This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“For what quantum mechanics says is that nothing is real and that we cannot say anything about what things are doing when we are not looking at them. Schrödinger's mythical cat was invoked to make the differences between the quantum world and the everyday world clear. | In the world of quantum mechanics, the laws of physics that are familiar from the everyday world no longer work. Instead, events are governed by probabilities.” – John Gribbin, Prologue: Nothing Is Real, Page 14
“Every problem in quantum physics had to be first “solved” using classical physics, and then be reworked by the judicious insertion of quantum numbers more by inspired guesswork than cool reasoning. The quantum theory was neither autonomous nor logically consistent, but existed as a parasite on classical physics, an exotic bloom without roots.” – John Gribbin, Chapter 5: Photons and Electrons, Page 93
“This is where quantum theory cuts free from the determinacy of classical ideas. To Newton, it would be possible to predict the entire course of the future if we knew the position and momentum of every particle in the universe; to the modern physicist, the idea of such perfect prediction is meaningless because we cannot know the position and momentum of even one particle precisely.” – John Gribbin, Chapter 8: Chance and Uncertainty, Page 140
Is This An Overview?
Quantum mechanics are the foundational principles to physics
and every science. Previous laws of
physics no longer work. Quantum
mechanics deals in uncertainty and is governed by probabilities. The outcome is always contingent on being
observed. No claims can be made about
anything until it has been observed. The
status of Schrödinger's cat in the box is uncertain, until observed. Before being observed, the cat could be alive
or dead. Possible outcomes only become
reality when they are observed. For the
classical physicist, the future could be determined given the position and
momentum of every particle. To quantum
physicists, perfect prediction is meaningless for the position and momentum of
even one particle cannot be known.
Caveats?
This book was meant to engage a broader audience, and to
provide practical uses for quantum mechanics rather than just science
fiction. The examples and explanations
are difficult to understand unless the reader already has a background in
physics. The scientific jargon and
experiments are given in quick succession.
This book is for physicists to get to know quantum mechanics.
