Physics Qualifying Examination: Problems and Solutions

Horacio A. Farach received his Ph.D. degree in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires in 1956. He moved to the University of South Carolina in 1966, where he spent 40 years working in collaboration with Professor Charles Poole. Together they have published 13 books and more than 150 research papers. Professor Farach is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Argentina and has received numerous awards - University, National, and International - in both research and teaching. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Charles P. Poole, Jr. is professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of South Carolina. He is the author or coauthor of a dozen books, including 'Superconductivity and Introduction to Renormalization Group Methods'. He has taught qualifying examination preparation courses for more than two decades.

John L. Safko received his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1965. From 1964 to 2001, he consecutively held positions as assistant, associate, and full professor at the University of South Carolina, from 2001 to 2002 that of a distinguished professor, after which he took retirement. Professor Safko is a Fellow of several societies, among them the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has published numerous books and papers.