Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Joseph Henry Press (2006), 200 pages
Description
"Two towering achievements of modern physics, quantum theory and Einstein's general theory of relativity together explain virtually everything about the world we live in. Almost a century after the dramatic paradigm shift brought about by these theories, most people still don't feel comfortable with the essential principles underlying them. But if you think that the marvels of modern physics have passed you by, it really isn't too late. Author Marcus Chown makes quantum physics and relativity not only painless, but fun." "The Quantum Zoo allows us to stroll the world of cutting-edge physics. We observe the Universe's most incredible phenomena from a safe distance. Finally tamed into submission, both quantum theory and relativity gradually lose their ferocity so that they can be understood - and fully appreciated - by all."--BOOK JACKET.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member dougwood57
In `Quantum Zoo' popular science writer Marcus Chown tackles two of the most baffling subjects in the history of human attempts to understand the world around us through rational inquiry: quantum theory on the one hand and general relativity, on the other. Or perhaps that should be quantum theory
First, Chown shrinks the reader down to the microscopic atomic world of quantum theory. Leave all of your assumptions at the door, they will avail you naught in the quantum world. Atoms being in two places at once - at least we peak at them. Quantum theory isn't just hard. Learning the table of elements is hard, hitting a curve ball is hard, but the quantum world is entirely counterintuitive. Chown does an admirable job explaining this unpredictable and uncertain world to the uninitiated in the book's first 85 or so pages (including how `probability waves' explain why the same uncertainties do not apply to the macro world).
Chown deftly leads the reader through Einstein's special and general theories of relativity in the book's second half. Compared to quantum theory, space-time seems positively commonsensical; well, perhaps not quite - did Einstein really blast Newton's theory of gravity into the ether, so to speak? Sort of - Einstein's theory shows that gravity is really warped space, but Sir Isaac's 'inverse square law' still holds. See Almost Everyone's Guide To Science. Chown closes by explaining the Big Bang theory and exploring some of the unanswered questions.
`The Quantum Zoo' is an excellent introductory book for the general reader like this reviewer. In any book of this sort, the author faces the challenge of simplifying the material while still explaining the concepts rather than simply stating conclusions. The untutored general reader wants brevity and clarity, but clarity at times requires introducing complexity - in trying to do it all in just under 160 pages Chowns set himself quite a challenge. Chown mostly succeeds, although at times his explanations are too summary. The general reader interested in more detail on the Big Bang may wish to try Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe (P.S.).
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on one hand and the other hand too! First, Chown shrinks the reader down to the microscopic atomic world of quantum theory. Leave all of your assumptions at the door, they will avail you naught in the quantum world. Atoms being in two places at once - at least we peak at them. Quantum theory isn't just hard. Learning the table of elements is hard, hitting a curve ball is hard, but the quantum world is entirely counterintuitive. Chown does an admirable job explaining this unpredictable and uncertain world to the uninitiated in the book's first 85 or so pages (including how `probability waves' explain why the same uncertainties do not apply to the macro world).
Chown deftly leads the reader through Einstein's special and general theories of relativity in the book's second half. Compared to quantum theory, space-time seems positively commonsensical; well, perhaps not quite - did Einstein really blast Newton's theory of gravity into the ether, so to speak? Sort of - Einstein's theory shows that gravity is really warped space, but Sir Isaac's 'inverse square law' still holds. See Almost Everyone's Guide To Science. Chown closes by explaining the Big Bang theory and exploring some of the unanswered questions.
`The Quantum Zoo' is an excellent introductory book for the general reader like this reviewer. In any book of this sort, the author faces the challenge of simplifying the material while still explaining the concepts rather than simply stating conclusions. The untutored general reader wants brevity and clarity, but clarity at times requires introducing complexity - in trying to do it all in just under 160 pages Chowns set himself quite a challenge. Chown mostly succeeds, although at times his explanations are too summary. The general reader interested in more detail on the Big Bang may wish to try Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe (P.S.).
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LibraryThing member fpagan
Short and simple explanation of quantum theory and relativity.
LibraryThing member figre
My guess is, reading this book will bring you as close to understanding quantum mechanics as you will ever get (unless you’ve already devoted too much of your life, college, money, and friends toward REALLY learning it – yes, I mean you scientist geeks who run circles around us wannabees.).
The perfect book to read if you want to start getting a feel for how the quantum world is like nothing you could have made up.
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I’ve read a lot of “help me understand it” books on this subject. The quantum world fascinates me. Each has taken a good stab at it, and I’ve felt I got a little further each time. But there is always a point where I’m reading, but my mind is just starting to hear “quata, quata, quata.” It didn’t happen this time. Now, I’m not going to say that every once in a while I had to go back and say, “Wha…?” And I’m not saying I can catch you up to speed based on my immense, new-found knowledge. What I’m saying is I got through the whole thing, and felt like I knew what was being talked about. Better explanations to things I already knew (Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal, duality, the weight of light), got a few that I could hint at before (Why we can’t see the edge of the universe, instantaneous wave collapse for electrons across the universe, what they really mean when they talk about probabilities and waves), and some cool facts to show off to your friends (a hot cup of coffee weighs more than a cold one because energy has weight, every breath you take was breathed by someone important [fill in your choice of names here]). And, the best thing that can happen with a book like this, stimulated a few of my own thoughts – If an electron can be in many different places at once, can it be everywhere at once, and does that mean everything is made up of that one atom; and if time slows to zero as the speed of light is approached, does that mean that photons traveling at the speed of light have stopped, which means that, to that piece of light, all time is instantaneous. Put those two together, and the universe is just instantaneous spot of “time” existing for one electron. Oh, and what about other dimensions?The perfect book to read if you want to start getting a feel for how the quantum world is like nothing you could have made up.
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LibraryThing member BakuDreamer
This is okay, but sort of rambling
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2006-03
Physical description
200 p.; 8.75 inches
ISBN
0309096227 / 9780309096225
Local notes
From the library of Jeff Barton
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