Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality |
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Author:
Manjit Kumar
By Icon Books Ltd
Average Customer Rating: 
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £2.65
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Product Description
For most people, quantum theory is a byword for mysterious, impenetrable science. And yet for many years it was equally baffling for scientists themselves. This work presents the history of this fundamental scientific revolution. It focuses on the conflict between Einstein and Bohr over the nature of reality and the soul of science.
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 A brilliant read, 2010-06-09
I found this a fascinating read. If you are interested in how science works and the power of personalities, you will love this book. Using really well researched personal details of the lives of the key figures, Kumar shows how quantum science developed and led to the scientific and philosophical conflict between Bohr and Einstein - a debate that continues to this day. What is real and what is only observed? Kumar blends biography and quantum theory, covering probably the most exciting period in the development of science and thought.
A book about Physics, 2010-05-27
Having read the book last summer holidays, I was very impressed. A tremendous read.
The thing is, this isn't a physics book. If you want to learn quantum mechanics, go to the standard textbooks - Shankar, Sakurai, Griffiths. You're not going to get any mathematics from this, and that's not a shortcoming - that's not the point of the book.
This is about the ideas, and their evolution throughout the first three decades of the twentieth century as the quantum theory was taking shape. It's about the people who made it, and the detail about what people were wearing, what they did, their relationships is what makes this work. This book gives you flavour of what doing science is like, and is powerful in doing so. It might push you to learn more- it did for me.
I'm only starting to learn quantum mechanics, so my comments regarding the presentation might be rather limited - I intend to return to this review later to correct this - but I can already see that the topic emphasized are slightly unconventional, as other reviewer pointed out. I'm not quite sure whether that's for better or worse - but it definitely gives you a different perspective that you'll get from other sources.
The intended audience of this book? I think the layman, first and foremost, but also people like me who are about to learn quantum mechanics for real and want a little history, and a little inspiration - the book certainly succeeds in that respect.
if a tree falls in the forest and no physicist was there - it didn't happen, 2010-07-04
There are a number of very striking themes and trends in Quantum that other reviewers have not brought out, being dazzled, no doubt, by the swift pacing, tantalizing prose and cliffhanger hooks that Kumar employs so magnificently in Quantum.
First, as someone who has struggled to understand quantum mechanics when it is presented in textbooks as a whole system, I was delighted to find that physicists have the same problem. Even (if not especially) Albert Einstein. By taking us through the history of it, and enjoying the exhilaration of every incremental discovery, theory and step, I find I am really comfortable reading about it, and have no difficulty assimilating it. When you're along for the ride instead of the textbook, it makes a gigantic difference. Bravo, Kumar.
Second, it became painfully obvious that physics is far more philosophy than science. I felt like the arguments came from my Logic 101 class. Socrates would have enjoyed crossing swords with Bohr. The arguments of the scientists were really basic, philosophical differences of opinion, not the least bit esoteric or idiosyncratic. It seems that medicine is not the only "science" where they tell you to get a second opinion. That was a revelation, and it made physics all that more human.
Third, Quantum confirms a lifelong suspicion that this was and is a young man's game. It seems that every time things started to get stale, some precocious 26 year old student would come along with a new portion of a theory, and rock the establishment. And then live off that discovery for the rest of his life - winning the Nobel Prize (as almost every one of them eventually did), getting professorships - but never shaking the tree again. In music we would call them one hit wonders. Einstein was about the only one with two hits - brainstorms in 1905 and 1916 - but then, even he couldn't fathom the totality of quantum physics and never made another major contribution to its progress. By the age of 50 he was calling himself an "old fool".
So in addition to all the praise heaped on Quantum for its superior exposition, I think it's a wonderful addition to the discussion of the human condition. Valuable on a number of levels.
What a great book.
A book that is very difficult to close... maybe it's in a state that is both open and closed until you look at it, who knows?, 2010-07-16
This has to be one of the most gripping non-fiction books I have ever read! It reads like a well organised narrative and there is rarely a dull moment in the entire book, although the author did have plenty to work with. As well as the emergence of this controversial 'quantum physics' the scientists had to compete with the outbreak of two world wars, it was not an easy time to be a theoretical physicist.
The chapters each focus on a different player in the quantum debate so that the reader gets a taste of the characters' backgrounds and their individual work that all led to the great breakthroughs that were made. This means that by the point in the story when all the characters are starting to meet and debate the implications of quantum mechanics, the reader finds they know their personalities and are compelled to find out who comes out on top.
Any physics that is mentioned in the book is explained thoroughly and generally only goes into as much detail as is necessary for the reader to understand the debate. This can get slightly tedious at times for anyone with a background in physics but it does mean that the book is suitable for anyone.
Overall, it is a fascinating and compelling read that find an exciting balance of scientific content, concerning what still is one of the most mysterious areas of physics, and the personal experience of the people involved.
Quantum, 2010-05-24
Book give a real insight into the trials facing Physicists who dared to defy convention by postulating new theorys defining our current universe. In may walks of endeavour many have had to overcome prejudice and persecution to make advances. This book not only provides an insight into these struggles it also provides an overview of the way these concepts evolved. Highly recommended...
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Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9781848310353
ISBN: 1848310358
Label: Icon Books Ltd
Manufacturer: Icon Books Ltd
Number Of Pages: 464
Publication Date: 2009-04-02
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
Studio: Icon Books Ltd |
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