Quantum Mechanics
By Oxford University
To listen to an audio podcast, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to download and subscribe to podcasts.
Description
In this series of physics lectures, Professor J.J. Binney explains how probabilities are obtained from quantum amplitudes, why they give rise to quantum interference, the concept of a complete set of amplitudes and how this defines a "quantum state". A book of the course can be obtained from http://bit.ly/binneybook
Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | CleanVideo001 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, Probability Amplitudes and Quantum States | First lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
2 | CleanVideo002 Dirac Notation and the Energy Representation | Second lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
3 | CleanVideo003 Operators and Measurement | Third lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
4 | CleanVideo004 Commutators and Time Evolution (the Time Dependent Schrodinger Equation) | Fourth lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
5 | CleanVideo005 Further TDSE and the Position Representation | Fifth lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
6 | CleanVideo006 Wavefunctions for Well Defined Momentum, the Uncertainty Principle and Dynamics of a Free Particle | Sixth lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
7 | CleanVideo007 Back to Two-Slit Interference, Generalization to Three Dimensions and the Virial Theorem | Seventh Lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
8 | CleanVideo008 The Harmonic Oscillator and the Wavefunctions of its Stationary States | Eighth lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
9 | CleanVideo009 Dynamics of Oscillators and the Anharmonic Oscillator | Ninth lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
10 | CleanVideo010 Transformation of Kets, Continuous and Discrete Transformations and the Rotation Operator | Tenth lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
11 | CleanVideo011 Transformation of Operators and the Parity Operator | Eleventh lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
12 | CleanVideo012 Angular Momentum and Motion in a Magnetic Field | Final lecture of the Quantum Mechanics course given in Michaelmas Term 2009. | 11 12 2009 | Free | View in iTunes |
13 | CleanVideo013 Hilary: The Square Well | Thirteenth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 26 1 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
14 | CleanVideo014 A Pair of Square Wells and the Ammonia Maser | Fourteenth Lecture in the Quantum Mechanics Course given in Hilary term 2010. | 26 1 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
15 | CleanVideo015 Tunnelling and Radioactive Decay | Fifteenth lecture in the Quantum Mechanics course given in Hilary term 2010. | 26 1 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
16 | CleanVideo016 Composite Systems - Entanglement and Operators | Sixteenth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 4 2 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
17 | CleanVideo017 Einstein-Podolski-Rosen Experiment and Bell's Inequality | Seventeenth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 4 2 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
18 | CleanVideo018 Angular Momentum | Eighteenth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 4 2 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
19 | CleanVideo019 Diatomic Molecules and Orbital Angular Momentum | Nineteenth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 9 2 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
20 | CleanVideo020 Further Orbital Angular Momentum, Spectra of L2 and LZ | Twentieth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 9 2 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
21 | CleanVideo021 Even further Orbital Angular Momentum - Eigenfunctions, Parity and Kinetic Energy | Twenty-first lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 9 2 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
22 | CleanVideo022 Spin Angular Momentum | Twenty second lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 5 3 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
23 | CleanVideo023 Spin 1/2 , Stern - Gerlach Experiment and Spin 1 | Twenty third lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 5 3 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
24 | CleanVideo024 Classical Spin and Addition of Angular Momenta | Twenty fourth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 5 3 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
25 | CleanVideo025 Hydrogen part 1 | Twenty fifth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 5 3 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
26 | CleanVideo026 Hydrogen part 2 Emission Spectra | Twenty sixth lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 5 3 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
27 | CleanVideo027 Hydrogen part 3 Eigenfunctions | Twenty seventh lecture in Professor James Binney's Quantum Mechanics Lecture series given in Hilary Term 2010. | 5 3 2010 | Free | View in iTunes |
27 Items |
Customer Reviews
Five years on, and I'm still thinking
First off, I'm not without bias -- I was an undergraduate in the first run of these lectures, a year before these recordings. At the time, I found it very difficult to understand the subject at all, and Binney seemed to only reconfirm my fears. However, year after year, I still find myself coming back to him: the knowledge contained in these lectures (and in his book) is definitive, well written, and in a modern notation. It's the basis of so much that it's really worth putting the effort into understanding everything properly, even if that task is far from easy.
Not for the faint hearted -- and if you don't know what a linear vector space is, you're probably going to find it a bit tough -- but fundamentally this is a very good place to start if you want to "understand" quantum mechanics. I'm just about to start watching the lectures for the second time, as Schrödinger equations have become relevant to my work again. Highly recommended.
The one
Having a master's in math & probability, this lesson is the first time I feel I actually understand what quantum mechanics is.
True quantum physics is very mathematical and the usual presentations where the math complexity is hidden or dumbed down gave me some intuitions but no solid foundation of understanding.
The accompanying free ebook is very well written and follows the video lesson.
Many thanks prof. Binney!
For other commenters complaining about difficulty, you can either work your math foundations, then follow these quant. mech. lessons and end up with useful knowledge in both disciplines; or try to find dumbed down and confusing quant. mech. lessons and end up with poor understanding in both.
Lecturer cannot teach.
Some may think I am being overly judgemental - but I think this professor cannot teach. I am saying this looking back at how my uni lecturers used to "teach" and it was the same. No explanation of the parts that really matter, e.g. some of the formulas he just seemed to pluck from thin air (to someone who is new to Quantum Mechanics, this is how they will feel), and simply said this is how you use it. There is no explanation as to WHY it is like that, a derivation, even a "I'll go through the proof another time or during practice classes, but just trust me for now." would do. The last thing that got my on my nerves and most certainly annoyed me back at uni, is he is stuttering constantly to make sure everything he says is "perfect" in his mind. I think it's some OCD thing all intellectual lecturers have. It also causes them to start a sentence and then before its even begun start another one to further expand. This together with looking down at the pages all the time and generally not looking like he has the passion to TEACH, but rather just giving a lecture to get his pay cheque, shows everything that's wrong with the education system in Britain today.
Rant off.
Listeners also subscribed to

- The Joy of Why
- Steven Strogatz and Quanta Magazine
- View in iTunes

- Quanta Science Podcast
- Quanta Magazine
- View in iTunes

- Why This Universe?
- Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman
- View in iTunes

- Free
- Category: Education
- Language: English
- © Oxford University; the media items are released with a Creative Commons licence