"Simple enough for a beginner" indeed

[steuard]

Browsing a local bookstore, I spotted Supersymmetry DeMYSTiFied. The "DeMYSTiFied" series seems to have a style similar to the "For Dummies" books but with more of a "study guide" flavor (they all include "end-of-chapter quizzes and a final exam [to] help reinforce learning"). I guessed the book must be intended for a broad audience excited about cutting edge physics.

So when I randomly flipped it open, I was surprised to find myself in a chapter called "A Crash Course in Weyl Spinors" on a page full of equations. Flipping around some more, the book seems at least as equation-heavy as the average textbook, but presented in that "For Dummies" style. The same cognitive dissonance appears in the ad copy:

It's a no-brainer! You'll get:

• An explanation of the Wess-Zumino model
• Tips on how to build supersymmetric lagrangians
• [etc.]

I'm really wondering about the intended audience for this book. It clearly assumes that the reader is comfortable doing sophisticated calculations in quantum field theory (often a 2nd year graduate course), and it's teaching techniques that you'd only need if you're going to read (and write) primary literature in particle physics. But the "golly gee let's make this fun and simple" style seems like the last thing that would inspire confidence in an ambitious physics grad student, particularly when it's competing with well-regarded textbooks written by masters in the field.

A final bizarre note: At the moment, Amazon ranks this book #36 in the category "Science for Kids". Hey, folks with kids: order this and let me know how it works out for ya!

Comments

[beth_leonard]

Why did I have this hunch that the 1 comment on this post would be from you? ;-)

--Beth

[steuard.livejournal.com]

Kim and I were betting on that, too. :)