Quantum Leaps
How Quantum Mechanics Took Over Science
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- $27.99
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- $27.99
Publisher Description
In the early years of its conception, J Robert Oppenheimer spoke of quantum theory as a subject that was 'unlikely to be known to any poet or historian.' Yet, as Bernstein notes, in just sixty-odd years, one can find at least nine million entries on Google under the rubric 'quantum theory' — from poets and historians, as well as film critics and Buddhist monks. How did quantum mechanics enter general culture so pervasively?
Having studied the subject for over a half-century, Jeremy Bernstein returns in this second edition to enlighten readers with a witty insider's perspective on the development of quantum theory as well as its loopholes. It is also a scintillating account of the interplay between brilliance and fallibility in humankind, even in the key figures who have shaped common understanding of quantum theory — such eminent figures include Niels Bohr, the Dalai Lama, Tom Stoppard, and most notably, John Bell who made pioneering contributions in quantum physics.
At once thought-provoking and intellectual, this semi-autobiographical popular science book is highly recommended for readers with rudimentary knowledge of science history, philosophy, and naturally, physics.
Contents:A FrontispieceAcknowledgementsAn IntroductionBishopsQuantum BuddhistsLéon RosenfeldA Double SlitA MeasurementEntanglementsAnyway What the #$*! Do We Know?L'EnvoiAppendix
Readership: For the general public. Rudimentary knowledge of science history, philosophy and physics is recommended.Quantum Theory;Quantum Mechanics;Quantum Physics;John Bell;Science History;Popular Science Culture0Key Features:Bernstein is an influential author and theoretical physicist best known for his popular science writing and profiles of scientists. He was a staff writer for The New Yorker from 1961 to 1995 and authored many dozens of articles. He has also written regularly for The Atlantic Monthly, the New York Review of Books, and Scientific American, among othersHighly personalized account of the quantum research world
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bernstein, a former New Yorker staff writer and prolific popular-science author (Plutonium), embarks on an almost quixotic attempt to explain the mysteries of quantum mechanics. It's a daunting topic. The legendary nuclear physicist Niels Bohr once said, "Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it." Bernstein seamlessly interweaves the story of his own growing fascination with quantum theory and the people who were influential in nurturing his career with the theoretical conundrums that abound in quantum theory. He also is very eclectic in the sources he draws on to explain some of the more remarkable aspects of quantum theory: the Dalai Lama, W.H. Auden and the plays of Tom Stoppard all provide relevant points of interest. The scientific explanations that comprise much of the book the problems of measurement and entanglement, how particles of energy and matter can become predictably correlated over great distances are earnest and, because of the nature of the topic, unavoidably difficult for the uninitiated. But this is a labor of love, and serious science readers will find it worthwhile.
