User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
um...
- i read this book
- i didn't read this book
- i read this book
and didn't read this book
- i read this book in one universe and didn't in another
- this book didn't exist until i read it
gribbin's great because he won't dumb down but genuinely
wants you to understand this stuff. and b/c he believes in time travel.
yay!
Rating: really liked it
I was reading alone in my study in the night, when there was a movement behind me. "Miaow," someone said.
I looked behind me. A tabby was sitting, contentedly washing herself. "Hey! Where did you come from?" I asked.
"You can see me?" She beamed. "Whew! That's a load off my mind. I thought I might be dead."
I found this rather strange. "How can you talk to me if you are dead?"
"Well, I meant dead in this universe." She went on with her toilet.
I was a bit uneasy. Needless to say, talking cats appearing out of nowhere and speaking in riddles was not usual in my daily routine. I started eyeing my Stephen King collection uneasily. "Who are you?" I asked.
She winked. "Guess."
I scanned my bookshelves. Suddenly illumination lit up on me. "Bulgakov! The Master and Margarita!" I exclaimed.
The tabby's look was contemptuous. "Oh come on! - Do I look like a demon?"
"Okay..." I tried again. "The Cheshire Cat?"
My companion looked pained. "I am much better than that grinning idiot from a stupid children's book, I'll have you know."
"Okay, I'm stumped." I threw up my hands. "You tell me."
The tabby got up, swished her tail, arched her back and generally preened herself. "I am the one and only Schrodinger's Cat." She bowed her head, as though expecting applause.
"Schrodinger? I don't think I have met him. Does he live hereabouts?" I knew I had made a mistake the moment the question left my lips, because the cat's face darkened like thunder.
"You mean you don't know Schrodinger?" She hissed. "You ignoramus! He practically defined quantum theory. Oh, where do such fools like you come from?"
"Oh... Now I remember." I said. (I did only vaguely - but I wanted to save myself from getting scratched, which I seemed to be in imminent danger of.) "Wasn't he the famous quantum scientist?"
"Yes! He practically defined quantum reality. He left me in a box with a poison vial, a radioactive isotope, and a Geiger counter. If the counter detected any radioactivity, the poison vial would break and I would die. If it didn't, the vial would stay as it is and I would live." She beamed.
"Oh! How cruel!" I felt that this Schrodinger guy must be a bounder of the first water, famous scientist or not. "He must be reported to the SPCA!"
"Oh, you are an idiot!" The cat laughed. "Don't you see it was an experiment to question the Copenhagen Interpretation?"
I really resented being called an idiot, but did not want to aggravate this temperamental feline with the sharp claws. "What's that?"
"Well, it was all these scientists talking about wave/ particle duality - how subatomic particles behaved both like a wave and a particle, and changed into one or the other only upon observation. Schrodinger was dead against it. So he created me in the box - and I am both
dead and alive until someone observes me... at what point, either the vial breaks or it doesn't, I either die or live." She said all this in one breath.
"That's stupid! You can't be dead and alive at the same time. In fact, you are very much alive now." I was indignant.
"Precisely." The tabby washed her paw. "I am either dead or alive. The same way with subatomic entities - they are either waves or particles. Or they are something else altogether which our puny imaginations can hardly comprehend." Her vocabulary was getting richer.
"Well, you are alive now." I reiterated.
"Hmm... Yes." My feline friend did not seem too sure of herself. "I guess so."
"You guess so?" I was flabbergasted. "My dear kitty, can't you feel yourself, hale and hearty?"
"I can." She looked up at the ceiling. "But John Gribbin says that in a parallel universe, I am dead..."
Rating: really liked it
this book is f******n awesome.
i read it in highschool and then again in college - because while you're reading it it's like having a really good teacher who holds your attention and makes you understand unusual ideas but as soon as you finish and put it down you're like "wait, how does that work again?" so for me at least, i have to be reading it to maintain that state of enlightenment. maybe after a certain number of reads it will stick - because i am not naturally good at this sort of subject.
this book explains generally the perplexing, mind-boggling, paradoxical principles of quantum physics while relating the history of discoveries leading up to and through it, including the discovery of the X-Ray.
I think this book is meant for laypeople, you don't need to understand any equations, but even for an expert, I think having the history laid out like this, and told in such a personable voice, must be interesting and helpful.
this book also led me to read other books about heisenberg and einstein.
it definitely make you think. yeah, it definitely makes you think.
Rating: really liked it
Okay, so to best describe this book, I need to first describe Schrodingers cat. Keep in mind that this an illustration of what Schrodinger saw as the problem with the Copenhagen idea of Quantum superposition. Imagine a box with a cat inside. A vial of a deadly chemical which will instantly kill the cat is placed inside with the cat, sealed so the feline is safe. A hammer is set up with a rig to smash the vial but only if the following occurs. A small amount of radioactive material is inside a geiger counter. If an atom inside decays, it triggers the hammer and the cat dies. If not the cat lives. The probability of the atom breaking down is equal to the probability of it remaining intact. According to the Copenhagen model, this would mean that the cat is both alive and dead inside the box until the atom is observed. It was a thought experiment, produced to ask "when does a Quantum model cease to be a mixture and become one thing or another?" If you were able to follow me on that, check this book out. Otherwise, this kind of thing may not be for you. I loved the information but the writing was a bit rough. That is to be expected of a science book.
Rating: really liked it
Gribbin seems to have a sound understanding of quantum mechanics, and his writing is rather well crafted, but sometimes I think he'd rather have been a historian than a physicist. The first half of the book is mostly intricate historical accounts of the key players of the story of quantum mechanics over the last century. Gribbin reveals the concepts very slowly, which might not be a bad thing, so this may seem a bit tedious at first. However, by the end, the concepts are clear and complete. At least up to the publication date anyway. Being somewhat new to these concepts, I'm not sure if I'm meshing too well with the opinions on parallel universes that Gribbin states at the end, and the illustrations are badly placed, only moderately insightful, and actually contradict the text in places. However, I enjoyed this immensely and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a low to no math introduction to quantum mechanics.
Rating: really liked it
4 stars for science nerds, 3 stars for everyone else. An in depth discussion of the birth of quantum physics, where it is now and what it means for the future. Not much math and fairly accessible but not as easy to read as Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. I enjoyed it for the survey of physics giants in the early 20th century from Einstein to Heisenburg. The last 1/3 of the book were a series of explanations of experiments used to prove some of the theorems which were fascinating. I think a great deal of the genius was expressed in merely coming up with ways to prove ideas.
A pretty dense book if you aren't a nerd. I am so, lucky me.
Rating: really liked it
Amidst a plethora of books purportedly dealing with "explaining Quantum Theory to the layman" this book stands apart, as well as taller, by virtue of two qualities: -
1. It's really really well written, even by the high standards of popular science set by the luminaries, and remains deliciously readable even after more than three decades since its publication.
2. It's unapologetically forthcoming, and NEVER tries to dumb down things in an effort towards becoming more "accommodating" and "plebian", which are the more euphemistic expressions for undervaluing the readers.
I literally rushed through the first two-third of the book, all along feeling a genuine regret fornthe fact that had I studied this book before embarking on my quest to become a Chemistry graduate, I could have appreciated the things a lot more, in the process picking up much more than a degree.
It was, however, the final third that made me sit up, and read & re-read things, only to understand them. That part dealt with actual state of quantum theory, and needs considerable conceptual clarity, which is not so easy to muster at my stage.
Nevertheless, if you want to get acquainted with the strange & beautiful world of quantum theory, this is indeed the best introduction that you can procure.
Highly Recommended, and happy reading.
Rating: really liked it
Excellent introduction to quantum physics. As a 'non-science' person, I can't say I followed everything but enough to give me a solid understanding for what it is and why it's so mystifying. The 'Many Worlds' theory, however, remains deeply unconvincing. I'm grateful that Gribbin caveats this chapter by acknowledging that it is more opinion than the rest of the book, although he does then proceed to continue in the same 'this is undeniably true' tone for the rest of the chapter.
Rating: really liked it
Physics was one subject i was never good at during High school (not that i was great at any of the other subjects though but Physics was a nightmare). There were concepts which were totally ambiguous to me and went way above my head. This book not only clarified some of them but also instilled in me a deep interest in Physics.
In this book, John Gribbin gives a fabulous peek into the magical realm of quantum physics.
He begins with an explanation on the very basic unit of life - "the atom" and the various evolving attempts by scientists to give an accurate description of the structure of an atom (Including the various experiments leading to the discovery of protons, neutrons and electrons). He then explains the Planck's black body radiation and the famous two-slit experiment whose observations threw the entire scientific community into a state of utter ambiguity and disarray about the nature of electrons. Some more experiments later they discover the "photon" and the dual nature (particle and wave nature) of light and particles like electrons. This is followed by discoveries by Pauli (the Pauli exclusion principle), Heisenberg, Born and Schrondinger which strengthen the theory of quantum mechanics. A very interesting part of the book is on "time travel" which according to the author is possible (atleast theoretically) though it might have a lot of practical hurdles. He believes that parallel worlds do exist but not the way in which we imagine (in most of the sci-fiction books) where we can hop between the alternate universes but all the alternate universes according to quantum theory branch out based on the choices that the observer encounters. He also writes about the two different theories explaining the way things work in this universe - The "Copenhagen interpretation" where there are numerous possibilities of something happening but there is only one reality (in one world) and the rest are just virtual ghostly worlds which all collapse into one result when the observer actually observes the system. The "many-worlds interpretation" contradicts the Copenhagen interpretation in the sense it assumes all the possibilities to be equally real and exist in their own worlds with their own observers (us being one of them). All in all the entire quantum mechanics lies on the observer who observes the system. What happens when the observer is not looking is something that is not explained by the quantum theory (and can only be speculated). Finally, the search for Schrodinger's cat ends by the author using the many-worlds theory to testify the fact that the cat is in reality both dead and alive (in two separate, mutually exclusive worlds) but not either dead or alive. When the observer looks into the box, he forces one outcome , which is the cat is either dead or alive and the other possibility still exists in its own world with its own observer (which is as real as our universe). A very interesting theory but this is just the author's personal views i guess.
The author in the end also touches upon the theory of supersymmetry which is the latest field under study within the quantum community and deals with unifying matter (particles like electrons,protons, quarks etc) and force (the bosons like photons etc).
The entire book has been an amazing ride through the mindbogglingly unbelievable world of the sub-atomic particles and i cant say it better than Neils Bohr - "Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not fully understood it".
Rating: really liked it
I'm reading this again after a few years so that when I give it to my girlfriend to read and EXPAND HER MIND I will be able to help guide her through it. So far, it has been a great intro to quantum mechanics. It's supposed to be for the layman, and it appears fairly basic, but I have some background, so it's hard for me to judge that.
EDIT:
Well, it wasn't as good as I remember it. Maybe it was the passage of time and the advancement of science, maybe it was my own further studies in the field, maybe it was own growth and change in preferences, or maybe I just things didn't notice the first time. Don't get me wrong; it's still good, and I don't regret having read through it, but Gribbin is certainly not the best writer out there on these subjects. I would recommend Brian Greene, but he always wants to throw a plug in for the wonders of string theory and how it will solve EVERY SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM EVER; IT WILL EVEN CURE CANCER AND OBESITY!!!! Even so, Greene's description of the basic science is unparalleled. If you want an introduction on these matters read the opening two-thirds of either of his books (The Elegant Universe or The Fabric of the Cosmos).
As for Gribbin, he has trouble pacing and keeping his writing consistent. He'll meander aimlessly and point out important subjects he'll describe later. Worst, his level of detail and required scientific background is horribly inconsistent. From a relatively simple, easy to follow, and well-suited for the layman explanation of the structure of the atom to his absurdly obtuse description of the most important experiment to confirm the predictions of quantum mechanics, he leaves the reader fighting to piece together his point.
The book does show its age at parts but his amazement at PCs and LASERs does not change the fact that they are awesome and stem from the study of quantum mechanics. A larger flaw is his matter-of-fact presentation of certain controversial theories as "yeah, that's the way it is; don't bother investigating further."
This book does have a lot of good information and does explain some aspects of quantum mechanics very well for someone with little experience, but he kind of unravels at the end.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
It was the first popular book about quantum physics I've read and I think I was lucky to start with it. As after I've read two more books and they both are much less aspirational for different reasons. This book gives very good overview of the theory and the history of the subject presenting all key personalities and milestones of its development.
Overall, probably not unexpectedly, it changes your perception of a huge variety of reality aspects. The most striking for me was thought about the history: "In this delayed choice experiment something we do now has an irretrievable influence on what we can say about the past. History at least for one photon depends upon how we choose to make a measurement… Philosophers have long pondered the fact that history has no meaning - the past has no existence - except in the way it is recorded in the present." I think it has become even more relevant in our media savvy days when wars are played and won more on screen than at the actual battles fields. It feels surreal to find the natural phenomenon facilitating such an interpretation of the social reality.
Also it was interesting finally to find out what stands behind the overused metaphor of Schrodinger's cat:-)
For me now it has become apparent that time travel, teleportation, antimatter and multiple realities are well established phenomena of physics, not of unhealthy imagination.
My only gentle complain - I wish it would be a little bit more maths in there. I understand it might spook some audience, but I am sure it might be appreciated by the others.
Heisenberg, the developer of the uncertainly principle, said: "At first, I was deeply alarmed. I had the feeling that, through the surface of atomic phenomena, I was looking at a strangely beautiful interior, and felt almost giddy at the thought that i now had to probe this wealth of mathematical structures nature had so generally spread out before me." I think this book has opened for me a tiny whole into the world he is talking about.
Rating: really liked it
I wish I'd written
A Quantum Theory of Mitt Romney . In particular, Figure 2... the best Feynman diagram joke I've ever seen!
Rating: really liked it
The writer was quite positive towards his attempt in explaining quantum theory. His approach was quite neat & clean , comprehensive . However , it made me sad in the end ~
Rating: really liked it
Man, it took forever to read this book, but it was really interesting. The author is dedicated to making sure regular people understand the complicated quantum world. He’s lucid and witty, and passionate about science. I enjoy all the history, connections and stories, and the experiments and ideas—just don’t ask me to recite any of it. *A tad outdated, not sure how much has been settled since the book was published.
