Einstein and the Quantum: The Quest of the Valiant Swabian

by A. Douglas Stone

The untold story of Albert Einstein's role as the father of quantum theoryEinstein and the Quantum reveals for the first time the full significance of Albert Einstein's contributions to quantum theory. Einstein famously rejected quantum mechanics, observing that God does not play dice. But, in fact, he thought more about the nature of atoms, molecules, and the emission and absorption of light—the core of what we now know as quantum theory—than he did about relativity.A compelling blend of physics, biography, and the history of science, Einstein and the Quantum shares the untold story of how Einstein—not Max Planck or Niels Bohr—was the driving force behind early quantum theory. It paints a vivid portrait of the iconic physicist as he grappled with the apparently contradictory nature of the atomic world, in which its invisible constituents defy the categories of classical physics, behaving simultaneously as both particle and wave. And it demonstrates how Einstein's later work on the emission and absorption of light, and on atomic gases, led directly to Erwin Schrödinger's breakthrough to the modern form of quantum mechanics. The book sheds light on why Einstein ultimately renounced his own brilliant work on quantum theory, due to his deep belief in science as something objective and eternal.

Genres: Science, Physics, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Popular Science, History Of Science

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure how anyone could tell as entertaining a story about such an infinitely complex subject. Absolutely fascinating, it makes me want to reread a biography of Einstein (I have Isaacson’s).

This book focuses on Einstein’s lesser known contributors to quantum theory and is a highly entertaining read. I thought that the explanation of the wave-particle light theory was perfectly explained and was surprised at the obsession around the Planck constant.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stone explores Einstein’s contributions to quantum theory, skipping over his other work. With respect to quantum mechanics Einstein is largely remembered for his rejection of Bohr’s Copenhagen Interpretation, but he was a major force behind the quantum revolution. To quote Stone, “It was Einstein who introduced almost all the revolutionary ideas underlying quantum theory, and who saw first what these ideas meant.” While famous for his theories of special and general relativity, Einstein told a friend “I have thought a hundred times as much about the quantum problems as I have about Relativity Theory.”

Einstein’s first major contribution to quantum theory was in 1905, although it would be years before his ideas were widely accepted. Einstein, delving into Max Planck's law of black-body radiation, proposed that light (electromagnetic radiation) was constructed of particles, individual quanta of energy known today as photons. This differed from Planck’s interpretation. Planck believed energy was transferred in quanta but light itself was only a continuous wave, conforming to the accepted theory at the time. Einstein went on to use his quantum theory of light to explain the photoelectric effect in which electrons in solids are displaced by light. Wave theory could not explain this. Much later, in 1921, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Einstein for his discovery of the law governing the photoelectric effect. It was his only Nobel Prize, never receiving one for general relativity or any of his other discoveries. 1905 had been a productive year for Einstein. That year in addition to light quanta and its role in the photoelectric effect, Einstein explained Brownian motion, special relativity and came up with E=MC^2. This was all done while he held a six day a week job at the Swiss patent office to support his family.

In 1907 Einstein in a second major contribution to quantum theory put out another paper holding that atoms only absorbed and emitted energy in quanta. Again it would be years before most physicists accepted that Einstein was correct. Specific heat is the change in a substance’s thermal energy due to a change in its temperature. Using his thesis Einstein explained the temperature variation of specific heat matching experimental data and predicting that at absolute zero all solids would be devoid of specific heat. He went on to hold that any atomic theory required quantum theory. When Bohr in 1913 came up with his revolutionary atomic theory, he cited Einstein’s papers on quantum theory. Bohr wrote “The general importance of Planck’s theory for the discussion of the behavior of atomic systems was originally pointed out by Einstein. The considerations of Einstein have been developed and applied to a number of different phenomena, especially by Stark, Nernst and Sommerfeld.” This is one of many examples of how this close knit physics community shared and built upon each other’s ideas.

After finishing his work on general relativity in 1915, Einstein again returned to the study of the quanta. Digesting Bohr’s model of the atom, Einstein explored further the absorption and emission of radiation by atoms. He showed that emission could both be stimulated and spontaneous. Also in this 1916 paper he derived Planck’s formula using a purely quantum technique. Stone notes that this is still the textbook derivation. Einstein went on to challenge the accepted belief that radiation propagated spherically from its source. He showed instead that radiation proceeded in a specific direction and that it exerted pressure when it struck an atom. All of this was supportive of his position that light was composed of force carrying particles (photons), an idea that in 1916 was still not widely accepted. Einstein also believed in wave particle duality, but over the years had been continually frustrated trying to uncover a mathematical basis. His belief was shared by few others at the time.

Einstein held that particles were guided by a field that enabled a particle’s interference with itself, but that did not determine the particle’s properties, essentially what is believed today. While Max Born is often credited with these ideas, Born consistently credited Einstein. In a 1917 paper Einstein applied topological mathematics to the Bohr-Summerfeld theory of electron orbits uncovering the problem of irregular orbits. In doing so he foreshadowed by over fifty years the development of quantum chaos theory. The paper was important enough for Erwin Schrodinger in 1926 to credit Einstein’s description of quantum conditions as “the most akin, of all earlier attempts, to the present one” in a footnote to his papers putting forth his famous wave equation of quantum mechanics. It was Einstein’s 1917 paper that made Stone (the author) take a deep look into Einstein’s work in quantum theory and subsequently write this book.

In 1924 an unknown Indian physicist, Satyendra Bose, sent a paper to Einstein. Remarkably, Einstein, at the top of his fame for the discovery of general relativity, read it. The paper was a derivation of Planck’s law that treated light solely as particles not waves. Buried in the paper was a new principle that was not stated or explained but was implicit in Bose’s formulas. Bose had inadvertently changed the way quantum states of a gas of photons were counted. This calculation is important in determining entropy and energy levels. Einstein saw that Bose’s method meant identical quantum particles were indistinguishable and interchanging them does not produce a new physical state. Einstein applied Bose’s calculation to atoms in a gas realizing as Stone describes it that “Atoms are fundamentally indistinguishable and impossible to label. Nature is such that they are not separate entities, with their own independent trajectories through space and time. They exist in an eerie, fuzzy state of oneness when aggregated. So the Bose-Einstein statistical worldview, coming from a different direction, reinforces the concept of wave-particle duality, in this case applied to both light and matter, and heralds the discovery that the microscopic world exists in a bizarre mixture of potentiality and actuality.”

Einstein championed another unknown, Louis De Broglie, who in 1924 wrote his PhD thesis claiming that electrons should be considered waves as well as particles just as photons could. Fortunately for De Broglie, his advisor, not knowing what to make of the paper had a connection to Einstein and asked Einstein to read it. Einstein did, strongly endorsed it, added his own thoughts and called for physicists to begin looking for wave particle duality in matter. Not only did this get De Broglie his Ph. D., but it got the paper reviewed by other well-known physicists including Schrodinger who was soon to come up with his quantum wave equation. Schrodinger acknowledged the paper’s influence on his groundbreaking equation saying “My theory was inspired by L. De Broglie…and by brief, yet infinitely far-seeing remarks by A. Einstein.” This is another of many examples of ideas percolating through the physics community before reaching fruition.

Einstein dug even further into the implications of Bose’s way of counting particles in a 1925 paper. He proposed a new state of matter now called Bose-Einstein condensate. Although Bose’s name is attached, this work was solely Einstein’s. Einstein theorized that by applying enough pressure while maintaining a constant temperature the atoms in an ideal gas would go into their quantum state without kinetic energy and “condense” becoming a new kind of “liquid.” As Stone puts it, Einstein’s “condensation phenomenon is driven purely by the newly discovered quantum ‘oneness’ of identical particles, not by a force like electromagnetism, but by this strange statistical ‘pseudoforce’ that Einstein was the first to recognize.” It would be seventy years later when scientists finally produced Bose-Einstein condensate. It required a temperature of 170 billionths of a degree above absolute zero. Bose-Einstein condensation became an important part of condensed-matter physics and the study of superconductivity and superfluidity. As happened frequently, none of the other leading physicists of the time believed Einstein’s theory and ignored it.

Einstein’s last contribution to quantum theory was a paper now dubbed the EPR paper that he coauthored in 1935 with two younger physicists. The paper highlighted an implication of quantum mechanics Einstein referred to as “spooky action at a distance.” This idea has since been proven and is known today as entanglement. It is an area of intense research and is particularly relevant to quantum computing. While Einstein felt this effect violated the principle of locality we can thank Einstein for his prediction of this phenomenon as a logical product of quantum theory.

Stone summarizes Einstein’s contributions to quantum theory: “quantization of energy, force carrying particles (photons), wave-particle duality, intrinsic randomness in physical processes, indistinguishability of quantum particles, wave fields as probability densities – these are most of the key concepts of quantum mechanics.”

In addition to this unique presentation on Einstein's contribution to quantum theory Stone gives us vignettes of many other scientists who engaged with Einstein, some collaboratively, others in opposition and many switching back and forth depending on the topic. These included: Bose, Schrodinger, De Broglie, Stark, Sommerfeld, Nernst, Born, Planck, Heisenberg, and Lorentz. Stone also profiles those whose work inspired Einstein such as Boltzmann and Maxwell. A fascinating aspect of Stone’s presentation is the way it depicts the development of concepts. He illustrates how ideas and intuition became full-fledged theories in the early twentieth century world of physics. We see how the seeds for these ideas develop and come together to form the breakthrough concept. We see how Einstein derived his ideas from the work of others, how he would bounce his ideas off his many friends, refine and develop them. And if Einstein found a project he deemed more interesting, he might ask other scientists to pick up where he left off. Ideas and theories would circulate around the physics community until hopefully someone finally had a eureka moment.

I really loved this book. I found it challenging but not overwhelming. I reread many sections, some more than a couple of times, to ponder and grasp the concepts. The level of difficulty was pretty consistent throughout. Stone doesn’t use a lot of math and resorts to analogies to help understand complex topics. The analogies never seemed silly. Some science books for the lay reader try to please everyone but end up bouncing back and forth between over simplistic explanations and head-scratchingly difficult ones. Stone is to be commended for avoiding both extremes. This book is highly recommended for readers interested in the development of quantum theory.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without doubt a five star, standout book, though there are a couple of provisos that mean it won’t work for everyone.

If you ask someone who has read a bit of popular science about the founders of quantum theory they will mention names like Planck, Bohr, Schrödinger and Heisenberg – but as Douglas Stone points out, the most significant name in laying the foundations of quantum physics was its arch-critic, Albert Einstein. You may be aware that Einstein took Planck’s original speculation about quantised energy and turned it into a description of the action of real particles in his 1905 paper photoelectric effect that won him his Nobel Prize – but what is shocking to learn is just how much further Einstein went, producing a whole string of papers that made the development of quantum theory almost inevitable. It was Einstein, for instance, who came up the earliest form of wave/particle duality.

I have never read anything that gave detail on this fascinating period of the development of physics the way that Stone does. This isn’t really a scientific biography. Stone does dip into Einstein’s life, but often in a fairly shallow way. What is much more significant is the way he shows us the building blocks that would make the full quantum theory being put in place. It really is absolutely fascinating. Science writers like me tend to skip over large chunks of the way this developed, throwing in just the highlights, but Stone really gives us chapter and verse, without ever resorting to mathematics, demonstrating the route to quantum theory in a way, he suggests, that most working physicists have no ability to appreciate. Remarkable.

I have two provisos. A minor one is that Stone’s context is not as well-researched as his physics. We are told that Arrhenius moved to Europe from Sweden, perhaps a slight surprise for most Swedes to realise that they don’t live in Europe. And he calls Rutherford British – admittedly the great New Zealand physicist did most of his best work in the UK, but I’m not sure we can count him as our own.

The bigger warning is that this book isn’t going to work for everyone. While I found some of the explanations – notably of a Bose Einstein condensate – the clearest I’ve ever read, Stone does fall into the typical trap of the physicist-as-science-writer of assuming what comes naturally to him is equally accessible to the general reader. I don’t think he makes clear enough the basis in thermodynamics of the early work, perhaps assuming that the statistical mechanics of vibrating bodies, and other essentials that constantly turn up in the early workings, are sufficiently straightforward as classical physics that they don’t need much explanation. Without that clear foundation, his later explanations may be slightly hard going – but I can only say that if you really want a feel for where quantum physics came from to persevere and go with the flow, because it is well worth it.

P.S. I wish someone had told the cover designer how inappropriate the solar system-like atom picture on the cover is for the topic!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Einstein and the Quantum by A. Douglas Stone

All the fifty years of conscious brooding have brought me no closer to the answer to the question, "what are light quanta?" Of course today every rascal thinks he knows the answer, but he is deluding himself.

- Einstein on the fundamental properties of light

The author's central premise is that Einstein's most important theory was neither relativity nor E=mc2 but rather his paper on light 'On a Heuristic Point of View Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light'. Then quantum mechanics were a fundamental and novel expansion on Max Planck's work on quanta. Einstein's theory espoused that quantum mechanics and classical electromagnetism were incompatible, at least at the quantum level. The idea was tied to the dual nature of light and the need for quantization in explaining blackbody radiation. For a time Einstein thought that this was his greatest contribution. He spent the years from 1900 to 1911 working on it before shifting gears to relativity.

Einstein eventually backed away from this early theory on quanta and thus history tends to minimize Einstein's contributions on the topic. His loss of faith was wrapped up in his quest around a grand unified theory. He was also skeptical of the theories of the younger scientists like Heisenberg. Einstein was not blinded by his ego so much as he thought there must be an elegant unifying theory to explain it all. In fact he was excited by many of his colleagues findings but felt they were just pieces. When Einstein nominated Heisenberg and Schrodinger for the Nobel Prize in 1931 he said he was convinced that their theory was 'at least a part of the truth'.

I find this truly incredible. Einstein was so smart that even a fundamental theory he developed and which was later proven right and that many giant minds of physics built upon is one that he himself doubted. If only the rest of us had Einstein's problem!

Planck, Boltzmann, Lorentz, Bose, Schrodinger, Boer, Born, Pauli, Heisenberg are all quoted in this fascinating and well researched book on Einstein's quanta theory . There were many contentious debates amongst the scientists but amongst all these giants it was Einstein's intuition which often won the arguments. Even Heisenberg's uncertainty principle came purely out of frustration following a debate with Einstein where Einstein criticized Heisenberg's work saying that theory must come first! Heisenberg was so upset that he wrote out his monumental Uncertainty principle even though it would not be proved for decades.

Although the math is virtually non-existent in this book, you'll probably need a deep appreciation for science and physics to get the most out of it. My background is in Electrical Engineering which is almost entirely built on the principles of modern physics - from Maxwell's electromagnetic discoveries through Einstein to Shockley to today.

5 stars. Kudos! One of the better science books that I've read in a while.

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a quite different view of Einstein and his contributions to Quantum Theory. This book covers development of Quantum Theory up to Heisenberg and Schrodinger and their modern theories of Quantum Mechanics. Generally people associate Einstein and Quantum Mechanics through his famous quote "God does not play dice," yet Einstein published many papers that led to Quantum Mechanics and was quite familiar with the fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics.

This book is probably not for a beginner, but can be read by anyone who has taken basic college physics.

[Arnar Ágúst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eðlisfræði... úff.
Svona leið mér áður en ég byrjaði að lesa. Það kom mér á óvart hvað þetta var auðveld lesning. Bókin kynnir fyrir manni þær þversagnir sem stóðu frammi fyrir eðlisfræðingum í upphafi 20. aldar. Hún leiðir mann síðan í gegnum hvernig hægt og rólega hlutunum var púslað saman í þetta skrýtna púsl sem skammtafræðin er. Það er sérstaklega skemmtilegt í þessu tilviki, því ef maður heyrir bara: "ljós er bæði bylgja og eind" þá botnar maður hvorki upp né niður í neinu. En hér er svona farið í gegnum það sem leiddi mennina að þessu.
Aðaláherslan er auðvitað á Einstein en þó er athyglinni vel dreift á alla þá sem komu að uppgötvununum.
Til að létta lesninguna er auðvitað skotið inn nokkru eðlisfræðingadrama, sem skemmir ekki fyrir.
Bókin er auðvitað ætluð almenningi, sem ég held að sé kostur þó að útskýringar séu einfaldaðar mjög mikið. Ég er ekki viss um að ég hefði nennt að lesa þunga eðlisfræði.

Heilt yfir flott bók, skemmtilegri en ég bjóst við.

[Perry Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Stone’s first book is quite an accomplishment. Not only does he tackle some of the more difficult ideas and personalities in physics, but he does so in a readable style, with enough depth to keep the intelligent reader interested and occupied but not so dense and difficult that he loses anyone wishing to keep up the pace of the book. Einstein and the Quantum is a splendid work. One comes away knowing more than before, and pleased with the experience. He also manages to do Einstein the service of showing us just how important the German genius was in the development of quantum mechanics, despite the great man’s later reservations about the theory’s entwinement with probability and the implications about God playing dice.

Stone tells us in the introduction that “Physicists don’t read the works of the great masters of earlier generations. . . . [A]nd the history that is mentioned is sanitized to eliminate the passions, egos, and human frailties of the great “natural philosophers”. He then admits that despite having been a physics professor for more than a quarter-century, he had “not read a single word written by Einstein during [his] actual career as a research physicist.” It is to our benefit that he both overcame this deficit, and that he presents us with the fruits of his labors and a strong case that we should all ensure that every now and again we do, indeed, read the works of the great masters.

I shall not share juicy details or highlight further passages, but will simply insist that if one is at all possessed of a scientific nature, and wishes to know a bit about how our current understanding of things came to be, this book is invaluable. It is certainly not suitable as a technical work, but enough of the science is presented and explained to leave the general reader suitably impressed with the goings-on of theoretical physics a century ago.

My largest complaint regarding the book is perhaps a petty one: too often there are occasional misspellings and grammatical errors of the sort best explained by errors in copy-editing. Erroneous placements of punctuation, and typos of the sort that would cause to be marked down a high school term paper, are frequent enough to be distracting, though not ubiquitous. Stone’s effort deserved better work by his publisher. Since his publisher is Princeton University Press, and he’s a professor at Yale, one wonders whether someone in New Jersey is annoyed with a call during last spring’s lacrosse match.

All in all, though, I highly recommend the book. It is most suitable for adult readers, but accessible, acceptable, and appropriate for high school and beyond.

[Homayon Zeary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me fall in love with the genius of the man all over again!

Over the years I have read many books (aimed at the layman) about the development of science and especially the history of theoretical physics. Of course I was aware of the whole 'not playing dice' objection but never knew the extent of how much the genius of the man shaped the quantum understanding too!

The book does an excellent job of depicting the genius and prowess of Einstein in such an easy way to follow and understand. The mix of anecdotes, life story, hard core physics and the well placed humour takes you through a gripping journey. Thank you Mr Stone for bringing him to life.

I wonder what he would have made of m theory?

[Ethan Hoskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A. Douglas Stone, demonstrates in Einstein and the Quantum, a very original way to capture how Einstein was involved in the foundation of quantum mechanics. It blends physics and a biography to make a truly great book for people interested in the two. The book creates a perfect image of the history of science before and after Einstein set his foundational work on emission and absorption of light, and on atomic gases, led to Erwin Schrodinger's breakthrough in Quantum physics. overall I thought the book after introducing an interesting topic was great in showing how Einstein's discoveries led to the further breakthroughs in quantum theory.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stone gives countless vivid vignettes on the real practice of real scientists. Some make us laugh, others make us say "ouch," but they all hit home. Almost every popularization purports to tell us about the "human side" of the subject, yet shy away from anything substantive about how (s)he was human *while doing science*. Stone has been right there doing world-class science himself, and also has the rare empathy needed to decode what his protagonists were up to under the surface. Really, I know no book that succeeds like this one at this intimate, interior view.

[Mitch Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the outset, I thought that this book would reveal what Einstein really thought about quantum mechanics, beyond the scientific papers and debates. Alas, it just scratches the surface and settles for a defense of Einstein as the catalyst for quantum theory, decently presented but incomplete.

[Ken Dilella · Rating 4 out of 5]

half way through and I hate this book. popourrie Mish mash of classical and quantum physics without a direction. author writes like my 10th grade algebra teacher. boring, bland, confusing, unfocused.

update: books is now kindling. ..

[Dan Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of Einstein's involvement in quantum physics, which seeks to make it clearer to lay readers just how significant his contributions were and to redress the prevailing misconception that he was against quantum physics - it would be more accurate to say that he was against the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, not against the theory itself, to which he made numerous major contributions.

The book necessarily also provides a potted history of quantum physics and of many of the other key figures. It's all well written and strikes an excellent balance between being too technical and being too shallow.

Thoroughly recommended.

[Linda Gaines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides the history of how the quantum mechanics model of the atom and the dual particle and wave function of light were developed. The history was quite interesting. However, I think the explanations of the various theories and what they mean will go over the head of most. I had at least a basic level understanding of the subject from college, and I still don't understand much of what was being described. However, it was interesting learning about the people involved in forming the theories and learning more about Einstein's work other than general relativity.

[Brendan Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool. This is the first time I've felt like I understand some of the fundamental ideas behind quantum mechanics. Stone does a great job laying out the discoveries that led to modern quantum theory, step by step, as they were revealed through inconsistencies in classical mechanics, which makes them more digestible than anything I've ever encountered before. He does all of this while celebrating Einstein's forgotten (and self-deprecated) contributions to the field.

This book makes me want to go out and learn stuff and accomplish great things.

[Theophilus London · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal book that really debunks the myths surrounding Einstein and quantum. Einstein contributed more to quantum theory than any human being and this seminal book corrects several falsehoods surrounding Einstein's role in quantum theory.

From 1905 to 1925 Einstein was the only scientist in the world who believed light quanta were real.

10 out 10 Book. Im looking forward to more books from professor Stone, what a read!

[Jim S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating review of early 20th century development of Quantum Physics especially by Einstein . I am not a physicist and this book is accessible for non physicists and clearly written . This is a very good book for all interested in science and how beautiful and mysterious is the fundamental nature of atomic theory and the laws followed.

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enthralling book filled with interesting stories and facts. I never read so much about the connections of Einstein and Planck, about Einstein's role in the foundation of quantum mechanics. A great book.

[Juan Ospina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging, entertaining, insightful, wonderful. Some chapters required two or three readings, since the concepts involved are not easy to grasp.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

we don't always think of einstein when we think of quantum mechanics, but we probably should

[gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to follow the physics.

[John Stimson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and sometimes funny history of quantum mechanics, focusing on Einstein's many contributions along the way to its becoming the fully developed structure that we use today.

[Kieran Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of the info I had read in other sources. I did learn some history I was unaware of. Book written for those with some knowledge of the history of physics and some concept of modern physics.

[Guy McArthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the initial 25 years as quantum physics emerged, Einstein played the leading role, as evidenced by the history presented in this fascinating book.

[Bob Finch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stone has written a very readable and much needed account of Einstein's seminal contributions to Quantum Theory. Remembered so well for his philosophical criticisms of Quantum Mechanics late in life, this fine book reminds us of the role Einstein played as perhaps the most daring pioneer in establishing the nascent path to modern physics, of actually taking to heart the reality (and implications) of Planck's quantum hypothesis.

Stone masterfully integrates many of Einstein's influences, his personality, and other biographical details into his excellent explanations of physical theory and Einstein's contributions to it. With Einstein's role in Relativity Theory already so well documented, this book only touches on that, while reminding the reader of how revolutionary Einstein's role was in establishing Quantum Theory, well before Bohr, Heisenberg and others, and much to the chagrin (and even dismissal) of most leading physicists of the time. What really comes through in Stone's treatment is Einstein's truly independent nature and willingness to grab hold of his results, even if they seemed counterintuitive (as he also did for Relativity, though to an arguably lesser extent).

I admire Stone's remarkable ability to explain the physics through such a clear narrative; however, I would have also appreciated a little more quantitative treatment, probably in a couple more appendices (the one appendix includes an excellent summary of the three competing thermal-radiation laws of the time, which is nicely done).

With all that has been written about Einstein, it seems surprising that something really new can still be published. I think Stone has done just that.

[Chimezie Ogbuji · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and plan to buy a copy of my own for reference and to later delve further into the main topic that was the reason I got the book: to understand better the point where classical physics turns into something hardly recognizable. This book gave me most of what I was looking for at a level of clarity that I think alot of scientists just don't have the literary means to achieve.

It is more about the dramatic events leading up to and through Einsteins role in the development of the modern quantum theory than about the theories themselves that were developed during this time. This book covers how he went from a founding role to his famous quote "God does not play with dice". Despite focusing more on the underlying story it still gives enough detail about the science that I was able to follow most of it, i.e., up until the work of Schrodinger and Hiesenberg, at which point it becomes a bit too mind bending to grasp in just one reading.

The author does a good job in stripping out the jargon, developing ideas through heavy use of analogy, and including correspondence between the scientists in the book. This is more than can be said about most scientist-professor-authors regarding Physics.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Einstein is most prominently remembered for his special and general theories of relativity. When he is mentioned in connection with quantum physics it is usually due to his quote about God not playing dice and his refusal to accept the "spooky action at a distance" of quantum entanglement. But present day physicist Douglas Stone delves into his papers to illuminate all of the contributions Einstein made in the quantum realm, many of which lead to our present day understanding of the physical world at its most microscopic level. The discussions were occasionally over my head, as a layman, though Stone does make frequent use of analogies to keep the reader nodding along. From Einstein's Nobel Prize winning paper on the photoelectric effect (not relativity theory) to his mathematical uncovering of the "sameness" of atoms within matter, Einstein is shown to have laid the groundwork for the likes of Schrodinger and Heisenberg. He did not join Heisenberg in his leap to the uncertainty principle, but still deserves respect for moving scientific understanding of the atom incredibly far. Prost! Herr Einstein.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Prof Stone did a great job at clearly presenting the theories and ideas, despite some of them being inherently complex. The interweaving history was entertaining and portrayed nicely Einstein's relationship with quantum theory. I would recommend this book to people regardless of their science background. It is reassuring to know that one of the world's most influential geniuses did not seem to rely heavily on complex math, or obscure theory, rather looked to reality first to derive his intuition. I am happy to have read this as it rekindles my hope for an eventual fundamental, intuitive, and realistic unification theory, unlike those exceedingly abstract theories of strings, multiverses, etc. Read, read, read!

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads more like a lecture on physics history, which is a compliment not a criticism, than a biography. This book really gets at the social aspect of Einstein's discovery and plays up his role in the history of the formation of this idea that is quantum mechanics. As a current physics student who just completed classical mechanics and is moving onto electricity and magnetism I will admit to knowing not nearly enough about what was talked about in this book. More of a general feel for the ideas and topics in the peripheral than an acute understanding. This story is as much a story, from my perspective, about Max Plank as it is Einstein. Really liked that aspect and this perspective. It was very approachable with my little knowledge of the subject material.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable with some difficult passages traces Einstein's significant contributions to quantum theory. Nothing here is new, it's just brought together to focus on how Einstein affected quantum physics. It also introduces many figures and their theories that influence E or which he influenced that were important in physics.