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== Background ==
Sommerfeld was a well known German theoretical physicist who played a major role in developing [[old quantum theory]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sommerfeld|first=A.|last2=Bopp|first2=F.|date=1951-01-26|title=Fifty Years of Quantum Theory|url=https://science.sciencemag.org/content/113/2926/85|journal=Science|language=en|volume=113|issue=2926|pages=85–92|doi=10.1126/science.113.2926.85|issn=0036-8075|pmid=17808940}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Born|1952|pages=282–283}}</ref> He was renowned as a great teacher of theoretical physics in the early 20th century.<ref>{{harvnb|Eckert|2013|p=420, 433|ps="Planck was the authority, Einstein the genius, and Sommerfeld the teacher"}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Born|1952|pages=275, 286,287}}</ref><ref name=PeierlsMulti /><ref name=Hermann /><ref name=Lindsay /> [[Wolfgang Pauli]] wrote in 1951 that Sommerfeld was "the epitome of the scholar and the teacher".<ref>{{harvnb|Eckert|2013|p=420}}</ref> Another physicist, summarizing "the roles of the most important exponents of theoretical physics in its 'golden age'",<ref>{{harvnb|Eckert|2013|p=433}}</ref> wrote that "Planck was the authority, Einstein the genius, and Sommerfeld the teacher" in a 1973 biography of [[Max Planck]].<ref name=Hermann>{{Cite book|last=Hermann|first=Armin|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/max-planck-mit-selbstzeugnissen-und-bilddokumenten/oclc/1073826264&referer=brief_results|title=Max Planck mit Selbstzeugnissen und Bilddokumenten|date=2017|page=56|isbn=978-3-499-50198-2|language=German|oclc=1073826264}}</ref> Summarizing public reception of Sommerfeld's teaching style, [[Robert Bruce Lindsay]] wrote in 1954 that it "is generally admitted that as an effective lecturer Sommerfeld has been rarely if ever surpassed."<ref name=Lindsay /> The textbooks, originally published in German, were based on series of his lectures, which were made to be self-consistent within each section, at the [[University of Munich]] that ran over a three-year cycle.<ref name=PeierlsMulti /> In addition to specialized classes, The set of lectures presented by the book represent Sommerfeld's standard introductory courses in physics that he gave in Munich, with each subject taught over one semester for a total of three years.<ref name=Born286>{{harvnb|Born|1952|pages=286}}</ref> Sommerfeld continued this cycle of lectures for over thirty years at the University, which were very popular and influential.<ref name=Lindsay /> In addition to his normal lectures, Sommerfeld also specialized courses as well, included courses in [[atomic physics]] that form the subject of another of his books: ''[[Atomic Structure and Spectral Lines]]'', which was published in 1919.<ref name=Born286 /> The world-famous textbook is known as the "Bible of atomic physics".<ref>{{harvnb|Eckert|2013|p=xi}}</ref> His other previous works included another lecture series titled ''Three lectures on atomic physics'', which was published in 1926 by [[Methuen Publishing]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=L.e.p.|date=1 June 1928|title=Three lectures on atomic physics: By Arnold Sommerfeld, F.R.S., Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich, translated by Dr. Henry L. Brose. 70 pages, 18 × 12 cm., cloth. New York, E. P. Dutton and Company. Price, $1|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016003228912831|journal=Journal of the Franklin Institute|language=en|volume=205|issue=6|pages=898–899|doi=10.1016/S0016-0032(28)91283-1|issn=0016-0032}}</ref> He had also edited the book series ''Die Theorie des Kreisels'', which was based on a set of lectures given by his mentor [[Felix Klein]].<ref>{{harvnb|Born|1952|pages=278}}</ref>
== Volumes ==
There are six volumes to the lecture series, ''Mechanics'', ''Mechanics of deformable bodies'', ''Electrodynamics'', ''Optics'', ''Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics'', and ''Partial Differential Equations in Physics'', which all follow a semester course given by Sommerfeld at the [[University of Munich]]. Characterizing the series, [[Rudolf Peierls]] wrote in 1956 that they exemplify "Sommerfeld's attitude of putting practical problems and their solution above abstract principles, an attitude by its nature closer to Boltzmann than to that of Gibbs."<ref name=PeierlsFive />
=== ''Mechanics'' ===
'''''Mechanik''''', the first volume of Sommerfeld's '''Vorlesungen über Theoretische Physik'', was published in 1947 by Akademische Verlagegesellschaft Becker und Erler and subsequently translated into English by [[Martin O. Stern]] and published as '''''Mechanics''''' in 1953 by the [[Academic Press]]. [[Paul Peter Ewald]] wrote a foreword for the English edition where he attempts to summarize Sommerfeld's lecture style and use the information to explain why all Sommerfeld had so many successful students.<ref name=Lindsay /> The book was reviewed by [[Robert Bruce Lindsay]],<ref name=Lindsay>{{Cite journal|last=Lindsay|first=R. B.|author-link=Robert Bruce Lindsay|date=February 1954|title=Mechanics. Lectures on Theoretical Physics, Volume I|url=http://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.3061512|journal=Physics Today|language=en|volume=7|issue=2|pages=18–19|doi=10.1063/1.3061512|issn=0031-9228}}</ref> [[Rudolf Peierls]],<ref name=PeierlsMulti /><ref name=PeierlsOne>{{Cite journal|last=Peierls|first=R. E.|author-link=Rudolf Peierls|date=May 1954|title=[Short Reviews]|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/173932d0|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=173|issue=4411|pages=932–932|doi=10.1038/173932d0|issn=1476-4687}}</ref> and several others.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Byers|first=A. C.|date=April 1953|title=Mechanics. Lectures on theoretical physics, Volume I|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0016003253904116|journal=Journal of the Franklin Institute|language=en|volume=255|issue=4|pages=354–355|doi=10.1016/0016-0032(53)90411-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Houston|first=W. V.|date=May 1953|title=Mechanics, Lectures on Theoretical Physics|url=http://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.1933476|journal=American Journal of Physics|language=en|volume=21|issue=5|pages=399–399|doi=10.1119/1.1933476|issn=0002-9505}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Leggett|first=D. M. A.|date=1953|title=Review of Mechanics. Lectures on Theoretical Physics, Vol. 1|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43415023|journal=Science Progress (1933- )|volume=41|issue=163|pages=515–516|issn=0036-8504}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Prager|first=W.|date=1953|title=Review of Mechanics|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43634072|journal=Quarterly of Applied Mathematics|volume=11|issue=3|pages=373–373|issn=0033-569X}}</ref> In his 1954 review of the volume, Lindsay wrote that Sommerfeld's "clarity is indeed remarkably well exemplified" by the mechanics textbook and he praised the book for its "many ingenious comments to help the learner over the rough spots".<ref name=Lindsay /> Lindsay noted regret for the lack of an extended discussion of mass and force in physics before going on to write that the "book can be heartily recommended to all students of physics on the undergraduate senior and elementary graduate levels in American universities".<ref name=Lindsay />
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=== ''Optics'' ===
The series' fourth volume, '''''Optics''''', was published in 1964 by [[Academic Press]] after being translated from the German textbook '''''Optik''''' by [[Otto Laporte]] and [[Peter A. Moldauer]]. The book was reviewed by [[Karl Meissner]],<ref name=Meissner>{{Cite journal|last=Meissner|first=K. W.|author-link=Karl Meissner|date=October 1955|title=Optics. Lectures on Theoretical Physics, Vol. IV|url=http://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.1934064|journal=American Journal of Physics|language=en|volume=23|issue=7|pages=477–478|doi=10.1119/1.1934064|issn=0002-9505}}</ref> [[Rudolf Peierls]],<ref name=PeierlsFour>{{Cite journal|last=Peierls|first=R. E.|author-link=Rudolf Peierls|date=November 1955|title=[Book Reviews]|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/176850d0|journal=Nature|language=en|volume=176|issue=4488|pages=850–850|doi=10.1038/176850d0|issn=1476-4687}}</ref> and several others.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Domenicali|first=C.A.|date=March 1955|title=Optics. Lectures on theoretical physics, Vol. IV|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0016003255908553|journal=Journal of the Franklin Institute|language=en|volume=259|issue=3|pages=265|doi=10.1016/0016-0032(55)90855-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=March 1955|title=Optics: Vol. 5 of Lectures on Theoretical Physics|url=http://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.3061948|journal=Physics Today|language=en|volume=8|issue=3|pages=16–16|doi=10.1063/1.3061948|issn=0031-9228}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=14 January 2009|title=Optics: Vol. 5 of Lectures on Theoretical Physics|url=https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.3061948|journal=Physics Today|language=en|volume=8|issue=3|pages=16|doi=10.1063/1.3061948|issn=0031-9228}}</ref> Max Born wrote in 1952 that the book gives "a very elegant outline" of [[Tcherenkov radiation]].<ref>{{harvnb|Born|1952|pages=280}}</ref> In his 195 review, [[Karl Meissner]] wrote that the book is characteristic of Sommerfeld's lectures, which he summarized as "[c]lear and vivid presentation[s] of the basic ideas" with an "elegance in language and of mathematical developments" and an "emphasis on physics".<ref name=Meissner /> Peierls called the book "a very welcome addition to the literature" in his 1955 review and he praised the book, like the other lectures, for "the use of powerful mathematical techniques" that are "presented and applied without losing sight of the physical ideas behind them".<ref name=PeierlsFour />
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=== ''Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics'' ===
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=== ''Partial Differential Equations in Physics'' ===
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