φ0 .
This affects the last term of (10.4.3) and a couple of terms in (10.4.6).
2
Corrections ordered by date.
• p.83. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Exercise 3.7 second line, change ‘an assumed’ to ‘a assumed’.
• p.114. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Equation (5.1.16), second line, first term: Lower limit of
integration should be −∞ instead of ∞.
• p.194. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Equation (7.7.24). Since equalities are used, after the second
equal sign, there should be division by T , even though this has no effect since it is equated to zero.
Equation will look:
D dO E T
1 dO 1
Z
= (t)dt = O(T ) − O(0) = 0 , (7.7.24)
dt cl T 0 dt T
• p.248. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Not a correction, but a change to help the reader. Equation
(9.4.17), second line, insert one extra step in the calculation. That line will look like
= hϕ0 , 2â↠ϕ0 i = hϕ0 , 2[â, ↠]ϕ0 i = hϕ0 , 2ϕ0 i = 2 . (9.4.17)
• p.264. [5/27/2022, Mark Weitzman] Equation (10.4.1), a LaTeX problem. The symbols on the
right-hand side should be lx and ly not that strange 1 with a bar through it. The equation will
look
L̂x φ0 = lx φ0 ,
L̂y φ0 = ly φ0 .
This affects the last term of (10.4.3) and a couple of terms in (10.4.6).
• p.43. [5/23/2022] A number of changes are useful, but not required if one just wants to work with
approximate expressions in the large N limit. Here are the changes.
– Second line from the top. Replace ‘that point’ for ‘the instant of the last hit’
– The part of the sentence beginning in line 7: ‘PN (D), and it’ must be changed for ‘PN −1 (D),
since the photon cannot explode the bomb after the detector DR has been activated at time
tN . This PN −1 (D)’
– Equation (2.3.15) should read
π 2(N −1)
Pexplode = PN −1 (D) = 1 − cos . (2.3.15)
2N
– Equation (2.3.16) should read
π 2 2N −2 π2
Pexplode = 1 − 1 − ≃ 1 − 1 − (2N − 2) , (2.3.16)
8N 2 8N 2
– On the following line, just before (2.3.7) change “This therefore gives” for “This therefore
gives, to leading approximation,”
– On the second paragraph from the bottom, add a line at the end (following “... beam split-
ter.”): “Thus the probability of certification is PN (L).”
• p.49. [5/23/2022] Figure 2.14. Change P~e for p~e .
• p.51. [5/22/2022. Sunjiv Varsani] Exercise 2.9. Change “the size of order a0 /Z, and the” for “a
relevant length scale for the most bound electrons is a0 /Z, and a” . Third line on the exercise,
change “of the”, for “of a”.
3
• p.64. [5/21/2022. Sunjiv Varsani] This refers to problem 2.6. In part 3. the problem incorrectly
states that the equations have two possible solutions for the velocity v of the electron. There is
just one. For this,
– Replace in 3., third line “that two possible speeds ... as fractions of c?” for “the speed v of
the electron.”
– In 4., first line, delete “Only one of the ... attainable.”
• p.44. [5/19/2022. Sunjiv Varsani] Exercise 2.5. The numbers stated there do not work out
accurately, so change them as follows:
“Let N = 256 and imagine testing 25,000 operational bombs with the protocol, one at a time.
Confirm that we would expect to certify without doubt that about 24,760 bombs are operational.
We would also expect about 239 bombs to explode and one bomb to test inconclusively.”
