Book Description

Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed. This volume offers the reader access to one of the greatest discoveries in the history of physics and one of the oustanding intellectual achievements of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Not short enough
I'm thoroughly unimpressed by Rev. Polkinghorne's interpretation of quantum physics. Even though he is technically competent, Polkinghorne seens to get every major point wrong. For example, he thinks Bohr in error to consider free will and determinism complementary. I'm not sure Bohr said that, but Bohr's colleague and Nobel Laureate Max Born did say that Bohr's complementarity applies to this situation.

Polkinghorne puts down other physicists by saying "The average quantum mechanic is no more philosophical than the average auto mechanic." Born, however, said that theoretical physics IS actually philosophy. Bohr always said that there are important epistemological lessons to drawn from the world of physics, especially elementary particle physics. It's as though Polkinghorne has been asleep through all the major developments of the past century. Polkinghorne himself may be no more philosophical than an auto mechanic, but don't drag people like Schroedinger, Wheeler and Weinberg through the mud with such silly statements.

As best as can be expected, I guess
This book does its best, but in the end suffers from something that I think is inherent in the material itself. I did learn a little more about quantum theory from this book, but not much more than I already knew to begin with. And this book didn't really make many of the main concepts any clearer. I don't think is the author's fault, I think it's almost impossible to try to explain these things. Most of the problem, (and similar statements go for cosmology, cryptography, etc.) is that it's almost impossible to explain concepts whose fundamental expression is mathematical language without using mathematics. What inevitably results is some kind of vague, touchy-feely idea of what's meant, but little understanding. And I say this as a mathematician.

To give just one example, at one point in the book, the author talks about "probability amplitudes", for several pages. The only problem is, he never says what this term is supposed to mean, but he does mention that complex numbers are involved, and other facts. The result after this happens several times is that the reader starts to read entire paragraphs consisting of terminology that's never been defined clearly. The word "operator" is the best example here. It's fine to talk ABOUT operators in indirect, oblique language, but really you don't have a true understanding of what that word means unless you know its precise mathematical definition, or unless you have a clear understanding of the notion of vector space (axiomatically, not "stuff you can add together"). I didn't have this kind of problem with most of the mathematical terminology, because I know it, but the problem comes with the physics -- the physics concepts are essentially mathematical, and trying to explain them without using mathematics is like trying to understand Shakespeare without being able to read English -- you can always give a vague, hazy account, but not much more.

The book is well-written (aside from an overly-biased presentation of the philosophical aspects), but I think it tries to have its cake and eat it too. It says it's free of mathematics, but this isn't really the case. The whole text is fully of talk about operators, vectors, vector spaces, equations, probability theory, and so on. It's the _symbolism_, not the math, that's missing (except for the appendix, which thoroughly confused me, mainly because terms were introduced without precise definition, and the notation was the physicist's notation, not mathematician's notation...)

This book was confusing to me, but the reason was because it had too LITTLE math, not too much.

Very short, but not all that lucid
This is a short book, and that is its only advantage, unfortunately.

Granted, that the author is eminent in this field and was himself a student of the great Paul Dirac. However, this book does not sit easily in a series designed to make a subject approachable to the novice. It has far too much esoteric maths than is good for a book of this genre. An ever stronger criticism is the fact that instead of keeping to basic physics ideas such as the double slit experiment (which this book does well!) and then developing the ideas of atomic structure, and the uncertainty principle, it dwells on things like operators and such like.

If you want a good introduction to Quantum Theory, look no further than the books by George Gamow's "The New World of Mr Tompkins" or "Mr Tomkins in paperback", or, "Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest".

Profound, Concise, Scholarly, Accessible and "Real"
There is nothing more beautiful to me than a profound, concise, respectable and rigorous small book. The gift of knowledge and time such a book provides matches any beauty that I've encountered. "Quantum Theory, A Very Short Introduction" delivers such a gift.

Looking at the small book, and my current desire to understand the essence of the mystery of Quantum physics, I had a strange desire starting the book- I wanted it to hurt a little bit. That is to say, I wanted it to be challenging enough to reach a profound depth and truth that matched my desire to know. And I wanted it to be real- not a fanciful tour of "cool stuff" but a book so steeped in knowledge that it exposes the diamond at the center of this leviathan. I wanted to be challenged, and maybe read a page two or three times to capture the occasional key point. I wanted a book by an author so knowledgeable that he would be brave enought to tackle this goal in a 100 page book. In other words, I wanted the truth, I wanted it quickly, and, as a result, I expected to sweat. I wasn't dissapointed.

And the really exciting thing is that this book is part of an Oxford University Press series of "Very Short Introductions". The format of the books in this series is about 100 pages, in a small paperback size. The text is fairly small, with small margins, with maybe 300 words per page. That makes each books about 30 000 words, plus of minus 25% for pictures, paragraph size and so on. And the books are written by experts with a professional level of rigor. The are a very short, deep, and real introductions. They make you sweat a little.

I can't wait to read the other 86 volumes currently in publication or slated to be published soon. My hope is roughly one a week- my wallet in my right pocket, and one of these in my left. That should keep me happy for the next 20 months- a gentle buzz of learning that soars over the far reaches of human experience and thought... ... Read more

Book Description

Modern physics was born from two great revolutions: relativity and quantum theory. Relativity imposed a locality constraint on physical theories: since nothing can go faster than light, very distant events cannot influence one another. Only in the last few decades has it become clear that quantum theory violates this constraint. The work of J. S. Bell has demonstrated that no local theory can return the predictions of quantum theory. Thus it would seem that the central pillars of modern physics are contradictory. Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity examines the nature and possible resolution of this conflict. Beginning with accurate but non-technical presentations of Bell's work and of Special Relativity, there follows a close examination of different interpretations of relativity and of the sort of locality each demands. The story continues with a brief discussion of the General Theory of Relativity. This second edition also includes a new author's preface and an additional appendix.

The book introduces philosophers to the relevant physics and demonstrates how philosophical analysis can help to resolve some of the problems. All of the physics is presented from first principles, and as much as possible is presented pictorially. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A lucid survey of the implications of Bell's Theorem
It's no coincidence that those writing the clearest books in the philosophy of physics are also those doing the best work in the field. Maudlin's book is a perfect example of this. It is also remarkably self-sufficient, providing a review of special relativity, and a brief and lucid presentation of the foundations of quantum mechanics in the appendix. As a result, it should be readable by anyone with a high school education. Those already familiar with the physics and/or the issues may want to skip parts, though I should note that I found a couple hidden gems regarding things I was unfamiliar with or mistaken about even in the introductory sections.

The bulk of the book examines whether and to what extent quantum mechanics entails four superluminal phenomena often taken to be ruled out by relativity: superluminal matter transport, superluminal signaling, superluminal causation and superluminal information transfer. Maudlin convincingly argues that only the latter two of these are entailed by quantum phenomena. The book ends with an critical examination of the various theories put forward to circumvent these difficulties, and provides a brief discussion of how these issues hold up when we move to General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

In a dynamic discrete space-time 'is' is an illusion
Prof. Smolin is a brilliant teacher.
His first book 'The Life of the Cosmos' contained already the simplest and brightest explanations of the basic elements, processes and principles of modern physics. Here he does it again with the latest progress in the search for a theory of quantum gravity: loop quantum gravity, string theory and black hole thermodynamics.
He dissects the strenghts and weaknesses of the different approaches and shows how they culminate into the holographic principle, where one set of events receives information about other parts of the world.

Lee Smolin explains in a very comprehensible vocabulary that space and time are not continuous, but discrete; that the world is made of processes, not things; and that the world is nothing more than an evolving network of relationships, of which causality is the most important.
These characteristics have important philosophical implications; e.g. they refute the belief that observer dependence rules out objectivity.

This book contains some mind-boggling propositions. One from Lee Smolin himself, where he admits that he doesn't belief in the uncertainty principle, although he continues to work with it. Another one is the use of the whole universe as an instrument.

In the end, the author is very optimistic and predicts that a theory of quantum gravity will be found in the first decades of the 21st century.

This book is a fascinating tale about the real nature of the universe. A must read.

What's our universe made of?
I am very impressed with this book. This is going to be one of the seminal science book for lay persons, right up there with Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time".

Lee Smolin is an active researcher in Loop Quantum Gravity. He laid out in a clear manner the research progress of Quantum Gravity. Quantum Gravity, once completed, should able to reveal the basic fabric of our universe, and say a lot about what is the stuff that space and time are made of. There are no mind boggling math in the book, but there are lots of mind boggling ideas that once Smolin explains them, I am left with a sense indeed this must be how our universe works.

Smolin thinks understanding how Black Hole works is key to progress in Quantum Gravity. He gives a modern update of what we know about Black Holes, siting a few fresh research results. This is very valuable, because the typical Black Hole books for the lay person are very dated indeed. A modern treatment is exactly what we need.

This book is a must for the fans following the going-ons in the newsgroup sci.physics.research.

An Introduction to Loop Quantum Gravity
Since the postulation of theory of relativity (theory of cosmos, which describes the structure of space and time), and quantum mechanics (laws of microcosm, which describes atomic structure, nuclear forces, and nature of basic component of matter); physicists until now have struggled to explain gravity (which is a manifestation of spacetime fabric in presence of matter) in terms of quantum mechanics (quantum gravity). In this book the author attempts to explain three different approaches to quantum gravity; Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), Superstring - M theory (S. -M), and Blackhole Thermodynamics (BT). While each takes a different starting point, they all agree when viewed on Planck scale, and they also view space and time are not continuous, and space is composed of discrete units. LQG gives us a detailed picture of these units in terms of spin networks, where as S.-M theory proposes continuous space in terms of a continuous string (with compactified extra dimensions) made of string bits, which is governed by uncertainty principle. BT theory states that amount information in any given space is finite and is proportional to the area of the boundary of the region in Planck units. The author is a pioneer in the field of LQG and provides the reader with a good introduction of the theory in a non-mathematical form and then compares with S.-M and BT theories. The book is described in three parts; the first part is a general introduction, which describes historical development of three theories, the second part introduces LQG and then compares with S.-M and BT theories, and the final part attempts to unify the three approaches into a single theory using Holographic Principle.

The author gives us several interesting accounts of physicists working in these fields are in a climate of mutual ignorance and complacency with the belief that their theory is correct and others are wrong. There are instances when one group can't solve certain problems, and they seek the help from the other camp. The author also briefly explains other theories such as Twister theory, and Non-Commutative Geometry. This is one of the few books I have read which describes LQG in some detail, although there are several books in literature, which describes S.-M theory. The author is very honest in comparing the three approaches to offer the best explanation for quantum gravity. Anyone who wants to understand LQG must have this book.

Learn almost nothing
I have a pretty good background in math and physics. But I learned almost nothing here. I think someone with less background would learn even less. The problem is he never really defines anything, never makes clear whether he means a 'loop' is a real thing or just a calculation tool, etc.

It is all just so mushy.

Plus he talks a lot about theories that have no experimental tests, and none presently envisioned. This seems like metaphysics to me.

You want a real popular science book that explains real science to a layman? Read QED by Feynman. Read Relativity Visualized by Epstein.

Separate Conquests
Sorry about the review title, just musing on the phrase "Divide and Conquer". As every reader probably knows, general relativity and quantum theory are both extremely successful, predictive theories, but have yet to be brought together in a single, complete framework that seems to clearly apply to our universe. Smolin did an excellent job in this book, already several years old, of discussing approaches to the problem, with emphasis on Loop Quantum Gravity. As usual while reading it I wished that I could plumb the depths of the underlying math, which of course the author did not attempt to present.

Since the predictions of relativity seem to be holding up so well, I can't help wondering whether the current vogue is correct in assuming that gravity is much the same as other forces and is mediated by "gravitons". Might there be some deeper path to unification? ... Read more

Book Description

Written in an informal yet substantive style that is a joy to read, this book provides a uniquely engaging, in-depth introduction to the concepts of quantum physics and their practical implementation, and is filled with clear, thorough explanations that help readers develop insight into physical ideas and master techniques of problem-solving using quantum mechanics.Fully explores the concepts and strategies of quantum mechanics, showing the connections among the physical concepts that govern the atomic and sub-atomic domain of matter, and examining how these concepts manifest themselves in the mathematical machinery of quantum mechanics. Focuses on the explanations and motivations of the postulates that underlie the machinery of quantum mechanics, and applies simple, single-particle systems in one dimension. Illuminates discussions of ideas and techniques with a multitude of examples that show not just the answers but also the reasoning behind them, and adds dimension to the subject with historical, biographical and philosophical references throughout.Designed for a wide range of readers interested in various branches of physics and engineering physics. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Wonderful Approach to QM
Thank you Dr. Morrison for a wonderful text on Quantum Mechanics.

This text covers everything relevant to Quantum Mechanics. It addresses the ambiguity of many concepts. He takes a single term or concept, writes it once, and then rewrites it using several different approaches. He leaves nothing to guess.

He tells you when you have just encountered an important milestone in your reading then warns you, before going on, to reread the previous section or chapter.

He poses questions in the text that you yourself are thinking. He then clarifies those questions. He does not assume you were ever taught or fully understood such things as the "Postulate of Quantum Dynamics", or whether "Stationary states really exist."

Dr. Morrison's approach, to the sometimes complicated concepts of QM, is a work of art. He could teach this stuff to elementary school children. I anxiously await the full exploits of Vol.II and the development of the Hydrogen atom.

Please hurry Dr. Morrison!

An Outstanding Text in Quantum Physics
Review of Morrison's Understanding Quantum Physics, A User's Manual

As a physics teacher and a student of Quantum Mechanics for many years, I have been particularly disappointed with the dirth of good texts for beginning students. There are worthwhile texts for those who understand the basics sufficiently, but Quantum Mechanics presents special difficulties to the neophyte: duality, probablility, transforms, correspondence, wave mechanics, matrix mechanics, Fourier analysis, continua and discrete spectra, commutation, operators, observables, measurement, and much more.

Morrison covers these topics clearly and in great detail, aimed squarely at the beginner. I am always fond of teachers who follow themes, reintroducing concepts over and over to show how they support new ideas. These are teachers who use nuance that you do not notice until you read the tale a second and third time. Morrison does that. An author with complete control over the subject matter, he proposes to create for the reader a powerful, understandable tool for examining the micro world, and he succeeds admirably.

Many texts have disappointed me because I find inconsistencies, unclear definitions, examples with so little discussion supporting them that they are impossible to understand. Not so with Morrison. I have read and studied this entire book at least three times over the past 1 1/2 years. I have found no inconsistencies in the math, nothing that wasn't clear within a couple of readings. Indeed each reading brought greater clarity, since each time I understood more of the coming tale than I did when I first read it. QM requires study and insight, a pondering of the issues. Morrison offers a clear, methodical approach, rather than difficult, inconsistent prose and math. Each time I read it, I see Morrison's craft as an author and a teacher.

Examples densely populate the text, a good number of which I have seen nowhere else. Every topic benefits from them and from dozens of problems which build upon each other. If I had difficulty with a problem, I tried earlier ones, moving back through the chapters until I discovered where my understanding went faulty.

I must admit a certain admiration for Morrison's ability to create a text for beginners that can generate understanding and clarity during graduate studies. I also admire the detail with which the publisher presented the mathematical formulae: attention to super- and sub- scripts, to summation indices, to counters. I found no mistakes in the math.

Not all topics are covered. Missing are discussions on relativistic QM; 3 dim aspects (he focuses on 1-dim distributions and indicates how to move to 3D); Dirac notation (mentioned modestly); spin and angular momentum; the Hydrogen atom orbitals. I agree with him, arguably, that these can be relegated to "advanced topics". What he does cover (see list above) is done superbly well. His next book will no doubt cover these topics as thoroughly and rigorously.

A lot of schmooze!
This book was the basis for my first junior/senior course in quantum mechanics. The biggest problem with this text is that it is so full of words and quotes and games and jokes that the student will spend more time trying to sort though the ink for the real meat of the subject than she or he would like to. Because it is original, it's worth a few bucks in late charges at the university library, but I won't feel comfortable making it the basis of my education in quantum mechanics. There is not a lot of hard physics for your buck in this book.

The best physics book I have ever read....
This is definitly one of the best introductory books I have read in ANY subject. I wonder if it is a physics book or a novel! Morrison's style is exceptional - he writes in a beautiful and lyrid style that has never been matched by any of the physics professors I have read.

This is the best book on QM I ever read.
And it's one of the best book in general, either. It could be read as a novel, and it's too bad to see it ending. Well, not too bad, since (unlike many novels) it's sure worth re-reading. I'm still looking forward for the *definitive* edition of the second volume: "Understanding MORE quantum physics". It makes me feel sort of behalved not having it. I do hope Dr. Morrison will soon give all of us his point of view on what remains of QM.

This book deserves more than five stars. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Provides a deeper understanding about quantum theory.
This book explores quantum theory with a slightly mathematical approach. Albert presents the information largley with respect to linear algebra and how it directly represents paradigms in quantum theory, which definatley help the average reader understand abstract concepts such as non-locality and superposition. In doing so he gives a very elementary view of linear algebra, which should make even the mathematically inclined reader to reconsider how he/she views things like vectors, spaces and probability. At times he might delve a little to deeply into the basics, but it doesn't detract from the overall idea presented in the book.

Absolutely worth the effort
This book was a revelation to me. It covers exactly the middle-ground I was looking for, between no-math lay books and dense PhD-level math texts.

It's a book for someone looking to take the next step, once you've understood enough of basic QM on the lay level to start asking deeper philosophical questions. The author's approach is unique in asking these philosophical questions about this utterly strange QM world, but yet doing it in a way that is formal enough to be credible, as opposed to many fuzzy lay texts that leave you in a rather more than less confused state.

Mind you, despite the first innocent-looking impression, it is not an easy read. But then the really interesting books seldom are. I read it once, then I studied it again, taking notes. But at that point I got rewarded by insights unavailable elsewhere.

As to the tone of the author, it is indeed unusual, but I personally like it. The parentheses, repetitions and footnotes other reviewers complained about actually helped me a lot, by providing multiple angles on difficult concepts constantly. I'd welcome more books written in this style. Also the math-level in the book is certainly within reach of most people, if you are willing to learn while reading the book. I have no significant math background myself and yet could understand almost everything.

Nearly Unreadable Half-Breed
I took his class, for which this book is required reading. Other reviewers are correct in saying the writing is pretty poor. Even if you can look past the distracting prose style, I still think most readers would be better served looking elsewhere for books covering similar material. It says on Albert's bio on the philosophy department website where he teaches that his work is so highly theoretical that he can proceed without a laboratory. But nor is he a philosopher primarily. He's a middling, and so is this book. I think the result is that the science is short changed as well as the broader treatment of the philosophical implications of the material. Perhaps he knows his stuff inside and out from BOTH angles, but all readers get is a strange half-breed that is almost unreadable. Some scientists have the enviable ability to look up from their work and give the rest of us a good look at the most fundamental problems posed by their work, and in dashing fashion. Albert is not one of these.

Almost what I wanted, but not quite
This book is unusual in that the author's interpretation of quantum mechanics is at variance from the one that is popular today. And since it seems to be close to my own preference in this regard, I wanted to give the book a high rating. But it misses for two reasons.

The mathematics is done using a notation that is sometimes a bit difficult to follow. (And I say this as a holder of a Ph. D. in theoretical chemistry, i. e., one thoroughly familiar with the kind of mathematics that is presented in the book!) And the writing is hard to follow in some places (especially because he'll make lists of points as A, B, C, D and then refer to them by those letters, making the reader go back to find out what he's talking about!)

Another reviewer stated that what this book really needs is some editing by someone else. With that judgment I concur. The _material_ in the book is first-rate. The _presentation_ could use some improvement.

One of several books for your QM library
This book will not please everyone (this much should be clear from the reviews). Those with a weak math background will find Albert's presentation of linear algebra hard to follow, and those seeking a detailed, technical treatment will likewise be frustrated. Rather, this book seeks a middle ground. The potential reader should bear this in mind, and the potential reviewer should not blame the book for being what it is. Having said this, the book is written in a breezy style that, I suspect, closely matches the way Albert speaks; this tone is not for everyone. Albert's presentation of superposition and the measurement problem is the clearest I have seen, and this is a major attraction of the book. His solution to the measurement problem, the Many-Minds theory, is strange, but the phenomena for which it seeks to account are strange. He discusses, and finds fault with, several other interpretations in a manner that may lead the reader to delve more deeply into these rival accounts. This is good, for Albert has not written -- nor has he intended to write -- an encyclopedic tome covering the entire history of philosophical musings on this subject. This should not be the only book you read on this topic, but it is a valuable text for your collection, if for no other reason than the clear and clever way Albert details the problem of quantum mechanical collapse. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical foundations of quantum tunneling, stressing the basic physics underlying the applications. The topics addressed include exponential and nonexponential decay processes and the application of scattering theory to tunneling problems. In addition to the Schrödinger equation approach, the path integral, Heisenberg's equations and the phase space method are all used to study the motion of a particle under the barrier. Extensions to the multidimensional cases and tunneling of particles with internal degrees of freedom are also considered. Furthermore, recent advances concerning time delay and tunneling times and some of the problems associated with their measurement are also discussed. Finally, some examples of tunneling in atomic, molecular, nuclear and condensed matter physics are presented. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Many books focus on the theories of quantum mechanics and how they differ from those ofclassical physics and everyday experience, but few manage to offer as many intriguing possibilities foractual applications of quantum mechanics as Schrodinger's Machines. Author Gerard J. Milburnexplains quantum electronic devices that may someday replace transistors as the central switchingcomponent of digital computers, the potential for unbreakable quantum cryptographic schemes, and thecapabilities of quantum computers. Along the way he highlights the key tenets of quantum theory that makethese applications possible, but without resorting at all to dense physics (although the prose itself isoccasionally dense and sometimes requires close reading). ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Application of Quantum Physics
Yes this book is not an introduction to Quantum Mechanics and not a History book either. But I am dissapointed for I had the hope that I will be exposed to samples of technical developments which Quantum Theory provided to us. Instead I got list of very special developments, except Electron Optics, Semiconductors etc. For me what is missing from the book is the clear line where it says that these could not be done if Quantum Theory of Atoms were not to be developed. There are references to Quantum behavior but not clearly stating why that is not and what was the problem with the classical Physics. In general it sounds all like technological limitations. Scanning Microsvcobe based on Quantum tunnelling.The queation comes whay similar method of high intensity field around the impuritioes would provide same information. Bottom line I could not see clear cut line where classical physics would have failed in the development of these apparatus. Some of them are clear, for example quantum conductance, interesting but overall I was not happy with the book or may be I am not knowledgable enough to read between the lines.

Big math--small particles
Quantum physics is more than a theory of atomic and subatomic particles and processes. It addresses the "nature of reality and the relationship between observer and observed. It represents nothing less than a complete transformation of our world view," heretofore firmly resting upon Newtonian physics.

In quantum mechanics, objects can be in more than one place at the same time. A particle can penetrate a barrier without breaking it. Something can be both wave and particle at the same time. Niels Bohr, a giant in early quantum theory, once remarked that anyone who is not shocked by quantum mechanics hasn't understood it.

The author describes his book in the preface, thus: "A quantum technology is a technology, which manipulates quantum probability amplitudes directly. This is now happening and some of the resulting technologies are described in this book." Chapter heading include Quantum Roulette, Atomic Calligraphy, Quantum Nano Circuits, and The Quantum Computer, each describes, as promised, the related quantum technology.

This book is not an introductory overview of quantum mechanics, and it omits the basic definitions and explanations that a reader new to the subject needs, in order to grasp the intellectual underpinnings of the book. It may be difficult for some. Therefore, students with the word "...Studies" in the description of their majors are excused. As the author states, Schrodinger's Machines deals with quantum technologies; it is not an explanation or a history of quantum mechanics. There are only two references in the index to Schrodinger's equations, and nothing at all about the man.

For the record, Erwin Schrodinger worked out the mathematics of quantum mechanics in 1925.

The book explains that in the world most people are familiar with -- the world of Newtonian physics -- there are no scientific doubts about where something is, and whatmomentum it has. These two quantities can be measured with precision.

However, in the world of quantum mechanics an idea suchas precisely measuring things breaks down. There is an "uncertainty" associated with measurements, because whenever a measurement is made the system involved must be disturbed. This "uncertainty" leads to some strange things, even an inability to predict the location of a particle under study with 100% accuracy. There will always be a small probability that the particle will be some place else; that it can appear in places it has no right to be in, from the point of view of classical Newtonian physics.

Some people may conclude that this behavior of the physical universe sustains the views of literary deconstruction and New Age philosophy, which proclaim the absence of absolutes anywhere.

On the other hand, some people may conclude that this behavior of the physical universe sustains Voltaire's observation: "A watch betokens a watchmaker."

What do you think?

Quantum theory made real
This reference is suitable for both the general reader as well as the reader interested in topics in modern physics. For the former, this reference is a gentle introduction to quantum theory with concrete examples showing how the theory is used. For the latter, this reference discusses scanning tunnelling microscopes, atomic lithography, quantum nanocircuits such as quantum dots, atom optics, quantum cryptography, quantum computation, as well as other topics. Philosophical considerations about the nature of the quantum aside, it is apparent that quantum theory offers an extremely useful description of the real world.

The strange theory of light and matter runs strange machines
After having read Feynman's book on QED I have not been able to enjoy any other popular book on Quantum Theory - until I was tempted to read Milburn's book on Quantum Technology. I found "Schrodinger's Machines" to be a clear and direct description of the exsiting ideas on how to apply Quantum Theory in the design of new tools and instruments. This book, I think, is excellent for any student of engineering who wishes to get his hands on electrons and photons. It is not a textbook, but a testament to the creative ideas of a long list of researchers who aspired to examine quantum theory in a technological context. In a sense it complelments Feynman's book by adding the practical angle to the greatest theoretical achievment of our time. ... Read more

Book Description

Over the last decade the physics of black holes has been revolutionized by developments that grew out of Jacob Bekenstein’s realization that black holes have entropy. Steven Hawking raised profound issues concerning the loss of information in black hole evaporation and the consistency of quantum mechanics in a world with gravity. For two decades these questions puzzled theoretical physicists and eventually led to a revolution in the way we think about space, time, matter and information. This revolution has culminated in a remarkable principle called "The Holographic Principle", which is now a major focus of attention in gravitational research, quantum field theory and elementary particle physics. Leonard Susskind, one of the co-inventors of the Holographic Principle as well as one of the founders of String theory, develops and explains these concepts. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Define "Introduction"
If you're into reading about physics but don't have the maths to back it up, this isn't the book for you. This "introduction" is probably aimed at university physics students. I am without a university physics education and am finding the book almost as hard as reading a Japanese newspaper. As with reading a Japanese newspaper, the pictures help a lot. I don't feel I'm getting enough to "rate" the book, but I can warn others as innumerate as myself.

Update: I've made it ~halfway through. There's a great deal of uncertainty as to what I'm actually understanding as opposed to what I'm just filling-in with intuitive fictions. But I can live with that (as we all must at some point). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Will quantum physics let us reduce consciousness to computation? Roger Penrose says "no" with great force and eloquence in The Large, the Small, and the Human Mind. Prepared as a series of three lectures in Cambridge's Tanner Series on Human Values, the material is both meticulously thought out and informally presented, including many illustrations by Penrose and others. For publication, the author sought out rebuttals and commentary by philosophers Abner Shimony and Nancy Cartwright, as well as his own colleague and occasional rival, the well-known theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Penrose then reserves the last word for himself, an author's prerogative. The result is a sharp but polite argument on the nature of thinking and its reducibility. Readers familiar with The Emperor's New Mind and Shadow of the Mind will find the arguments from quantum physics fleshed out in greater detail, but also attacked with good-natured aplomb. Those who missed out on Penrose's older forays into this territory (or are somehow uninterested in the nature of thought) will find this an excellent broad overview of the modern conception of physics, from subatomic shenanigans to the radius of the universe, as well as a stimulating debate among several great modern thinkers. Despite Penrose's certainty that our brains can't be modeled by computational systems--and hence that strong artificial intelligence will remain in science fiction--the argument continues, and will continue for some time. The Large, the Small, and the Human Mind crystallizes that debate for readers who want to keep up with the latest thinking about thinking. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Penrose: Science needs a "revolution".
Let me first say something about Roger Penrose. One notices how certain other mathematicians and mathematical physicists speak of him. He is not only admired and respected; it seems that he is positively enjoyed! This may be a bit surprising when one notices that Penrose is something of a thorn in the side of several popular ideas in contemporary physics (and psychology). Cosmic inflation theories and ideas regarding the fundamental nature of quantum uncertainty find a formidable and articulate critic in the Oxford mathematician. Of the somewhat less popular, but ever fanciful "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum superpositioning, Penrose says "[the 'many-worlds' view] is not a very economical description of the Universe but I think things are rather worse than that for the many-worlds description. It is not just its lack of economy that worries me. The main problem is that it does not really solve the problem." He brings the same mental rapier to what he has called "the missing science" of mind and to the idea of computational / artificial intelligence. It is the problem of superpositioning described by Schrodinger and the decoherence caused by quantum measurement that prompt Penrose's search for an 'objective reduction' (OR) of quantum state vectors, the key ingredient in a "revolutionary" physical theory that remains a mystery. He speculates that this physical mystery may be related to the mystery of consciousness. He is unconvincing in this regard, but his ideas and arguments are quite interesting.
Well, let me now take this a bit further. Penrose also seems to terribly irk certain others! In particular he really raises the hackles of proponents of strong AI and the Dawkins/Dennett camp of 'consciousness-is-merely-mechanism' dogmatists. His views are much closer to those of perhaps most mathematicians and philosophers and stand on a deeper logical footing than do the doctrines that the human mind is mere biology. Let me say that I agree with Penrose in that the 'simple biology' view is never going to win this argument for reasons that can be demonstrated by the application of mathematical logic. To say that Penrose "doesn't understand biology" is to miss the point. The author freely admits, "there is a good deal of speculation in many of these ideas". Of course there is; science is largely -- we might even say wholly -- speculation. A more perceptive analysis would suggest that those committed to a rigid materialistic aesthetic don't understand (don't want to understand) the mathematics. Those who summarily dismiss Penrose do so unwisely. Given his contributions to mathematics (e.g., Penrose tiling, computability, mathematical logic) and his stature within the mathematics community, and given that the history of mathematics is essentially written by mathematicians, Roger Penrose may come to be considered the greatest mathematician of his generation. Given his work on black holes and space-time geometry (he recognizes the apparent "flatness" of the universe but suggests a more elegant geometry to describe that flatness), he may be one of his day's greatest physicists as well. Should his hunch ("OR") one day prove "true", his stature would approach that of a Newton or Einstein. The point being that any scientist who avoids or ignores Penrose's views, or is inclined to dismiss them by erroneously characterizing them, does so, as I say, unwisely.
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 are challenges to Penrose from A. Shimony, N. Cartwright, and S. Hawking, respectively. Apart from Shimony's discussion of A. N. Whitehead's views, its not on a par with the author's discourses; Cartwright suggests that nature may be a mess of "patchwork" laws (her view itself seems a horrible mess), and Hawking is disappointingly flippant. Penrose certainly meets these challenges.
I must say that the "controversy" over Penrose's Platonism is nothing less than nonsensical. Hawking complains "basically, he's a Platonist," as though calling him an offensive name and thereby granting the reader cause to disregard Penrose's arguments. That's unfortunate. Most of history's great minds have been Platonists; even Aristotle*, so often cited as the philosophical godfather of reductionism, was arguably a Platonist. Augustine, Kepler, Descartes, Pascal, Newton, Leibniz, Kant, Linnaeus, Einstein*, Schrödinger, Gödel, Whitehead -- the list of Platonists is long and impressive. As Penrose has said, "... it is my direct personal impression that the considerable majority of working mathematicians are at least 'weak' Platonists." Yet it seems as if some who call themselves "positivists" feel a calling to be science's mind-police. I suggest that this should be the real controversy... So-called positivists would do well to honesty consider Gödel's observation that the idea that mind/mentality is simply material is nothing more than the "prejudice of our time."
There is a rather child-like glee in the way Penrose sees and uses mathematics. His investigations and speculations are those of an extremely astute mind having fun! In his aggressive curiosity, his boldness, his clear-eyed honesty about the frailties of human thought and the limits of science, it seems to me that Penrose is something of a treasure and an inspiration. As he candidly states, "... the world-view that present-day physicists tend to present may well be grossly overstated as to its closeness to completion, or even to its correctness!" This volume presents a concise look at the Penrose ideas/arguments and even if nothing much ever comes of these arguments, they present a shining example of the kind of creative thinking that moves science into new frontiers.
*(footnote: While recognizing that it can easily be argued that Aristotle and Einstein were not "strong" Platonists, it seems obvious to me that they were each Platonists in some fundamental ways. I consider them to have been "weak" Platonists.)

With reservations, a fascinating discussion
As my background is mainly in the brain sciences, I was most interested in what Penrose had to say about consciousness and the brain in this book, so I'll concentrate mostly on the chapter that had to do with that. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the other chapters, just that I'm not as qualified to critique those as I am the one on the brain. There has been a lot of speculation in recent years about such things as computability and the brain, quantum consciousness, and so on, and I was interested to find out what Penrose might have to say about that.

One of Penrose's major ideas in this chapter is his demonstration that consciousness, although perhaps mathematical, isn't computable, in the sense that you could program a computer to simulate it. Penrose uses the example of geometric tilings or polyominos that are deterministic in their coverage of the Euclidean plane, but that aren't computable, to show this. Since, as Penrose points out, there are plenty of mathematical concepts that aren't computable and that can't be done on a computer, but that the human mind can understand, Penrose concludes that there is something beyond computability in both pure mathematics and the human brain.

This is interesting, and Penrose might be right about that. However, I must point out that while consciousness itself may not be computable (and I'm not really prepared to conclude this for sure at this point, because of what I'm about to say), nevertheless, many aspects of the brain's functioning have been shown to be computable, so I'd like to discuss that briefly.

For example, sensory neurophysiology has been shown to be both quite mathematical and computational as a result of the work of a pioneering mathematician by the name of David Marr 25 years ago, whose ideas revolutionized neurobiology almost overnight, after which the field was never the same. Marr examined a number of different fundamental sensory mechanisms, and showed, for the first time, that the way in which the visual system was processing light information was consistent with the operation of certain sophisticated spatial-frequency filtering transforms that are well-known in many engineering applications. To mention just a few of his important ideas, Marr's demonstrations that retinal receptive-field geometry could be derived by Fourier transformation of spatial-frequency sensitivity data, that edges and contours could be detected by finding zero crossings in the light gradient by taking the Laplacian or second directional derivative, that excitatory and inhibitory receptive fields could be constructed from "DOG" functions (the difference of two Gaussians), and that the visual system used a two-dimensional convolution integral with a Gaussian prefilter as an operator for bandwidth optimization on the retinal light distribution, were more powerful than anything that had been seen up to that time.

It was as if vision research suddenly acquired its own Newtonian Principia Mathematica, or perhaps General Relativity Theory, in terms of the new explanatory power Marr's theories provided. Basically, in one fell swoop sensory neurobiology also became an area of theoretical physics rather than purely biology, giving the area a rigor and elegance never before seen--an amazing achievement for a young man who died so prematurely from leukemia at the age of 36.

The main point of all this is that all of these mechanisms are both mathematical and computable, although the way in which they're done in the brain is probably more like how a computer would use numerical analysis to solve a differential equation, rather than using the original equations in a purely analytical way themselves. Since Marr's time, there has been further progress in this area, such as the great Bela Julesz's demonstrations that the visual system can extract and compute binocular disparity cues point-by-point for depth information from abstract, non-representational pictures or textures such as random-dot stereograms, the extension of Marr's ideas about monochromatic edge detection into color edge detection, the mathematical bases of non-linear visual field distortions present in optical illusions, and many other areas.

Furthermore, in the last few years, the nature of consciousness itself has been shown to be composed of many different separate mechanisms in the brain that are being coordinated in time in order for consciousness to occur. It simply isn't one process or central program that runs in the brain, nor is there a "master" brain center that one can point to where it can be said that consciousness resides. I'm sure the progress of this research will also have implications for ideas about the nature and computability of consciousness.

So overall, a fascinating and enjoyable discussion about the brain and consciousness by Penrose, even if I don't completely accept one of his major ideas about it for the reasons that I discuss above.

Lucid approach to establish a quantum-based mind theory
Penrose concisely manages to give us an overview about 3 somehow interconnected fields, the mathematically described large-scale world, the deterministic quantum microcosm and the recently emergent mind science. His major aspiration is to see the new generation of scientists erecting a bridge between the quantum world and the always controversial substance of conscience.

Having in his mind (in a neo-platonic way) the idealistic nature of mathematics that apply to the physical world as a well-justified model, he firstly presents some themes from cosmology and abstract mathematics (e.g. hyperbolic, Riemann geometry), and why, in his opinion, Guth's inflationary universe theory, has weak points (see also Penrose's book- Difficulties with inflationary cosmology) In chapter 2 ,quantum physics related, he gives us interesting examples (the paradox& puzzles reference shows his great sense of humor) and explain us how wavefunction's reduction can assist us to deal with the probabilistic nature of events in this level.
In the most interesting third one, he is concerned to lay an in-depth foundation between quantum procedures through neurons, so as to explain his main belief - brain function (that creates conscience) can't be simulated through A.I. Even though I tend to prefer J.Searle opinion (presented in his book Mind,Brain & Science) Penrose's points are adequately justified, thus leaving an open window for Free Will.

In the next three chapters certain Penrose's point's are opposed from Shimony (physician, philosopher) Nancy Cartwright(logician, philosopher) and the renowned Steven Hawking.
Shimony in a formalistic language, but slightly excessive for the common reader, finally makes a conjecture about a hyperselection law, in order to avoid quantum dualism, while Mrs Cartwright sets a contronversy against the usefulness of a perception that sets Physics the only explanatory science for mind theory and not for example Biology.(which for Penrose is reduced to Physics)
Hawking denies an indispensable and direct correlation between quantum gravity and the yet inextricable conscience and in chapter 7 Penrose responds to all so as to end this dialectically fair and fruitful discussion.

Overall this was worth my time, not only for this subject's great interest but because Penrose explains his thesis, clearly and distinctly.The uprising need for 'popular' science is reflected and adequately satisfied through this lucid book which succinctly presents a contemporary overview in a 'hot' scientific field.

Even non-expert readers (no special background in maths or physics is needed) will be able to follow and admire the ongoing revolution of scientific thought.Given it was written in'97 I'm looking forward and will benevolently embrace another similar work of a splendid thinker such as Penrose

Biology Contradicted.
What I am writing here in no way does justice to the book, I am merely trying to add a corrective to the way the book is reviewed. With Penrose, biology and the brain itself become epiphenomena. Biology loses its status as protected economic mythology (by default, not in the book). To become a neurobiologist (for instance) one usually has to accept at least some of the assumptions of the discipline or accept some responsibility for them; even by the questions Penrose raises he is fundamentally undermining such disciplines (even categorically) and at the same time seriously calling into question the judgment of their adherents. After all why would one have accepted or promoted such polluted theories when (after the fact) clarity was there all along... unless there was another motive. So more than their judgment is at stake, this work even calls into question their character as reflected in their basic sense of things. What are they going to do? Reform? It calls into question their basic forum.

Penrose attacks problems others just try to ignore.
The most important problems in physics and philosophy are, in order of increasing difficulty:

1) Unifying quantum mechanics and gravity
2) Solving the paradoxes of quantum mechanics.
3) Explaining the "unreasonable effectiveness of
mathematics in the physical sciences".
4) Explaining consciousness.

In this slim volume, Penrose attacks all four problems head on!

His solution of problem 3) is a form of neo-Platonism that allows him to treat mathematical progress as a real form of discovery, rather than an arbitrary creation of human artifacts.

His solution of problems 1), 2) and 4) consist in well, assuming that they are somehow related, so they are actually a single problem, which he does not really solve!

I strongly agree with Penrose's solution of problem 3), but I have strong doubts about the rest. This is still a very good book, because, at least, it tries to solve problems that others, instead, just choose to ignore.

Also, the exposition of non-problematic aspects of physics is very good, like the explanation (on pages 54-55 of the paperback edition) of the omnipresence of quantum mechanics in ordinary life and technology. This is a very important insight that many other popular expositions of quantum mechanics completely miss. We really live in a quantum world, because life is not possible in a classical, Newtonian, world! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The best advanced undergraduate quantum text book
In my oponion this book is one of the best books about quantum mechancis. It has very good explanations and clear expression. I have studied several books about quantum mechanics such as Gasiorowics, Liboff and Ohanian but this book is the best one.

45656
I've scanned through at least 10 QM textbooks for advanced undergraduate and none is better than this!!!!! If you find this book too easy, then try Sakurai' QM, even though it cost twice the price.
If you like neither, then I recommnend the magazine "Maxim". It's probably more exciting to you then.

One of the best books available on the subject
While studying for qualifier exams I relied heavily on this text. This should be on every physics students shelf. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you've ever wanted to understand just how semiconductors, transistors, and microelectronics work--and what the future holds in store--Richard Turton's The Quantum Dot explains it in a thorough yet accessible fashion that doesn't require a degree in physics or electrical engineering to understand. Turton describes the basic principles upon which today's microelectronics are built to set the stage for a discussion of potential computing devices of the future, including quantum transistors, superconducting elements, and optoelectronics that switch with light rather than electricity. Turton is careful to provide an overview as he begins each chapter and to recap the discussion at the end, so that even if you were baffled by some of the finer details you can still pick up the gist of the section. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The future of microelectronics
This book consists of two parts (its not formally laid out that way, it just naturally organizes into two parts). The first part is a qualitative introduction to integrated semiconductor electronics (with emphasis on transistor junctions). The second part focuses on solid state quantum physics with emphasis on optical as well as electrical properties. There is also a smattering of material on super conducting materials and some basic material about how a digital computer works. The author's intended audience is the high school student or first-year college student who wants to pursue a degree in the sciences. An alternate audience is the informed layman who wants to be up to date at a qualitative level with recent advances in electronics and future directions in research and development.

I believe the book is well written for the intended audience. Turner has an easy-to-read style, and he manages to explain things (generally) in a technically accurate way without the use of mathematics. Without the mathematical details this book is not what you'd expect in a design reference - and that's not what it's intended for. But it is an excellent book to read in advance of a rigorous quantitative class on the subject. I think it's much easier to understand physical phenomena in mathematical detail if one first obtains a qualitative "feel" for what's going on.

Turner opens his book with two short chapters on matter and the origin of conductivity. He spends the next few chapters describing p-n junctions, how they are used to make transistors, and issues that limit their size and speed. Along the way he shows how transistors are used in computers both in the fabrication of basic logic elements, and also in the venerable "flip-flop" memory cell. His descriptions are clear and concise, making liberal use of figures and diagrams so that the concepts can be grasped with no particular pre-existing skills in physics or electronics.

The explanation of present semiconductor physics sets the stage for later discussions about the motivation for semiconductor devices at the quantum level. He does a good job of illustrating the fact that quantum-dominated semiconductor devices will not simply be miniaturized versions of the devices populating current integrated circuits. The physics would not allow it. Rather, they will be unique devices that are designed and custom tailored using quantum theory from the ground up. The result will be new devices that have similar - though often dramatically different - operating characteristics, and that are orders of magnitude smaller than present devices, as well as faster.

In illustrating the classical and quantum semiconductor circuits, Turner does a nice job of laying out the basic ideas behind these devices. In qualitative prose, he explains the exclusion principle, how it applies to fermions, and how the exclusion principle in conjunction with quantized energy states results in many of the phenomena that we observe in semiconductor devices. Turner's description of the optical properties of semiconductors flows naturally from earlier discussions. He describes the basic ideas behind a laser, though in this regard I found the descriptions somewhat lacking. Other interesting groundwork is provided in his descriptions of tunneling and Compton pairs (which are involved in super conducting).

A nice feature is the glossary of terms, along with a nice list of further reading material and a good index. The book is also well illustrated throughout, with figures that add considerably to one's level of understanding. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in a qualitative introduction to solid-state physics, electronics, or semiconductor optics. I found it enjoyable to read and rich in the sort of qualitative imagery and description that makes learning so much more enjoyable.

Solid State Physics Explained for the Layman
This book gives sound, complete and comprehensible explanations for a number of solid state devices (pn diodes, FET and bipolar transistors, laser diodes, superconductors, Josephson junctions, etc). This book contains the best (most comprehensible) explanation I have ever read on the theoretical operation of bipolar transistors.

Great book of future technology for the Lay person!
Turton has done a wonderful job descibing the technicalities of today's computer/electronic technology. His descriptions allow the lay-person to understand the current technology and to understand where the future is taking us - probably to the Quantum Dot - and other devices. I highly reccomend it for anyone interested in the nanotechnology field as a primer ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a new edition of Volumes 3 and 4 of Walter Thirring's famous textbook on mathematical physics. The first part is devoted to quantum mechanics and especially to its applications to scattering theory, atoms and molecules. The second part deals with quantum statistical mechanics examining fundamental concepts like entropy, ergodicity and thermodynamic functions. The author builds on an axiomatic basis and uses tools from functional analysis: bounded and unbounded operators on Hilbert space, operator algebras etc. Mathematics is shown to explain the axioms in depth and to provide the right tool for testing numerical data in experiments. ... Read more

Book Description

In The Quantum Theory of Fields, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines his exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition to provide a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-date introduction to quantum field theory. The first volume introduces the foundations of quantum field theory, the second volume examines modern applications, and finally the third volume presents supersymmetry, an area of theoretical physics likely to be at the centre of progress in the physics of elementary particles and gravitation. The development is fresh and logical, with each step carefully motivated by what has gone before. The presentation of modern mathematical methods is throughout interwoven with accounts of applications in both elementary particle and condensed matter physics. The three volumes contain much original material, and are peppered with examples and insights drawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementary particle research. Problems are included at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

In an effort to excite college seniors and first-year graduate students about the essence of quantum mechanics, Goswami always begins a topic with what students know before moving into more complex areas. He teaches students how to ask the right questions, satisfying their interest in the meaning and interpretation of quantum mechanics, and treats the nitty-gritty details carefully. The unifying approach of the book presents quantum mechanics not only as a schema for successful calculations and predictions but also as a basis for a new and exciting worldview. The most unusual aspect of the book is an ongoing presentation of the radicalness of quantum mechanics as compared to classical physics. Outstanding features: 1) gives a thorough grounding in the fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics; 2) provides a wealth of worked-out examples; 3) offers a balanced presentation of quantum system, which helps students make a bridge to whichever aspect of modern physics they want to pursue; 4) goes into enough depth without exceeding the mathematical level of the beginning student; and 5) liberates physics students from the bonds of classical prejudices. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Fabulous intro...
An excellent introduction to QM by an expert in this subject, with also foundational issues covered, its probably the best intro QM book ever written along with Griffith, it makes you think and excite about QM unlike any other drab QM book.
Not only does this book equip the reader with operational tools but also covers epistemological aspects of it.
A MUST BUY FOR ANY ASPIRING PHYSICIST, ALSO FOR ONE AIMING TO DO WELL IN THE PHYSICS QUALIFIERS.

Goswami: Quantum Mechanics
As a student using this textbook as the only source in an introductory course on quantum mechanics, I found it very disappointing. In the end, with extensive help from the prof, I did very well (A+) in the course, but the learning process took twice as long and was four times as frustrating as it should have been because of the book. I think it may be useful as a reference for one who is already familiar with the topic, but the treatment is much to sparse to be accessible to the newcomer. A wide range of topics is covered, but the book makes a policy of glossing over details and subtleties. The chapters on philosophy and interpretation were a good overview to a fascinating side of the subject that seems often to be left behind, though of course being only short summaries, they actually accomplish very little. Finally, the book is bound in a very lush hard cover and printed on photographic paper, which inflates its price to a disgusting figure, especially for a starving undergrad.

Intermediate Level QM Book
This is a fairly complete treatment of QM. The only downside is that it is somewhat too advanced for an intro to the subject, but not rigorous enough for an advanced treatment. However, I used this book as a "backup" to Sakurai in a graduate level QM course. In that role it was flawless. It could also be used as a supplement to Griffith's QM book (which is extremely good but has some logical/mathematical flaws). In this case it would be serving as an "advanced" introduction.

Quantum textbook focusing on interpretational issues
This is an intermediate level undergraduate textbook which is distinguished by the author's serious interest in interpretational issues, e.g. EPR, Schrodinger's Cat, 'quantum consciousness.' I say 'serious' because he is discussing these issues within the context of a fairly complete introduction to Quantum Mechanics. However, the book is caught (in a catch-22) between more advanced (and abstract) treatments and the 'wave mechanics' approach. Students not already familiar with some of the details may have trouble filling in what the author has left out. Advanced students will want a more abstract development. Thus, the book may be more useful as a reference on topics not usually treated at this level. ... Read more

Book Description

In his exciting new book, physicist Victor J. Stenger shows how time symmetry at the quantum level makes it possible to draw a model of underlying reality that is simpler and more symmetric than the conventional view.This reality is timeless, with no beginning, no end, and no arrow of time.Time is indeed reversible.And in this "timeless reality," nothing rules out the existence of other universes besides our own; in fact, such a multiverse is strongly suggested by modern theories of cosmology.But whether or not reality has one universe or many, it had no beginning and was not created.It neither was nor will be.It just is. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Real Five Stars (or even more).
I simply love Vistor Stenger's books and lecturing. Who possibly can be better in presenting such subjects of science? After all, author is a professor of psychology as well. As Bertrand Russell wrote in 1950: "philosophy aims at a theoretical understanding of the structure of the world: on the other hand, it tries to discover and inculcate the best possible way of life..it can give to the individual a just measure of himself in relation to the whole history of man and to the astronomical cosmos". "Timeless Reality" is absolutely a "meisterstuck" dedicated to reader who is not afraid of mathematical formulas and equations. Find everything in it: brief history of philosophy, every topic of modern particle physics related to cosmology - explained and repeated each time when needed. Yes, it is a popular science book at its best, having the level of difficulty somewhere between Roger Penrose's "The Emperor's New Mind" (quantum theory content) and Alan Guth's "The Inflationary Universe" or Lee Smolin's "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity".

takes some getting used to...
I first read this book two years ago and I found the ideas presented to be very unsettling. I needed to set the book aside and think about more ordinary aspects of the world for a while. The fact is, however, that Dr. Stenger describes reality and there's no getting away from reality. Now my investigations lead me back to the implications of time symmetry. And happily, I have Dr. Stenger's book on hand to turn to again. This time, unafraid, I am finding the experience extremely satisfying.

I agree with the detailed reviews written below. I would also like to add an important bit of information about trust. Anyone who has investigated this field becomes familiar with the corruption that has taken place. Science is used as propaganda to support dogmatic conclusions. Speculation is too easily mutated into whatever covert form of mysticism the author secretly harbors and seeks to spread. Therefore, it is necessary to exert significant effort to find a guide into the stranger regions of reality who can be trusted to NOT MISLEAD. Victor Stenger is someone who can be trusted.

This makes all the difference in the world.

I've had the pleasure of receiving several kind personal responses to questions I posed to Dr. Stenger by way of his friendly and helpful website. I was delighted to find that he is genuinely interested in furthering human understanding and improving the human condition. He is without any hidden agenda. What you see is what you get. He is interested in exposing deception instead of practicing it. He sincerely cares about individuals who struggle with the almost insurmountable challenge of trying to understand what's really going on here in the world. He provides a sense of much-needed balance in an effort that often seems to threaten one's sanity.

And given the fact that what's really going on here takes some time for a person to adapt to, please take your time and let the ideas filter in gradually. Whether we like it or not, the strangeness of the world isn't going to go away. In fact, things become increasingly more interesting the more closely they are examined. And this is why having a trusty guide who's familiar with the topography is so important.

I am please to see that Dr. Stenger has an important new book coming out that will further help those of us who need technological expertise in exposing the mischief of the dogmatists. "Has Science Found God?" promises to provide further comfort and support for those of us who just want to approach the truth unadulterated. If truth is defined as "good" (no matter how uncomfortable it makes us), then Dr. Stenger is firmly on the side of the good. He's a great and welcome ally.

Serious science for dedicated enthusiasts
First of all, I'd like to start with a caveat. I gave this book 5 stars, but that assumes the reader has a college education or a very technical background. For someone not used to college-level writing, I would recommend avoiding this book. Having said that, I thought this book was amazing. My head is still spinning from all the detailed, technical information about quantum physics and relativity. Without getting bogged down in the actual mathematics, this book tells you just about everything you might want to know about modern physics.

Some of the best and most original writing is actually at the end, where Stenger presents his ideas on symmetry and how it relates to cosmology and the