It is common practice to teach nuclear physics and particle physics together in an introductory course and it is for such a course that this book has been written. The material
presented is such that different selections can be made for a short course of about 25–30
lectures depending on the lecturer’s preferences and the students’ backgrounds. On the
latter, students should have taken a first course in quantum physics, covering the traditional topics in non-relativistic quantum mechanics and atomic physics.