Quantum Physics

by Marc Humphrey, Paul V. Pancella, Norah Berrah

Quantum physics explores the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller levels. Idiot's Guides: Quantum Physics makes this very complex topic easy to understand. It skips the complicated math and dives right into all the concepts, paradoxes, thought experiments, and implications that make quantum mechacs so fascinating to armchair science buffs. Topics covered include:

- Quantum vs. classical physics

- A look at the smallest known particles

- How the tiniest particles behave both as particles and waves

- The famous double-slit experiment

- Quantum wave function

- The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

- How particles can be in multiple places at once

- Quantum entanglement

- The Schrodinger's cat thought experiment

- Competing interpretations of quantum physics

- The Copenhagen interpretation and need for an observer

- The role of consciousness in quantum theory

- The Many Worlds interpretation and parallel universes

- Building a quantum computer

- Quantum gravity and the search for a theory of everything

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2015

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five-star book for any layperson who never studied physics after high school and who wishes to understand quantum mechanics. After watching Jim Al-Khalili's entertaining but rather uninformative BBC Series, I found that this book was dramatically better at explaining the basic scientific issues. Those GR members who studied physics at the university level are not going to find as much value in the work as I did.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging book that does well to take things slowly and step by step.

In particular I liked the brief summary at the end of each chapter highlighting the 'least you should know' to be able to understand the next bit, allowing me to feel that so long as I'd got the basics, I'd be okay moving on. I also found the early chapters (before it got more complicated!) to be an amazingly clear and concise explanation of all the things that had seemed overly complicated in science lessons at high school.

I wish they'd spent a bit longer on the concept of waves, as so much centres on it, but I'm still a bit uncertain as to how a wave looks/moves/manifests beyond the theoretical implications, which meant I struggled with chapters based on wave mechanics because I just couldn't picture what was actually happening. I also had to look up (several) YouTube videos to explain Bell's Inequality, as I couldn't understand it from the explanation given in the book.

On the whole though, an interesting book which makes quantum physics a little more accessible for non scientists, and certainly made me curious to learn more.

[PAUL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for an old guy !

I'm sixty and my physics is 40 years out of date. Bloody amazing how this subject has changed from my college days as a med student.
This book goes a long way to simplify a complex and still evolving story. Great read, well written and not overburdened with complex maths.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this is the dumbed down version of quantum physics, it's safe to say it's not a field I have any hope of entering! Still, it was fascinating, and as easy for a lay person to understand as it could possibly be. I particularly liked the Gedankenexperimemts, blurbs on different physicists, and the Alternative Interpretations chapter.

[James Latham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good description of quantum mechanics, and tackled it in a somewhat different way to many other popular science books have covered it. In those books there has been a key focus on quantum experiments such as the double split experiment, going through in detail about how it works and the different variation of it. This book covers it, but really more in passing, It focuses much more on the history of the exploration of the atom and atomic particles and how scientist encountered problems in describing the action of atomic particles and they had to come up with new theories of what was happening, building up to a full picture of quantum mechanics. I think it does it well, although the transition from the simple classical discussion of the first few chapters to the quantum chapter can seem a little abrupt.

[Kevin Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I came to read this book is a bit of a story and I would not have described myself as the intended audience for this book. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the structure of this book which presents the theories of quantum physics within their historical context, from Newton marching all the way to the current century. Likewise, this book presents only the necessary mathematics to understand the concepts presented; an understanding of linear algebra, multivarite calculus, and differential equations, although marginally helpful is not necessary.

Overall, I think it is well written pop science book and certainly worth a read for anyone with an interest in this sort of thing.

[Fuzzball Baggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful, learned a lot, but kept changing subject just when things started to get interesting

[William downie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pleasantly baffeld.

Liked how you were lead through this very difficult subject to grasp with humour.
Anybody with enquiring mind would enjoy this book.

[Carl Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Great book. Easy to understand. Concepts and theories treated very well. This is an excellent work for the layperson to learn quantum physics and a great review for others.

[Luai Alrantisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I ever read about Quantum Mechanics.

[Curtis Newkirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read. Quantum Physics is not an easy topic. Not just because it is mathematically complicated, but because there are components of the topic which can cause an existential crisis - or a revelation. Fortunately for me it was the latter, and the book breaks down the topic in a way that many will be able to comprehend.