Product Description
In trying to understand the atom, physicists built quantum mechanics and found, to their embarrassment, that their theory intimately connects consciousness with the physical world. Quantum Enigma explores what that implies and why some founders of the theory became the foremost objectors to it. Authors Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner explain all of this in non-technical terms with help from some fanciful stories and anecdotes about the theory's developers. They present the quantum mystery honestly, with an emphasis on what is and what is not speculation. Quantum Enigma's description of the experimental quantum facts, and the quantum theory explaining them, is undisputed. Interpreting what it all means, however, is controversial. Every interpretation of quantum physics encounters consciousness. Rosenblum and Kuttner therefore turn to exploring consciousness itself--and encounter quantum physics. Free will and anthropic principles become crucial issues, and the connection of consciousness with the cosmos suggested by some leading quantum cosmologists is mind-blowing. Readers are brought to a boundary where the particular expertise of physicists is no longer a sure guide. They will find, instead, the facts and hints provided by quantum mechanics and the ability to speculate for themselves.

"A remarkable and readable presentation of the basic mysteries of science, our universe, and human life. Critically important problems in our understanding are interestingly discussed with perception, depth, and careful objectivity."
--Charles Townes, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics

"Lively and thought-provoking."
--The Washington Times

"This book is unique. The clearest expositions I have ever seen."
--George Greenstein, Professor of Astronomy, Amherst College

"An immensely important and exciting book."
--Raymond Chester Russ, editor of Journal of Mind and Behavior

"Exposes the hidden skeleton in the physicist's closet."
--Nick Herbert, author of Quantum Reality ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

Delicious Science Reading at it's Best
It's rare that I enjoy a book so much that on finishing the last page, I fill with the melancholy that 'it's really over,' then flipping back and forward again, I make the decision to re-read it right away.

This is just such a mysterious and interesting subject, written with a great deal of style, and presented with the sure-footedness of someone who teaches this as their career. The book's scope feeds equally a sweet tooth I harbor for both science geekitude, and escapades in unconventional spirituality. I just ate this book up, reading it on my iPhone whenever and wherever I could, like a very guilty pleasure. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Uneven and poorly edited
I found Quantum Enigma disappointing in several respects.Most importantly, the book wastes chapters on tangential matters that have little or nothing to do with the central thesis.The section on cosmology, black holes, Hawking radiation (huh?), and the Big Bang seem like total filler (got be 200 pages to be a hardcover.)On the other hand, the book trips lightly through several topics of absolutely central importance.THE central experiment that illustrates the quantum enigma - the double slit experiment - is barely discussed.Rather the authors hint at the topic via an allegory about people in huts.I've no problems with allegory and metaphor, but they should be introduced as explanatory devices after the real experiment and its outcomes are fully described.The section on "robotic observers" was, in my opinion, critically important but grossly terse.I reread it several times and still don't grasp the logic of the argument - maybe I'm stupid - but I don't think so.The book is highly repetitive (at times it seems like an amalgam of unedited lecture notes) and yet still full of logical holes.I've no doubt that the authors have the capacity to do far far better, but brilliant scientists rarely make great authors.They simply can't comprehend why complex concepts are not "obvious" (Brian Greene being a rare exception.)Scientists in general, and these authors in particular, desperately need to be guided by a skilled editor.That's what's clearly lacking here.I suggest the authors try again but this time with a publisher willing to invest the editorial time and effort that's required to bring order to these sketchy notes.Cut the fluff and spend some real effort to dive deeply into each central topic.

Great Book
When I first encountered quantum physics, I thought I would be somewhat of a geek for reading about physics and its `encounter with consciousness' on my spare time.I opened the book, not really know what to expect.I am decent at physics, psychology, and philosophy, so I figured I would be able to get the basic idea of the book.
Soon, I was intrigued.The book presented one of the most mind boggling question in physics and our acceptance of reality.Physicist have shown that atoms are capable of duel properties.For a example - scientists have shown in `inference experiments' that light can be both a wave and a particle.
A similar experiment was done with 4 pairs of boxes, a mirror, and `wavefunctions' (which we'll call marbles).Under one of the boxes in each pair , was a marble. The results of the experiment indicate that before one of the boxes was lifted, the marble was in both boxes at the same time.It's baffling, `controversial', but true!This also helps to present the idea that our own consciousness creates the reality we are given.It's strange to consider that our own consciousness assigned every atom's property, place, and structure.Hopefully one day, our technology will help us understand this mystery more and solve the unknown questions of the Universe.
Overall, it's a great book!I hope to learn more about quantum physics in the future.

Good First Book for This Subject
This is quite a good book, but very much written for high school or undergraduate students. It explains the concepts clearly enough, but the prose is fairly workmanlike with a tone of earnest cheerfulness. It sets many of the key lessons as little stories or skits - it is an effective teaching method, but makes for annoying reading, as do the slightly corny verbal gimmicks and line drawings. It would suit non-technical readers who are coming to the subject without much prior knowledge. For the more philosophically sophisticated, there are better titles out there. Not a bad book, and filling an important gap, but not exactly what I was after, although at least it signifies that a somewhat esoteric subject is becoming mainstream.

Great Book
Very good! Read in two days. I found it hard to find stopping points while reading, I didn't want to set it down. Interesting and written in a very compehensible way. ... Read more

Product Description
The concept of Quantum Physics led Einstein to state that "God does not play dice". The difficulty he, and others, had with Quantum Physics was the great conceptual leap it requires taking from conventional ways of thinking about the physical world. Alastair Rae's introductory exploration into this area has been hailed as a "masterpiece of clarity" and is an engaging guide to the theories offered. This revised edition contains a new chapter covering theories developed during the past decade. Alastair Rae has been a Lecturer, a Senior Lecturer, then Reader in Quantum Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at University of Birmingham from 1967-2003. His publications include the First Edition of Quantum Physics, (Cambridge, 1994) and Quantum Mechanics (Institute of Physics, 2002), now in its Fourth Edition. First Edition Pb (1994): 0-521-46716-0 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent Book
I have read many books about the subject, they were ok but always missing something. I found this book as complete as it can be. His coverage for non-locality, EPR paradox, Bell's theorem,and the many interpretations of the quantum mechanics (Copenhagen, many worlds, Wigner's interpretation relating to the mind of the observer...) are well presented and heavily explained. I recomend this book to all the readers in physics. I hope that you will enjoy as I did.

For those with a little background a great book
Be warned, this book assumes you know a little about quantum physics to begin with.It's not going to walk you through all the basics of the field.But for those who've had an introduction to the concepts of quantum physics, it's a great examination of the conceptual problems of quantum physics.Don't be fooled by its short length -- this is a book to be read slowly, re-read, an digested.The discussion of the EPR paradox and Bell's Theory is especially good, because it's more technical and mathematical than those in other intro books, and while therefore more difficult, it's also more rewarding.

Don't tell God what to do
A. Rae struggles with the conceptual and philosophical implications of quantum physics (qf).
His book contains excellent explanations of the destruction of determinism, because uncertainty and indeteterminism are built into qf's very foundations. He also rejects the 'hidden variables' solution to solve qf's apparent contradictions. He shows also the fundamental opposition between Einstein and Bohr.
Unfortunately, this book contains a comment on the out-of-date Popper-Eccles discussion on the body/mind problem and their statement that the mind is not subject to the laws of physics. This problem has been resolved (see V. Ramachandran's linguistic solution in 'Phantoms in the brain', or G. Edelman's 'A universe of consciousness').
But I found certain flaws in the author's reasoning due mainly to the choice of bad examples.
Firstly, let me state one fundamental specification: reality is a process, not a fact (L. Smolin).
That is the reason why his ultimate question 'If reality is only what is observed ...' is not a good one.
A qf measurement does not create the 'only' reality. Protons, electrons, dead or alive cats, DNA mutations exist, even if they are not observed. A qf measurement is part of the universal process. In qf we only measure complementarities (properties) as Bohr stated.
Secondly, A. Rae states that macroscopic processes are irreversible (the second law of thermodynamics) and microscopic ones reversible.
For reversibility he chooses as example the collision of two molecules. I doubt firmly that in our universe after the collision the molecules can (without an exterior intervention) go back to their initial states. Those interactions are 'theoretically' reversible.
On the other hand, the life or death of a cat is a macroscopic event. The cat example is a good 'figure' to explain the qf theory, but it is a bad one to build a conceptual or philosophical theory on it. Nobody will calculate the outcome of a certain event based on a dead/alive scenario if a simple look at the cat's condition can eliminate 50% of the possibilities. The same goes for the DNA mutations.
The theory of I. Prigogyne (his books are difficult) is certainly a step in the good direction. As reality is a process, indeterminism should also be the fundamental cornerstone for classical physics, but naturally not in our daily Euclidian life.
In the case of the 'many worlds' question, I prefer Rudolf Peierls's solution where he proposes to speak of many world 'possibilities' (see P. Davies' 'The ghost in the atom').
This is a thought-provoking book. Not to be missed.

Long review for a good short book
Since the formulation of quantum theory in the 1920s the Copenhagen Interpretation of reality has been the mainstream view among physicists. But this interpretation has been uncomfortable for many, because it raises a number of paradoxes. The lack of cause and effect, (indeterminism), the so called "observer effect (quantum measurement problem), and non-locality, are among them.
Waisting no time in this 118 page book, Alastair Rae grabs the reader in the very first sentence of the book by quoting Albert Einstein's famous pronouncement: "Does God play dice [with the universe]?"
Using impeccable logic and only a bit of mathematical jargon, which can be circumvented by the reader, Rae sets out to solve many of these paradoxes. Citing experiments with polarized photons of light, he asks: What exactly constitutes a measurement? Does a measurement occur when a record is made? Or does it take consciousness to collapse the wave into a definitive particle? Is there a resolution to the Schrodinger's Cat paradox? How can we explain nonlocality?
Rae systematically entertains and rebuts in a convincing and objective way many different philosophies put forward to make sense of quantum reality. Some have claimed, most notably Niels Bohr, that it's the interaction of the partilce with a macor-measuring device that instigates the collapse. Others believe that it takes a consciousness to create reality. Still others, looking for a way to save determinism, and circumvent the measurement problem latch on to Hugh Everett's many-world interpetation.
Ironically as Rae points out most scientists claim to be "positivists", believing that it is meaningless to speculate on unobservable quantities. yet, they apparently have no problem believing in a myriad of unobservable and unmeasureable universes, completely and irreversibly cut off from our own.
In the final two chapters Rae objectively entertains what he believes is the most likely resolution of the quantum measurement problem. His idea was first proposed by Ilya Prigonine who won the Nobel Prize for his work in the field of irreversible chemical thermodynamics. The classical idea put forward by Prigonine states that there is an irreversible arrow of time and the second law of thermodynamics is never violated.Citing Prigonine's work, Rae explains: If no measurement is made of a quantum system no impression has been made on the universe, and the information which could have been obtained can be reversed and destroyed. If, however, a measurement is made, a change of some sort has occurred, either in the measuring device or our brain. The measurement has impacted the universe in some manner, and as a result the macro system must now follow the second law of thermodynamics, which has and arrow of time and hence is irreversible.
Rae states that "if we follow Prigogine's approach, indeterminism becomes an implicit part of classical physics.
Has Alastair Rae accomplished what he set out to do in this Book? Not quite.At the beginning of the book he states that he will tackle the problem of indeterminism, yet he spends most of his time attempting to explain the quantum measurement problem which is something quite different. And when he does address determinsim it falls short on several points.
First, a Prigogine macro system is indeed unpredictable, but it is not indeterminate as Rae seems to imply. Rather, it is a determinate and irreversible system having and arrow of time and an initial cause, no matter how subtle.
Secondly, he fails to address the process of nuclear decay, and the jump of the electron from one orbit to another--both of which are "real" and indeterminate.
Finally, in regard to the quantum measurement problem. Rae does not take into account recent experiments done with photons as cited in Scientific American (November 1991). In this particular experimental set-up at the Universtity of Rochester, researchers demonstrated that "The mere possibility that the paths can be distinguished is enough to wipe out the interference pattern." There is no measurement made, no record made, and no interaction with a macro system. Yet, the collapse of the wave happens without interacting with a macro sytem. Therefore, it seems that Ray's explanation of a resolution to the problem by creating a record in a classical Prigogine system is invalid.
This is still a very well written, concise, and provacative book and I would recommend it for those who want to understand the basic principles and paradoxes of quantum reality. This review written by: Quantum Reality1, author of "Quantum Reality: A New Philosophical Perspective."

Thank you, Alastair Rae
It has only been once in a great while that a thin little tome has taught me so much, and been so much fun.Before Quantum Physics by Alastair Rae, the last one I remember was Richard Feynmann's QED.I now feel like I have at least a near understanding of Bell's Theorem, EPR, SQUIDS, and an assortment of things and concepts that were tantalizing but vague until now.Thank you, Alastair, you're a good teacher.And, the little surprise at the end, Prigogine's possible answer.I'd always found him intriguing.Now I know why. ... Read more

Product Description
As Alastair Rae points out in his introduction, “quantum physics is not rocket science”. It may have gained a reputation as the theory that no one really understands, but its practical applications are all around us in everyday life. If it were not for quantum physics, computers would not function, metals would not conduct electricity, and the power stations that heat our homes would not produce energy. Assuming no prior scientific or mathematical knowledge, this clear and concise introduction provides a step-by-step guide to quantum theory, right from the very basic principles to the most cutting-edge developments, such as super-fast computers and unbreakable codes, which could soon become reality. Finally, Rae turns to the philosophical questions posed by quantum physics and asks: if Einstein was wrong and God really does play dice, what are the consequences of this for the way we view ourselves and our relation to the world? Written by one of the most respected authors in the field, this authoritative and readable guide will be suitable for anyone wishing to gain a clearer understanding of one of the key scientific discoveries of our time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

BEST book I ever read in my life
This is the Motherbook of all books.
I have been waiting for this book all my life.

quantum physics
I bought this book due to my interest in quantum physics after hearing about 'passion from a distance' which is Bell's theorum.The intelligence is passed on very simply but I have found that I need to read the book in short spurts in order to take in the information.As yet I have not finished the book but feel sure I shall learn from it.I must add that I didnt do physics at college so am a complete novice.

Good companion for another intro book
Like most introductory books in this area, it really helps to have some prior background.It makes some small leaps in places that will leave true beginners feeling a little lost.As an introduction, I'd rate this book lower than "The Quantum World ..." by Kenneth Ford, but it would make a nice companion to it because this book goes into additional depth in specific areas such as conductors, insulators, semiconductors and superconductors.

A good place to start
Overall, I definitely got what I wanted out of this book.For those of you who want a mathy approach to the subject, this is probably not the book for you.I know very little about the subject, so I wanted a book that would enable me to get a big picture so I could tell if a certain aspect of quantum physics interests me.This book serves that function well.

No direct reflection on the author, but there are a number of significant numerical errors in the first chapter or so.They are almost certainly due to poor typesetting, I'm sure the author can tear up the math.

Not that good
Though the book is Ok, after reading Isaacs Asimov "Understanding Phisics" I expected more clarity from this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum Physics For Dummies helps make quantum physics understandable and accessible. From what quantum physics can do for the world to understanding hydrogen atoms, readers will get complete coverage of the subject, along with numerous examples to help them tackle the tough equations. Compatible with classroom text books and courses, Quantum Physics For Dummies lets students study at their own paces and helps them prepare for graduate or professional exams. Coverage includes:

• The Schrodinger Equation and its Applications
• The Foundations of Quantum Physics
• Vector Notation
• Spin
• Scattering Theory, Angular Momentum, and more

Customer Reviews (22)

Unacceptable errors by any measure
NOTE: In this review, due to HTML, I will use [] brackets instead of the regular bra-ket notation brackets.

If this book was about poetry or even programming, occasional typo or error would be acceptable. Because in the case of the former, one could probably know what the author meant. In the case of the latter, programming, one could probably try and correct the error in the program code by deferring to compiler.

However, in a book that uses mathematics, even the smallest omission or error can leave one in a very confused state.

I am only on page 40 and will return the book to the store. There are numerous errors, typos and omissions of explanations in the book.
Furthermore there is no errata on the dummies website that I can see.

Some examples of the lack of explanation already on page 30: where the author connects the bra and the ket into [psi|psi], not explaining where the double || bar went. Also, on the next page 31, the author introduces a new variable "phi", without explaining that the choice of the variable name is irrelevant and it is just a convention. Initially I attached special meaning to variables "psi" and "phi".

The explanation of what a "linear" operator is, is just horrible on page 36, where the author manipulates the "phi", "psi" and "chi" symbols with no apparent logic, only to conclude in the end:

"Thus, |phi][psi| is indeed a linear operator".


Regarding errors, on page 35, the matrix R is really messed up, with 200 instead of 2 etc...
On page 37, 4th rule states :

"4. Write your final equation
[psi|A^+|phi] = [phi|A|psi "

Now, where did the right ] bracket go? There is no explanation whatsoever that the heck just happened in step 4.


In any case, I find chapter 2 extremely confusing. Chapter 1 was ok.

I can't see how people could rate this book 5 stars, except maybe that they were paid by someone or given a free copy for review - and reviewed it with a high score in order to receive More free books.

PS: I am a dummy but I did take 3rd year calculus and 3rd year linear algebra in university.

Not a dummies book. Written for a different audience.
There is clearly an audience for this book as evidenced by the many thoughtful reviews. The authors and editors of this series are congratulated on their ever expandingseries of books on math and physics. You will need a basic understading of linear equations and differential equations to enjoy this book. It would have been helpful for the workbook to include more examples worked out of Eigenvectors, unitary matrices, andHermetian matrices . Many of the operator functions would make much more sense if the multiplication were actually worked out. In addition the proofs of the Heisenberg and Schrodinger equations are missing steps. I would encourage Dr Holzner and the editors of the series to consider a second edition of both this book and the workbook.Chapter 2 of the textbook and the corresponding excercises in the workbook should be markedly expanded to more fully cover all math mentioned above. It would not be difficult to make this a 5 star book.The beauty of this math and physics should be able to be appeciated by many more people. Teaching the math is the hard part. As evidenced by his differential equations workbook Dr. Holzner should be able to rewrite the present texts to be better understood by a wider audience.

Rated U- For Useless
I bought this book hoping to learn a little about this crazy phenomenon called quantum mechanics. Instead, I got a book or derivations, little insight, and more Greek letters than the Rosetta Stone. Hard to read, little explanatory value, not enough illustrations, and quite a few typos. I can't even figure out who this is marketed to. Clearly, it's not for people that don't have experience with Calculus/Differential equations/ Probability Theory / Linear Algebra/ and knowledge of wave mechanics. They completely skip any intro on any current theories or any explanation of basic particles.
I can't even see the value of having this if you already know something about the subject, since who wants to walk through a bunch of algebraic derivations of some equation that you already know, since you are not a Dummy.
This book is the problem with the whole field. Everybody hides behind some math curtain, citing how important the Schrödinger equation is, pretending that all this math means something, when they actually know very little about the subject in general.

DO NOT BUY!

A sales con job
A contradiction!! Anything but a general overview for novice readers I want my money back

Not for dummies
This book is not for dummies.It is full of equations from the beginning.The preface indicates it is written at a college course level and assumes you are knowledgeable about calculus. I wanted to have the concept of Quantum Physics explained in layman's terms.Therefore, the description of the book on Amazon should state clearly the level of knowledge required for this book.It really does not belong in the Dummies series. ... Read more

Product Description

As Kenneth W. Ford shows us in The Quantum World, the laws governing the very small and the very swift defy common sense and stretch our minds to the limit. Drawing on a deep familiarity with the discoveries of the twentieth century, Ford gives an appealing account of quantum physics that will help the serious reader make sense of a science that, for all its successes, remains mysterious. In order to make the book even more suitable for classroom use, the author, assisted by Diane Goldstein, has included a new section of Quantum Questions at the back of the book. A separate answer manual to these 300+ questions is available; visit The Quantum World website for ordering information.

There is also a cloth edition of this book, which does not include the "Quantum Questions" included in this paperback edition.

Customer Reviews (31)

Poorly edited
This book isn't poorly organized or written, it just hasn't had the rough edges smoothed out. It has some continuity problems in building the framework for the reader to place ideas into context, undefined terms, etc. Its not bad (and it is very basic), but there are probably better ones out there.

Exactly what I wanted
I am a science-ee kind of guy. I graduated collage 6 years ago with electrical and comp sci emphasis. I always had an interest in quantum sciences but never studied any. This book fit the bill very well for me. It's quite technical, but in a "I'm not in collage anymore" kind of way. There are a few equations, but it is not necessary to do any of them. They are there more for making points, or proofs. This book does a great job of introducing you to all the different particles, kinds of radioactive decay, etc... in a logical order, in an easy to read, friendly language. Don't get me wrong, this isn't Quantum World For Dummies :) My point is that your granny or pappy could read it and get the jist of it's content, with some thought (if it didn't bore them too much).

Also, in reading it, I also came across explanations for things I've known all my life, but never thought about why. EX: Why heavy elements decay. Particles are so empty... they are all made of "nothing", mostly empty space.

Highly recommend! I haven't been this invested in a book since the last awesome book I read...... um... yep.

More than a popular book
The book is great. Fundamental ideas of the quantum mechanics are explained in plain, clear and concise language. I think the book can be useful to undergraduate students who take a course on modern physics or a basic quantum mechanics course. I read "The Quantum World" in parallel with University Physics and Modern Physics and found this reading very enjoyable. But as a popular reading this book may be rather complicated. To people who don't have a relevant background in physics, before starting this book I would recommend "Warped passages" by Lisa Randall or "The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene.

Review of 'The Quantum World'
Although the title suggests otherwise, this book is not intended for everyone. For that, it is too specific. That's why I expected a book which is a little more thorough. The collapse of the wave function is not treated at all for instance and the concept of wave function is only mentioned a few times, while it is one of the most mysterious items in quantum mechanics.

The part about the elementary particles is ok, the same holds for the treatment about symmetry and conservation laws.

All in all it's an entertaining book. But it remains too superficial to really give new insights.

Excellent introduction to the subject
I loved this book from start to finish. The material is fascinating and presented clearly, in easy-to-digest form. In terms of the reader's assumed knowledge, this book doesn't aim for the *lowest* common denominator. Some familiarity with first-year algebra is helpful, but not essential; the concepts generally stand on their own without any mathematics at all. Ford also explains the experiments that led to many aspects of the standard model, particularly from earlier developments. This helps the reader appreciate the evidence physicists were weighing in their attempts to piece together the puzzle. If anything, I would have appreciated more details on these experiments. But, for a quick introduction to the topic, this book does a fine job balancing the information and does an exceptional job getting the reader to visualize concepts. ... Read more

Product Description
“One of the best guides yet to the central conundrums of modern physics.”—John BanvilleQuantum theory is weird. As Niels Bohr said, if you weren’t shocked by quantum theory, you didn’t really understand it. For most people, quantum theory is synonymous with mysterious, impenetrable science. And in fact for many years it was equally baffling for scientists themselves. In this tour de force of science history, Manjit Kumar gives a dramatic and superbly written account of this fundamental scientific revolution, focusing on the central conflict between Einstein and Bohr over the nature of reality and the soul of science. This revelatory book takes a close look at the golden age of physics, the brilliant young minds at its core—and how an idea ignited the greatest intellectual debate of the twentieth century. 16 pages of photographs ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Quantum Undressed
Quantum physics was one of the paradigm-shattering scientific propositions of the 20th century which changed the way we understand matter and our relation to it.As such, it is fundamental to our understanding of our world, our place in it and how things work.We haven't begun to digest the implications it will eventually bring on in our society.It is a body of knowledge essential to anyone wanting to know where we are historically in human cultural evolution, meaning our own understanding of who we are.

At the same time, it is a difficult and complex subject for the layman and broaching it can be daunting for most.I did my utmost to avoid it in university and only came to it many years later from a different angle and by reading the texts of many of its protagonists, at least those I could deal with.

Manjit Kumar has made that task easier for all of us in many ways.First he has given life to the players giving us a history that reads like a novel.The un-approachable become human as do their conflicts and disagreements.He provides us with an understandable history of a fundamental change in the scientific worldview, in a way at once comprehensible and still complete.For those who know quantum physics it is a wonderful overview and review of the science and its founders or a very good first step for those needing to know.

Bravo.

Usually read sci-fi and this was written as engagingly.
Have been slowly drawn into non-fiction through my sons interest in science. Downloaded the Kindle sample of this and had to buy the whole thing. It is as engaging as any fictional book but you are learning as you read. Could use some more illustrations, both verbal and graphical, of some concepts to get through some of the more esoteric parts but otherwise does a great job of melding the how the thinking came about technically and socially.

Couldn't put down....
...and I never feel that way about non-fiction!

I can give this book the ultimate compliment -- I read it straight through.
Often, with non-fiction I books I read a bit, switch to a fiction book for a while, eventually return to the non-fiction book... or not.

This book was very interesting. It is more about the big ideas and the people involved than the nuts and bolts mathematics which suited me just fine.

Manjit Kumar's "Quantum" is a Singular Achievement
My bookshelf holds many titles explicating quantum physics for the interested layman (I am a retired attorney), but Manjit Kumar's "Quantum" stands alone.Many of these books focus on the personalities of and personal/professional conflicts among those who made advances in the field over the course of more than a century and, as a result, the science can get lost in the human-interest forest.Others highlight the 'hard science' without historical context and the presentation gets lost in the weeds of 'quantum weirdness'.
Kumar's book is unique, in my reading experience, in the perfect balance it manages to strike.It is rich in details of the human side of the story but always in a way that illuminates the evolution of the science.As a result, the entire landscape becomes clearer, including several areas which had for me always remained somewhat opaque. I am thinking, in particular, of EPR, Bell's Theorem and their progeny.In addition, Kumar's presentation creates a space around the Copenhagen Interpretation within which critical thought can be applied (many of the books in this area taking some form of the Copenhagen Interpretation as axiomatic).
At ground level, quantum mechanics is a mathematics that works; practitioners can apply it as a tool without giving any thought to the higher-level questions it raises.One level up, one finds the subject matter of most of the 'quantum for laymen' books I have read -- explications of what is commonly termed 'quantum weirdness'...superposition and Schrodinger's Cat, particle/wave duality depending upon the experiment, entanglement and 'spooky action at a distance' etc etc.All very interesting and challenging.
Kumar's "Quantum" includes but goes beyond that level of inquiry to focus the reader on the philosophical question as to what quantum physics has to tell us, if anything, about the nature of reality -- what is 'real' prior to or independent of observation?Is the universe itself the product of wavefunction collapse? Is the concept of 'the' universe itself valid?And much more.
"Quantum" is, as a result, a singular achievement.

Strong opinions in the search of truth.
Quantum is a well written and documented view of a scientific revolution and how the "players' in the field interact, argue and strive to gain their colleagues approval of their perceptions of how nature works. While some knowledge of physics is helpful, the layman can easily follow the human interactions and gloss over the details of "thought experiments". ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum physics proves that we are co-creators in our lives and the world.Each of us has unlimited power to improve our lives and make the world we live in a more joyful and harmonious place. In 5 Steps to a Quantum Life, see how you can use this amazing science to consciously create the life you want.If you liked The Secret, you'll love this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

If you'll beleive this, you'll believe anything
Dr (PhD in psychology) Reid thinks that scientists think that because observing at the quantum level forces an electron to decide which way it's spinning, therefore we create our own reality.

I understand now. All those people who were swept away by the tsunami, all those people watching their cattle drown in Pakistan, just weren't creating the right reality for themselves.

This stuff isn't only anti-scientific nonsense; it's spiritually pernicious.

It has no connection to the realities of the quantum. But it will certainly create a more affluent reality for Dr Reid.

Living the ultimate life!
Easy to read format for expanding your thoughts and life. A must read for anyone on the path to a better life.
You won't be disappointed. Anything is possible!

The Human Antenna: Reading the Language of the Universe in the Songs of Our CellsMatrix Energetics: The Science and Art of TransformationThe Physics of Miracles: Tapping in to the Field of Consciousness Potential

Maybe the BEST book on the subject
5 Steps to a Quantum Life was the big spark that really got me going fast on the law of attraction concept.Until I read this, I was not moved by the idea enough to push me along.The connection between Quantum Physics and the law of attraction was intriguing to say the least!5 Steps to a Quantum Life makes the idea accessible and plausible to practical people like myself.I also gained an interest in the Quantum Physics side of the book!I consider this book a "must have" and carry it everywhere, just so that when I get a down feeling, I can read a passage and it relieves some of the anxiety!Wow! Impressive.

Excellent Book!
"It is not only a great connection of things I've read and personally realized, but Dr. Reid weaves them together in a unique way with fresh perspectives that are more useful (and hence powerful) than any of them so far. I have to say- well, well done!"

Who is creating your reality?
"People who choose to see themselves as winners get the prizes in life. You can choose to be a winner and get the prizes, too." ~ pg. 186

Natalie Reid has created an interesting little book about how an understanding of quantum physics can give insight into how the world really works. She believes that because we cannot "observe the subatomic world (with our eyes or by measuring) without disturbing it" we can therefore control our destiny by what we think.

She goes as far as to say that the world as we know it doesn't even exist until we observe it. We are therefore manifesting our own universe. I think this takes the idea too far but her meditation segments will be helpful no matter if you believe you are totally responsible for your life. It is however quite possible that your life could be changed through meditation and visualizations and many of these are presented for you to personally experience.

"Once we see what the subconscious mind is using as a pattern, we can change it, which in turn will produces a different result for use to observe and make real in our world." ~ pg. 91

Unlike many of the New Age books on creating your reality, Natalie Reid's book does discuss God as more than a universal intelligence. She is wise enough to know that God won't always give you everything you ask for because He has your best interest at heart. I myself am very thankful that God didn't give me everything I wished for at one point or I would be stuck in a life I would not currently choose to be living.

So if you want some motivation to change your life you could try the meditation exercises in this book and possibly see some good results. Just be ready to take full responsibility for what happens next. Our thoughts can obviously create bad or good situations and meditating on something positive is bound to bring about good results.

~The Rebecca Review
... Read more

Product Description
This clearly explained layman's introduction to quantum physics is an accessible excursion into metaphysics and the meaning of reality.  Herbert exposes the quantum world and the scientific and philosophical controversy about its interpretation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

The basic reality of Quantum Physics
This is a great book by Nick Herbert. This is a book that deals with the interpretation of Quantum Physics. But its importance is that it deals not with a 'spiritual' or 'mystical' understanding of quantum physics but with how scientists and physicists themselves interpret quantum physics. It is a book of pure science and there is no quantum mysticism involved here.

Nick Lembert discusses basically eight different interpretations of quantum physics. These include the Copenhagen interpretation, Feynman's interpretation, the 'multiple worlds' interpretation, etc. All these interpretations are the work of the greatest physicists in quantum physics. These are the ways in which the scientists understand how physics work. They are not important in getting the results of quantum dynamics, the maths of quantum physics works independently of which interpretation we may choose to believe.

And this is where Herbert shows the craziness of quantum physics: although all these interpretations are radically different from each other, they can all explain quantum physics equally well. Neither we, the non-physicists, nor the greatest physicists in the world, really know what actually is going on in this strange little world, whether the particles are behaving according to the Copehnhagen interpretation, the multiple world explanation, etc. Herbert handles this very well, we get a sense of why Feynman said, 'just shut up and calculate'. Scientists dont understand the basic reality of quantum physics either!

Another very useful thing I took away from the book was the explanation of the wave equations of Quantum Physics. Herbert does a fine job of showing what exactly waves are and how physics describes the particles as waves and what this means. This again shows up the mysteriousness of Quantum Physics in another way.

All in all, I would call this a very important book to understand the general principles of quantum physics, one that is vital because it sets out the different interpretations in a very clear and comprehensible manner.

--P.J.Mazumdar, author of The Circle of Fire: The Metaphysics of Yoga

What is Reality?
Nick Herbert has done a great service by trying to look behind the veil which hides what underlies quantum mechanics. One thing we do know is that reality is non-local. Just what this has to do with the price of eggs in China is not clear. Quantum mechanics gives probilities for the position of electrons and protons in the Hydrogen molecule. However until an actual measurement is made you can't tell where the parts are. Electrons are real particles (which can act like waves) and so are Protons and Neutrons. The idea that things are made real by being observed by a conscious entity does not make much sense to me, Neptune was found by its gravitational effect before anyone ever saw it. The Universe is about 12 or 13 billion years old and the earth about 4.5 billion. I am sure that things happened long before there were humans (about 7 million years ago), it seems like the height of hubris to think that we are in any way important to the development of the universe.
I recommend the book to everyone who is interested in what reality is.

Recommended, but with a reservation.
I recommend this book, but with the reservation that the book should only be considered as an adjunct to other books on the subject of the meaning of quantum theory.I will have more to say about this later, along with recommendations of the books that I think should be read in order to get the most out of this current book.

This book discusses the implications of quantum theory and why they have led prominent physicists to believe that there may not be any deep reality, or that reality only exists when an intelligent observer is looking, or that all things are interrelated in a manner that allows "action at a distance" to travel beyond the speed of light (actually instantaneously), or that there are many parallel worlds continuously being created.All of these ideas appear to be straight out of science fiction, but they are in actuality concepts developed by some of the most renowned physicists of the 20th century.Read this book to see why this "science fiction" may indeed be science fact.The book has an overview of quantum theory, but this overview is, in my opinion, presented much more clearly in other books (to be discussed).The ideas of quantum reality are, however, presented in a more organized and focused manner than in other books devoted to this subject.I especially enjoyed the discussion of the uncertainty principal based on the wave equation as opposed to that of matrix mechanics, which I was already familiar with.

I almost did not read this book because of the way that it is presented.I looked it over several times before buying it.I had the following concerns, discussed below, which were largely unwarranted.I mention them here because the readers of this review may have similar concerns.
1) The subtitle of the book is "An excursion into metaphysics and the meaning of reality".This book is not a book about the metaphysics of reality, in the sense that it is not a philosophy text; rather it is a physics book, based on the work of the most outstanding physicists of the 20th century.
2) Nowhere on the cover, or inside of the book, does it say who Nick Herbert (the author) is and what his qualification to write this book might be.This generally means that the publisher is afraid that if you knew more about the author you would not buy the book, or that the stated author is a pseudonym.A quick search of the Internet shown that while Nick Herbert is not a theoretical physicist of worldwide renown, he has a PhD in physics, has taught the subject, and has had a significant industrial career.
3) The book was published in 1985 and may thus be out-of-date.This is, in my opinion, not a severe problem because the questions regarding the meaning of quantum reality have been around since the 1930's and have not yet been resolved.Also, the book includes the experimental evidence supporting Bell's theorem, which is not included is some books on quantum reality that were published at about the same time.Bell's theorem, and its implications, are the subjects of the last part of the book, so the inclusion of this experimental data is very important as it lends experimental support for the strange predictions of quantum theory, reducing the level of speculation inherent in these predictions.While I liked this treatment of Bell's theorem, I think that Brian Greene's treatment in "The Fabric of the Cosmos" is even better.Greene also provides a much better treatment of Einstein's "EPR" criticism of Quantum Theory and what it implies.
4) Early in the book there is a list of 6 versions of quantum reality that reads like bad science fiction.This gave me the false impression that the book was more "new age" than "new physics".The versions of quantum reality are based on physics, which are described in a general and largely non-mathematical manner.

As mentioned, I have a significant reservation, one that caused me to give this book 4 stars, instead of 5.I found the discussion of the "measurement problem", which at the heart of the book and has led to the myriad of ideas regarding quantum reality, to be somewhat muddled and, from my perspective, somewhat incomprehensible.Herbert uses the idea of polarization to define the "measurement problem", whereas I find the description of this problem based on two-slit interference experiments to be much more understandable.In fact, had I not already been familiar with this approach I would probably have had to put the book down and would have gone on to read something else.I would recommend that anyone reading this book should first read Gribbin's "In Search of Schrodingers Cat", Feynman's "Six Easy Pieces" (the chapter on quantum behavior) and Greene's "The Fabric of the Cosmos".All three give highly understandable treatments of the "measurement problem", and Gribbin and Greene provided better treatments of EPR and Bell's theorem.Gribbin also gives a very concise historical presentation of the development of quantum theory.I would also recommend Gribbin's "Schrodingers Kittens and the Search for Reality" as it brings his other book up-to-date (at least to 1995), particularly in that it includes the experimental support for Bell's theorem, as does Greene's book.(Gribbin's earlier book does not include this, even though it was written at about the same time as Herbert's book.)I also recommend Feynman's QED as it presents quantum theory in a way that avoids many of the conundrums resulting from the other views of quantum theory.Herbert discuses QED, but in a very cursory manner and does not discuss the fact that it avoids some of the pitfalls inherent in the other approaches (but introduces come of its own, which Herbert does not even mention).Without the above-mentioned background, I am afraid that the reader may become quite lost.

I recommend this book to college students studying quantum mechanics.The book complements the more problem solving aspects of quantum theory, dwelling on the deeper implications of what is being presented.Some advance high school student may also get a lot from this book.I would not, however, recommend it to people who expect a "new age" philosophical discourse.They will be disappointed and unless they also are reasonable well versed in physics they will likely find the book somewhat impossible to follow in all but the most superficial manner.

Wonderful, simple introduction to the Quantum world
I never progressed beyond basic high school physics, but I've been interested in learning about Quantum physics for years.My dad, who's been studying QP for years, recommended this book to me as the most simple starting place, noting that he thought other books dealt with Bell's theorum a bit better.

I loved this book.It was simple and as straight-forward as possilbe considering the strangeness of the quantum world.The only think I had a bit of trouble wrapping my brain around was the EPR description.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in quantum and the nature of the world in which we live - or THINK we live.I can't wait to read more books on the subject.

Reality is not what it used to be
As Nick Herbert points out early on in the book, the best kept secret of modern physicists is that they have "lost their grip on reality." Although written in the 1980s this book remains, in my opinion, the best overview of quantum physics on the market. One has to wonder why the Newtonian model of existence is still pushed so remorselessly in our schools. Evidently we are only comfortable with the blatant external appearances of life and are terrified of looking beyond that. What you cannot see...you must ignore. Nick Herbert does an excellent job of exposing that paradigm as a ridiculous self-deception. ... Read more

Product Description
How quantum physics will explain the nature of reality and the human mind.For decades, neuroscientists, psychologists, and an army of brain researchers have been struggling, in vain, to explain the phenomenon of consciousness. Now there is a clear trail to the answer, and it leads through the dense jungle of quantum physics, Zen, and subjective experience, and arrives at an unexpected destination. In this tour-de-force of scientific investigation, Evan Harris Walker shows how the operation of bizarre yet actual properties of elementary particles support a new and exciting theory of reality, based on the principles of quantum physics-a theory that answers questions such as "What is the nature of consciousness, of will?" "What is the source of material reality?" and "What is God?"

"A breathtaking journey into the very atoms of the brain...In his rare fusion of intellectual ambition with emotional urgency, Walker exposes the emptiness of a science that avoids the ultimate questions." -BooklistAmazon.com Review
It's not every day you hear a physicist ask what happens whenwe die.Evan Harris Walker, sparked by the early, tragic loss of hislove, does just that and more in The Physics of Consciousness,a book in the same vein as Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics,but with a firmer grounding in scientific understanding. Walkermarries the traditions of Southern literature--a longing for the past,a resignation toward the present, and a determined optimism about thefuture--to a technical explanation of the limits of materialism; aweird synthesis, certainly, but charming and engaging nonetheless.Since his primary topic is consciousness, Walker turns to neuroscienceand Buddhism (its spiritual equivalent) for inspiration.Hisquantum-mechanical approach to synaptic transmission and "the speed ofconsciousness" are difficult to evaluate and seem a bit overstretched,but his discussions of the history and current events of physics arelucid and ironically lend weight to his antimaterialistic arguments.Is this, as he hopes, another step toward 21st-century religion, orjust another New Age reinterpretation of the spooky world of theultrasmall?Don't bet on either--The Physics of Consciousnesswill jog your brain in new ways and, if nothing else, you'll find anew appreciation for how little we really know aboutourselves. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

A love story
This book, while an excellent, accessible tome on quantum theory and the direction that quantum points us in, is at its heart a love story.Doctor Walker provides us with an intimate view of the physics of consciousness. While it is accessible, some of the concepts are deep and he does gloss over some heavy duty math in this.If you are comfortable with college algebra, it will be readable; however, you can skip the math and focus on the diary entries and the non-math explanations of consciousness and be entirely satisfied.

I don't subscribe (entirely) to the ideas put forth, but Doctor Walker never meant anyone to.His was a quest.A quest for love.The math is just a justification, but does love need a justification?Perhaps it does if you're a scientist.This is a good read whether or not you're interested in quantum theory.

Ponderous, laborious.
I had a tremendously difficult time with this book, as I have to admit, it was quite a bit over my head.In truth it was the mathematical content that made reading this book a grueling task for me.The major impact of this work however, is of paramount importance.We have a quantum physicist that is imploring the rest of the scientific world to sit up, take notice and embrace the FACT that consciousness exists and that materialism must now be put to rest, like any other dogma that no longer serves (or ever had) a purpose.

The writing was a bit clumsy, but all in all, not a horrible read. 2 Stars is all I can muster.

novice
I was drawn to this book because there are so many things
about which there are no answers and about which I would like
answers. Reading thru it has been slow because I lack a science
background or forgot it.

I find the side bars about the Author's lost love an intrusion
and distraction. I thought perhaps, he was motivated to write
this book by the loss of his long time love companion and now this
was a way not only to answer his questions of what had happened to
Merilyn; where is she now and as a way to memorialize her.

Because it has been slow going, I am getting a little anxious
and want to do some quantum leaps to material ahead that might
give me food for thought.

For most of my adult life, I have believed that God was everywhere,
but now the "everywhere" is without limits. The Gospel of Thomas
on page 327 made me close my eyes and weep. I will finish this
book in due time and hope that I find some of the answers I
seek.

The Ultimate Road to Reality
The Physics of Consciousness takes Physics into a journey that leads it around 360 degrees back to its foundation on sound Philosophy with the addition of the best centuries-old experiences of metaphysical and mystical authorities. This is not simply the exposition of another theory. It represents a lifetime of research and total dedication to find answers to the burning human questions: What is Reality? Why am I here? What happens when I die? Walker exibits the human ability for thorough, methodical, and magnificently detailed analysis of physical theories at its best. This is not only a book to be read as another book on physics. It's a bookone can live by.

sources and lenses
A heavy and labyrinthian work.The asides about the author's first-love tragedy recur to the point of distraction; a one-time preliminary homage might have worked better.

From my reading, two points:1) that our perception actively co-creates the world is not a recent quantum discovery.Kant articulated this first; no references to him here.2) this tome is introduced as a quest without preconditions, but in the final chapter (hardcover, p.336) the author identifies himself as a Christian.Upfront disclosure would have been more appropriate.

I closed the book with one question:was the driver for this work inquiry or need? ... Read more

Product Description

Hands-on practice in solving quantum physics problems

Quantum Physics is the study of the behavior of matter and energy at the molecular, atomic, nuclear, and even smaller microscopic levels. Like the other titles in our For Dummies Workbook series, Quantum Physics Workbook For Dummies allows you to hone your skills at solving the difficult and often confusing equations you encounter in this subject.

• Explains equations in easy-to-understand terms
• Harmonic Oscillator Operations, Angular Momentum, Spin, Scattering Theory

Using a proven practice-and-review approach, Quantum Physics Workbook For Dummies is all you need to get up to speed in problem solving! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fairly Decent
This book is fairly decent, at least what I have thus far been able to work through.Depending on what book you're using to start your undergraduate studies in quantum physics, this book may be of help at first or it may not.It jumps right into bra-ket notation, matrices, operators.Some books like Griffiths' Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, don't really touch much of that until around chapter 3 (well operators are hit in chapter 2).The problems are also a bit cookie cutter, in that they are pretty much the typical basic problems you'd find in any other book, then again, one wouldn't expect much more from a for Dummies book.The solutions are a bit terse at times, but overall they aren't too bad.The chapter breakdown is as follows,
1. The Basics of Quantum Physics: Introducing State Vectors
2. No Handcuffs Involved: Bound States in Energy Wells
3. Over and Over with Harmonic Oscillators
4. Handling Angular Momentum in Quantum Physics
5. Spin Makes the Particle Go Round
6. Solving Problems in Three Dimensions: Cartesian Coordinates
7. Going Circular in Three Dimensions: Spherical Coordinates
8. Getting to Know Hydrogen Atoms
9. Corralling Many Particles Together
10. Pushing with Perturbation Theory
11. One Hits the Other Scattering Theory
12. Ten Tips to Make Solving Quantum Physics Problems Easier
13. Ten Famous SOlved Quantum Physics Problems
14. Ten Ways to Avoid Common Errors When Solving Problems
Overall, the book is meant to compliment the book Quantum Physics for Dummies, also by the same author.So if you liked that book, you'll also probably like this book.Like most of the for Dummies series, there are much better books on the market, but at the same time, they usually aren't half bad either. ... Read more

Product Description
A revision of a successful junior/senior level text, this introduction to elementary quantum mechanics clearly explains the properties of the most important quantum systems. Emphasizes the applications of theory, and contains new material on particle physics, electron-positron annihilation in solids and the Mossbauer effect. Includes new appendices on such topics as crystallography, Fourier Integral Description of a Wave Group, and Time-Independent Perturbation Theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Very dense and plain, but a solid text.
This text is well written in that it thoroughly covers each topic in well organized fashion, clear writing and understandable justification. One thing I have against this text is that its examples are somewhat simple and do not cover the application of the complex ideas presented in the chapter. I found it hard to solely use this text to answer the problem sets at the end of the chapter because of this.

Good condition
The book was in great condition and arrived on time, just as described in their ad.

The best for physics understanding
I think that this book on quantum physics is one of the best book ever written about the matter. I suggest this title for graduating students and for everyone that needs to improve or refresh its knowledge on quantum physics. Advice: it needs a previous study of quantum mechanics theory, but chapters about atoms, molecules and solids are very well done.

Great Intro, Plenty of Explanations of Natural Phenomena, Lacks Mathematical Rigor
Quantum physics is notoriously for crushing the enthusiasm of many a young physics student with a massive iron club of mathematics but this is a surprisingly gentle introduction that doesn't sacrifice the theory.

Quantum theory grew out of investigations into atoms and the basic approach of this book parallels that historical development, tracing quantum theory through the study of atoms, molecules, solids, and nuclei.Many other books simply toss chuck wave functions at you and hope that you learn to juggle quickly.Now, I'm a man who likes my theory but some motivation and links to observable effects are always refreshing.Unlike many quantum books, there are plenty of references to experiments and natural phenomena, including nice explanations of lasers, superconductors, semiconductor devices, and more.

The drawback to this abundance of explanations is that much of the mathematics gets swept under the rug.If you require a thorough derivation of every equation presented to you, expect frustration.The author's approach is to introduce many of the ideas of quantum theory, but not always provide a rigorous mathematical background.That said, this is a great starting point for understanding quantum theory but definitely not comprehensive.

The book also includes two sections on particle physics.Studying particle physics is already like visiting the zoo but doing so with this book is like visiting the zoo on a train.The authors fly through the material so quickly, trying to pack a massive amount of information into the final 100 pages of the book its almost unreadable at points.I'd recommend skipping it and saving yourself the confusion.

review
Not for self study. a fantastic book if you already have some grasp of elementary quantum mechanics and a real talent for following equation manipulation. ... Read more

Product Description
Entertaining, rigorous introduction to the development of Quantum Theory traces its history—from Max Planck’s revolutionary discovery of quanta and Niels Bohr’s model of the atom to anti-particles, mesons, and Enrico Fermi’s nuclear research. Numerous line drawings. 1966 ed.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Quantum Mechanics History
You just need to read it to see how interesting it is! Much more than the similar books.

A good book for the right reader
This is a good book for a reader with a modern physics background.It is not a good book for someone with little or no background in mathematics or physics, as they will be overwhelmed by unfamiliar concepts and mathematics.I recommend the first half of John Gribbin's "In Search of Schrodingers Cat" for those readers.It covers much the same historical ground, but without any mathematics.

Gamow was one of the "shakers" who shook up the world of physics between 1900 and 1930 and as such he was very well placed to write this book.The book chronologically traces the development of Quantum Mechanics.Interspersed with the physics are capsule biographies and personal reminiscences of the major players.Gamow also includes his drawing of the players and some of his personal photographs.The style is light and breezy, but with a firm grounding in the relevant physics.The book starts with the problem of explaining black body radiation and how the assumptions that Max Planck required to solve the problem created Quantum Mechanics.I found the explanation of the "ultraviolet catastrophe" to be clearer than I have found in most other sources.To do this requires some mathematics, but not the complete rigorous sort that you will find in a textbook.However, if you are afraid of second order differential equations and matrix mathematics, then this is not the book for you.The development of the "uncertainty principle" was also quite good.Gamow shows that it flowed naturally from the mathematics that Heisenberg utilized and that it was only is a subsequent paper that Heisenberg employed the idea of it as the product of an experimental limitation.

I would have given the book 5 stars were it not for two factors.Firstly, the book is only 165 pages long, including a play written by several pupils of Niels Bohr, which is a variation of the Faust legend applied to the scientists who developed Quantum Mechanics.Personally, I could have done without this part of the book.

My second concern is more a bit more serious.The development of Quantum Mechanics was not quite as straightforward as described here.For instance, while Planck was the father of QM he did not believe in it and did his best to disprove some of the basic ideas that others created from his initial work.Einstein, the first person utilize Planck's ideas also became an opponent of QM.As mentioned, there is an excellent derivation of Heisenberg's "uncertainty principle", but no discussion of why some people believe that it is a basic rule of the universe, independent of the experimental arguments that have been used to describe it, while others embrace the experimental idea and dismiss the mathematical arguments as being a quirk of the mathematics that were employed.To my mind the book would have been greatly enhanced if some of these problems were discussed.Even if they are not resolved, it is important to know that they exist.

For physics majors...
I came to this book looking for some basic explanations and summaries of quantum mechanics theories, having just read "Einstein: His Life and Universe" by Isaacson.Isaacson wonderfully explained both Einstein's theories and the theories of some of his contemporaries in ways that I could understand, and I was looking for more of the same.Reviews here praise Gamow as being wonderful for the lay reader.I must disagree.

The value of this book is that it does beautifully bring together, in a good order and organization, the theories and personalities of the physicists involved in quantum theory.Some of it, written in the first person, is very entertaining, as Gamow relates stories told to him, or shares experiences he had with these men.

But in terms of explaining to a -lay- reader the theories, he fails.The best example of this is when he relates Einstein's challenge to Bohr at the 6th Solvay Congress.It's a classic story of how Einstein, ever eager to challenge quantum theory, shook Bohr up with an apparently unanswerable objection.The next morning Bohr had the answer.But Bohr's answer, by Gamow's hand, is almost impossible to understand.Isaacson describes the same episode and makes both the challenge and the answer clear.If I hadn't already read Isaacson's explanation, I would have had no idea what Gamow was talking about.(This is somewhat ironic in that Gamow -does- explain some things that he might take for granted: complex numbers, matrix arithmetic, basic units like c and mg, et al.)

In short, this volume is a most valuable book for the physics student.Much of it is interesting to the lay reader as well.But if you're looking for clear explications of the theories, look elsewhere.Yes, the theories are complicated, and some physics background is inevitably necessary, but Gamow makes them even less accessible than they need to be.

Great book
If one can't explain a concept to an educated layman it only means onedoesnt understand it. This is a difficult task and not everyone can do it. Dr. Gamow gets across the essence & beauty of Quantum Mechanics so artfully that one is truly captured with awe. Only a master of the subject can accomplish such a job. This is also a good book for those wanting to read about the history of development of QM.

A great book from the master!
A reprinted Dover edition of a lovely set of biographies of the physicists of the Golden Period, from the pen of George Gamow. The original 1966 edition has been out of print for a number of years. This 1985 edition is beautifully reproduced, and it includes fascinating pictures, sketches, and poems, done by Gamow himself. He was born in Odessa, in what was then Russia, --before the Soviet Union. The story of his escape to the West is straight out of a thriller. Only it is real! Later in the US, Gamow was referred to by a journalist,--- some time during the Cold War, as "the only scientist in America with a real sense of humor". With his lovely books, we have now all come to experience how Gamow can take the most technical stuff and make it simple. Fun too! The book:--Intellectual treats, whimsy, but deep. It contains penetrating and personal biographies of Niels Bohr, Paul Ehrenfest, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Albert Einstein, and recollections from the conferences in the 1930ties in Copenhagen, Brussels, and in the Solvay Institute. Illustrated with lovely drawings by Gamow himself. A book with pictures and conversations! Much of it can be understood by a child, and other parts might require a little concentration. All of it is great fun. The author Gamow started in nuclear physics, during the Golden Age of Physics, worked with Niels Bohr, then later in the US, on the Manhattan Project during WWII, and after the war, he was professor in Boulder Colorado. He has a building on campus named after him! The books he wrote are pearls, and they have been equally popular with my parent's generation as with mine. Luckely some have been reprinted! Other Gamow titles: Biography of Physics, Atomic Energy [dedicated to the hope of lasting peace], Physics of the Strapless Evning Gown,...We are lucky that Dover has reprinted some of them. Gamow's list of scientific accomplishments includes a 1948 landmark paper on the origin of chemical elements, the Big Bang model, and later work with F. Crick on DNA and genetic coding.-- Do more Gamow editions, Dover! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (12)

Well Done and Simply Put
This book was a joy to read.It explains difficult ideas from both theology and physics in a very accessible way.In fact, as someone with a background in theology and a armature interest in physics, I found some of it almost too easy to read, but not boring.If you are thinking about reading this book, do it!You will not be put off by complex and difficult writing or explanations.

However, the point of the book is more than just making complex ideas accessible.Polkinghorne wants to point out the similarities between scientific inquiry and theological inquiry and he does this without overstating theology or discounting science.He gives both disciplines their due and fairly points out the limits and struggles of both.It won't convince the atheist scientist to believe in God.But it will help the open-minded scientist to develop a deeper respect for the rigor of theological inquiry (and a better understanding of why it has the limits it has) by showing that both science and theology share certain methods, difficulties and triumphs.Likewise, it will not convince the literal bible reader of the validity of the truths about the physical world that sciences has uncovered.But in the last chapter he suggests, in rough terms, a way of looking at evolution that can can lead to a compromise in that great debate. (It would be nice to see him flesh this out in a later book.)

To put it crudely, the goal of the book is to help scientific minded people to take theology more seriously by pointing out that the differences between science and theology are more in the subject matter than the method-- its rigor and logic.He does this by comparing examples from quantum physics to examples from theology.And he succeeds.

Outstanding
What a wonderful little book!

This short little book is not the easiest read, but it is certainly manageable for anyone who has a basic familiarity with theology or science so long as they are willing to read slowly and carefully. The book juxtaposes two systems of inquiry designed to lead to a truthful description of reality. That theology is a discipline with rigorous controls and review and rules for inquiry seems to surprise many materialists, but it is a fact.

I have spent some time here at amazon and in the world dialoging with those who hold a materialistic view of the universe, and I am shocked at the level of disdain given to the disciplines of philosophy and theology. As the author of this book points out, the word "theological" is often used pejoratively to denote an unexamined or untested bias or belief. I too take umbrage with this usage, and I find myself wondering if the decline of traditional liberal education in the West marks the end of literate and competent discourse and debate in our society.

I am impressed by this book's economy, even while I was challenged by some of the vocabulary and concepts. I was relatively unfamiliar with the history of quantum physics, and I found this book very edifying as a result. The sections on Christology, the historicity of the resurrection, and the parallels between scientific and theological inquiry were concise, challenging, and largely convincing.

One point the author could have hit a little harder, in my opinion, is the history and philosophy of science, and why scientific inquiry of a high level is largely a product of Western Civilization. A belief in a God of love and reason who cannot, by His nature, be a deceiver, led Western man to engage in scientific inquiry, because their God was not capricious and made creation in a way that was understandable and knowable. When the University was founded in the Middle Ages, natural philosophy as a discipline was a natural outgrowth of this belief about God's nature, and is what led to the development of modern scientific method.

The author does point this out, but briefly, and a history of scientific inquiry in those early universities is far more rich than the author has time to allow for in this short book. However I think inclusion of the history of science during the middle ages and the Church's role in essentially inventing the university would have strengthened the author's thesis.

Still, this was a very powerful book, well reasoned and well argued. I could not recommend it more highly.

Authentic science and authentic theology juxtaposed
John Polkinghorne has written many books combining ideas from his two areas of expertise: science and religion. In this small volume, he juxtaposes ideas from up to date quantum physics with some of the aspects of Christianity that seem baffling to many scientists. In doing so, he achieves his purpose of showing how critical realism can bridge these two seemingly opposed disciplines. But he also recommends a deeper study: "Perhaps this proferred hors d'oeuvre might encourage some to sit down to a more substantial meal."

With his characteristic precision, Polkinghorne sets out the difference between scientific and other types of inquiry: [the natural sciences] "enjoy possession of the secret weapon of experiment, the ability to put matters to the test, if necessary through repeated investigation of essentially the same set of impersonal circumstances. This enables science thoroughly to investigate a physical regime defined by a definite scale ... and to make an accurate map of it. ... By way of contrast, in all forms of subjective experience - whether aesthetic enjoyment, acts of moral decision, loving human relationships, or the transpersonal encounter with the sacred reality of God - events are unique and unrepeatable, and their valid interpretation depends ultimately upon a trusting acceptance rather than a testing analysis."

Polkinghorne uses a technique he calls "comparative heuristics" - basically the comparison of similarly constructed models as opposed to direct analogies. This enables the rationale to be evaluated regardless of the validity of a priori assumptions; thus Polkinghorne is able to address such a controversial topic as "miracles" without partisanship. "It does not make theological sense to suppose that God is a kind of show-off celestial conjurer, capriciously using divine power today to do something God did not think of doing yesterday and won't be bothered to do tomorrow. There must be a deep underlying consistency in divine action, but that requirement does not condemn the deity never to do anything radically new and unexpected." While miracles are the bête noir of science, the same could be said of materialist dogma to a believer; the author gently illustrates this by reference to the way that novel thinking by Maxwell, Born and Schrödinger contributed to an innovative understanding of the "potentialities present in the unpicturable quantum state associated with the electron."

I commend this book to any scientist who thinks his discipline incompatible with theology and any believer who is interested in learning how the latest developments in physics fit alongside spirituality. My only reservation is that Polkinghorne's combination of wisdom with humility is addictive - a reader will be unable to stop at this book.

New Physics & Old Fashioned Theology
John Polkinghorne explains things well and this book has inspired me to read another book of his about quantum physics (without the theology). But the juxtaposition of physics and theology in this particular book made for an awkward read. Polkinghorne's theology is pretty old fashioned. His belief in a literal resurrection and other "miracles" is pretty disconcerting. I can understand arguments that make the case that the potentiality of quantum reality alludes to a general sense of the Divine. But shoehorning biblical scripture and traditional Christology into the mix simply doesn't work in my view.

Of Course !
Quantum Physics and Theology have to go together.

Quantum Physics says that everything exists as vibrational energy probabilities, and allows prediction of where subatomic particles will be and how they will behave. So all of God's creation that we see, through the eye, a microscope, or telescope is in constant probability of change at all instants of time.Yet nearly all remains constant at all times. What has life, changes.What does not have life is subject to change.

We witness God's Creation in every moment simply by understanding deep science. The universe is in flux, yet is unchanging.

Francis Collins' book "The Language of God" discusses how DNA is God's language for life, and reveals how scientists who are Christian appreciate and find connection to the exploration of science as a means to come closer to appreciating the incredible knowledge and power of God that he created a self-sustaining universe through various constants which man can discover.

It all humbling, and utterly convincing.The more we know, the more amazing God's creation proves to be.To deny science is to play God for a fool.To deny God is to play oneself for a fool.Free will gives one a choice.

Add reading in Swedenborg to learn of one of the first scientists who writes on theology and his experiences with the divine.

Helen Keller's "Light In My Darkness" explains how a person deaf and blind can learn and marvel at the greatness of God, and appreciate her own dark and silent life in this world, as just being a transitional challenge on the way to Heaven.She was a great student and inspirational individual throughout a very long and full life. ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum mechanics - central not only to physics, but also to chemistry, materials science, and other fields - is notoriously abstract and difficult. Essential Quantum Mechanics is a uniquely concise and explanatory book that fills the gap between introductory and advanced courses, between popularizations and technical treatises.

By focusing on the fundamental structure, concepts, and methods of quantum mechanics, this introductory yet sophisticated work emphasizes both physical and mathematical understanding. A modern perspective is adopted throughout - the goal, in part, being to gain entry into the world of 'real' quantum mechanics, as used by practicing scientists.
With over 60 original problems, Essential Quantum Mechanics is suitable as either a text or a reference. It will be invaluable to physics students as well as chemists, electrical engineers, philosophers, and others whose work is impacted by quantum mechanics, or who simply wish to better understand this fascinating subjects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Conceptual introduction for people with math
I'm a professional statistician with a PhD in math.How can someone like me -- who is not interested in solving the Schrodinger equation in multiple settings -- attain a conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics at a much better level than afforded by popularizations?I looked through my university physics library, dipped into several texts, and then discovered Bowman. He does a brilliant job of using considerable math (but all basically undergrad level) to help convey both the flavor and the concepts of quantum mechanics. He even warns about the unbalanced picture a beginner will get from formal intro texts that _do_ spend much of their space solving the time-independent Schrodinger equation. If you are quantitatively somewhat sophisticated and your interest in QM, like mine, is mainly intellectual, this may be the place to both start and stop.

Great supplementary text for self-study
This book nicely complements standard QM textbooks and is very useful for self-study.The author explains in some detail a number of fundamental concepts (such as superposition, quantum state versus different representations of a quantum state, probability and uncertainty, time evolution and unitary transformations) and conceptual subtleties that are often insufficiently addressed in typical textbooks. The presentation is rigorous enough to be clear and useful without going overboard mathematically.The book is short so you can work through it fairly quickly.

Of particular note are his splendid explanations of the role of complex numbers in quantum states, global versus relative phase (describing in detail how and when relative phase can alter probabilities) as well as time evolution and how unitary operators work. He nicely puts this together in section 11.2.2. Unitarity and Phase Revisited, where he goes through a simple example showing how time evolution of a state in superposition introduces relative phases that alter probabilities of measurement outcomes. The book also contains a somewhat more technical appendix on unitary operators, finite transformations and generators, which I found quite helpful.

There are not many examples because the book is not meant to replace standard textbooks.But the author goes to great pains to be clear without being verbose.I really enjoyed this book; in fact, I couldn't put it down.If you are learning quantum mechanics but somehow feel you "can't quite see the forest for the trees", then do yourself a favor and give this book a workout.

Excellent Complement of Quantum Mechanics
The book "Essential Quantum Mechanics" is an excellent complement to standard textbooks on quantum mechanics. It shows a very good insight into the quantum states, the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues, the operators, and the observables. It has an excellent treatment of the subject of bras and kets, and matrix representation of vectors and operators. The book has helped me in better understanding these mathematical computations. The book is not a stand-alone text on quantum mechanics for it does not have all the historical background and experiments that led to Q.M but it is an excellent reference that can help clarify concepts and computations, and for this it deserves a very high rating. ... Read more

Product Description
Balances mathematical discussions with physical discussions.
* Derivations are complete and the theory is applied whenever possible.
* Gasiorowicz is a world class researcher in quantum physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Look Elsewhere
First, in defense of the text, there is a focus on the physically interesting material, while extraneous mathematical stuff has been skipped. However, the text is too hard for an introduction, but skips too much material to be a comprehensive guide. Perhaps as the second or third quantum mechanics book on your shelf, this book will do, but not as the first. For the mathematically inclined look to Sakurai (Modern Quantum Mechanics (Revised Edition)). For a very readable if non-standard approach see Feynman (volume 3 of The Feynman Lectures on Physics (3 volume set) (Set v)). Or, for a lighter intro see Griffiths (Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition)).

I didn't like it in college, and it has gotten outdated.
We used this book in college, but it was unpopular.

I just checked the table of contents of the new edition, and it's gotten out-of-date.It
ignores the great developments in the subject that have occurred since the mid-1990s.

I would recommend downloading John Preskill's physics 219 course notes from
Caltech if you want to see what I'm talking about.

Not Good
The book is not well written and rather disorganized. I read each chapter carefully. However, I am always very confused after I finished reading. The book did not show all the important steps in the derivation of formula. The examples are usually not relevant to the homework problems. Neither the examples nor the problems improve your understanding of the theory developed in the chapter. If you are forced to use this book in a class and find it not suitable for you, I recommend you to use Griffith(2nd ed.) as a supplement.

Terrible - Stay away from this book
Pretty much everyone hated this as an introductory quantum mechanics book. Last year's book was Griffith's and everyone seemed to like it.

Read somthing else.
This book is by far the worst treatment of quantum mechanics I have ever laid eyes on.If you really want to learn, check out the book by "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics" David Grifiths or "Principles of Quantum Mechanics" R. Shankar(my favorite). Oddly enough, there are far more mistakes in the third edition of Gasiorowicz than the second.... it is garbage. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides comprehensive coverage of all the fundamentals of quantum physics. Full mathematical treatments are given. Uses examples from different areas of physics to demonstrate how theories work in practice. Text derived from lectures delivered at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Quantum Ideas
Congratulations on job well done. Hello from Shailesh Kadakia, the author of book True Physics of LIght, Beyond Relativity. Recently, I took GRE Physics Subject test to fulfill my admissions requirement for Doctorate program at Rochester Institute of Technology. I used this book to review the principles of quantum mechanics. I liked this book because it begins with some history and experiments associated with the concepts. Then it provided in depth analysis/details and supplemented the theoretical explanations with some numerical examples which utilized experimental data. Specifically, I admire the way it explained the contributions of Schrodinger's ideas to quantify behavior of particles in potential wells. Also, I like the way the book handled the concepts and details of the topic Polarization of light in Crystals. Overall, I was highly satisfied with how the book reads. I find it easy to understand, though I felt that some of the concepts related to creation of radiation energy waves inside atoms are not discussed in details to the extent that would satisfy my curiosity.

Solid Introduction to Quantum Physics
I would recommend this book on quantum physics for someone just learning the subject because it guides you through the quantum landscape by focusing on the Physics instead of just the math.

I give the book 4 stars the main one being you will really need another textbook if you are going to get serious about quantum mechanics such as Shankar's "Principles of Quantum Mechanics".Also was the problems at the end of each chapter, I would say most of the problems are really good with varying levels of difficulty but some are also pretty lame in my opinion but every textbook has that problem.What I did like was I was able to find online numerous solutions to the problems on the internet without too much difficulty because a lot of colleges still use this textbook for their introductory quantum mechanics courses.

I also recommend Leonard Susskind's Quantum Mechanics lectures on you tube, he uses the Dirac Bracket notation but explains the topic so you get again get a good feel for the physics.

Good Secondary Resource
This book should seriously be used ONLY with another text. A good one (in my opinion) is Griffiths. It goes into great depth (sometimes too much) conceptually and is very weak with the mathematics. Another reviewer said somethings about not giving many applications, and i agree. It gets the idea down, but no more than that. Griffiths along side this is awesome, and if you have time after those two, take a look at Shakars book; its a little harder mathematically, but if you hit those three together, youll prolly have a good idea of what QM is about. Feynman Lectures also help.
Point being: Dont use this book alone, very good otherwise.

Better than most
Although I would agree that this is probably the best book to begin your study of quantum mechanics with, there are still serious flaws with the book.I just finished taking a class that used this text and I found that a major problem is that it never actually 'get's to the point.'Instead of telling you how to apply a technique to solving problems, the text simply assumes that you'll be able to figure that out yourself.So much of the notation goes unexplained and important points go unemphasized.I would suggest using this book if you're a first time student of quantum mechanics but supplement it with another book that explains how to do problems (Liboff or Griffiths).

Great treatment of basic topics
Several of the other reviews here express my general, very positive feelings about this book, so I'll concentrate on two specific examples which illustrate the teaching emphasis of the book's authors.

Chapters 6 and 7 introduce quantum states with a brilliant discussion of Dirac's bracket notation using polarization of light as the driving example.The student at this level typically already knows what to expect when, for example, linearly polarized light passes through a linear analyzer oriented at an angle with respect to the polarization axis.The authors develop a set of projection amplitudes for linear and circular polarization which reproduce the results familiar to the student.This makes state vectors easy to understand and, in turn, it's much easier to learn and accept the less intuitive results which come from solving more complex problems later on.I would recommend this book for these two chapters alone.

In Chapter 9 the authors in just a few pages develop a simple but quantitative theory of alpha decay which is easy to follow and relates half-life (or decay constant) to alpha-particle energy with no adjustable parameters.They then compare their result to experiment and show agreement over 24 orders of magnitude of half-life.This example wonderfully illustrates the power of simple, clear reasoning to achieve a widely applicable result.Fantastic job!

I own three or four introductory quantum mechanics texts, but this is the one I turn to first. ... Read more

Product Description
This advanced undergraduate-level text provides a formulation of the quantum theory in terms of qualitative and imaginative concepts outside classical theory. A broad range of specific applications follows, worked out in considerable mathematical detail. Also included: an examination of the relationship between quantum and classical concepts. Preface. Index.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Masterpiece
This is the best book written by Bohm in my opinion. It covers all topics of non relativistic quantum mechanics (fundamentals, hydrogen atom, quantum harmonic oscillator, angular momentum and spin, perturbation theory) without using the bracket notation, in a beautiful and understandable way . Bohm also coversthe philosophical aspects of quantum mechanics, something that is missing in books nowadays. It's physics at it's very best, a must have!

Why did no one ever tell me about this book?
I have to agree completely with Gregory Bravo's review. I feel sorry for all the poor physics students struggling through their undergraduate quantum mechanics courses without the help of David Bohm. I bought every quantum mechanics book that I could get my hands on, because I had heard so many horror stories about the difficulty of the subject. It seems that this is the only book I needed to buy. As it turns out, quantum mechanics is not so difficult, afterall.

Equip yourself with this book, Schaum's Outline on Quantum Mechanics (keeping a keen eye out for errors, mind you), and whatever pathetic excuse for a text you are given, and you should be fine, assuming you have a half-way decent professor. Don't let the fact that this is a dated book lacking Dirac notation deter you. You learn all that notation in QM courses, anyways, so a clear exposition of concepts should be what you want, and no one does it better than David Bohm.

Cheap, fair book which you can't treat too seriously
This is a fair textbook of quantum mechanics, and it is very cheap. Well, I mean cheap as well as cheap. It does not contain too much mathematics. However, the words are usually good substitutes. The book covers the usual basic material of quantum mechanics based on the wavefunctions; the particle in the most usual potentials; perturbation theory; the concept of spin, and so forth.

However, I don't think that David Bohm was really among those who understood the meaning of quantum mechanics too well - and based on the other reviews, I think that the readers who claim that they finally understood quantum mechanics from this book have not really gotten the point either. Well, don't get me wrong: the book was written in 1950 and at that time, Bohm more or less believed the orthodox Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics even though he had many more doubts about the important principles of QM than what would have been appropriate.

Nevertheless, David Bohm spends relatively too much time with his (rather unsuccessful) speculations about the "deeper", deterministic structure underlying quantum mechanics. David Bohm's second most well-known contribution to physics (after the Aharonov-Bohm effect) is his new version of the pilot wave theory, initiated by de Broglie in the late 1920s and used to change the interpretation of quantum mechanics.

His new interpretation is based on the idea that the wavefunction is a real wave, and moreover there also exists a classical particle with a well-defined position. These two objects classically interact in such a way that the probabilistic results of quantum mechanics can be reproduced in several simplest contexts.

However, this is not a correct idea for more convoluted systems; experimentally speaking, it contradicts special relativity (as required in relativistic quantum field theory), the existence of spin, and so forth. More generally, even without these advanced concepts in quantum mechanics, Bohm's idea goes against the spirit of quantum mechanics with its Hilbert spaces and different bases and operators on the same Hilbert space that are "equally important".

Bohm's prejudices about determinism and the special role of the position operator may have followed from his unfortunate, conventional technical approach to quantum mechanics that always starts with wavefunctions in the position representation - an approach chosen also in this book. This representation leads many readers to the wrong conclusion that the wavefunction is something like a real classical wave in space - much like the electromagnetic wave - and that the position has a special role among the observables. I say "observable" because Bohm tries to humiliate the concept of an operator.

I agree with others who say that we are not spending enough time by teaching the interpretational issues of quantum mechanics. Bohm's book does so. However I disagree that Bohm's approach is a good one. Instead, I would recommend Feynman's lectures on physics. Feynman's pedagogical treatment of quantum mechanics starts with two-dimensional Hilbert spaces. They are very useful because the reader understands that different bases (and operators) in the same Hilbert space may be equally important, and that the probabilistic interpretation of the amplitudes is absolutely essential.

The magician Uri Geller has convinced David Bohm that he (Geller) had supernatural abilities - a point that Feynman liked to ridicule. I am afraid that this transformation of Bohm at the end of his life might be related to his exaggerated emphasis on philosophical prejudices in quantum mechanics, as opposed to the pragmatic goal to extract useful predictions.

Quantum mechanics is weird. Sidney Coleman said that if thousands of philosophers had been trying, for thousands of years, to find the weirdest thing possible, they would have had never found a thing as weird as quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, quantum mechanics works, and we know that we can extract the information about probabilities of anything. (And the new insights about decoherence also explain where the difference between macroscopic and microscopic objects comes from.) In this sense I feel that the approach to quantum mechanics "Shut up and calculate" is a better one than wasting time with a wrong philosophy.

Despite the criticism, the book is cheap enough so that I can recommend you to buy it. David Bohm was an interesting person even though he was a communist.

I (think) I finally understand...
The age of the book is what gives it a huge advantage to today's typical QT and QM textbook. Instead of presenting the concepts in the "status quo" of physics (usually just a ridiculously brief intro to why QT started, and then presenting Operators as things almost perfectly synonymous to classical concepts and continuing from there), this book really goes through the history of where all the math came from. Bohm is very careful about teaching you what parts of the math are just convenience tricks (like Operators) versus real necessities to QM. And also what parts are just based on just experiments. Unlike today, in the 1950's, QT and QM were still suspect theories, so students were taught of the known and possible holes (no pun intended :) in the theory. Bohm points these out throughout the whole book.

Disappointed
I bought the book because of the good reviews below and the low price. I was a little disappointed with Bohm's explanations and wordings of concepts that I already know. I think that it'd be difficult for someone to learn anything from this book unless (s)he is already familiar with quantum mechanics. Anyhow, the book is still a good buy considering it is at least 5 times cheaper than textbooks on quantum mech. ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum Mind: The Edge Between Physics and Psychology isthe most comprehensive work to date venturing into that challengingjunction of psychology, new physics, and shamanism. It takes thereader on a journey through the universe on paths of reason and magic,math and myth. By exploring principles found in psychology, math,physics, and shamanism, it becomes possible to link a cosmicperspective with ordinary life.

Mindell assumes the reader has no prior knowledge of physics, andexplores the fundamentals of math and physics in terms ofpsychological and Shamanic experiences. And, he includes practicalexercises based upon these principles to create a new understanding ofthe foundations of psychological health, relationships, andcommunity. Mindell reveals how all of us can benefit by bringingtogether humanity's traditional wisdom and shamanism with contemporaryscience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Unified field theory
Arnold Mindell's astonishing, visionary Quantum Mind is nothing less than the unified field theory that Einstein, Pauli, Feynman, Jung and others believed in, but failed to find before their deaths! It is not only this, but much, much more.
Eugene N. Kovalenko, Ph.D.
Los Alamos, NM

Excellent Book!
This book was recommended to me by a mentor in the field of Adlerian psychology.At first glance, the title is a bit daunting but after reading the first couple pages I was absolutely hooked!I will be honest and say that while it's definitely fascinating and I am able to take lessons away from it that are absolutely applicable to life lessons, it's a bit different psychology than I am personally interested in pursuing.This is based on Jungian psychology... very complex, process-oriented, and a bit 'flashy' for my Adlerian taste buds; but I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys exploring different aspects of consciousness and understanding of reality!

Enlightening and creative
Quantum Mind is an interesting approach exploring the nature of conciousness. It is an interesting read although a bit wordy. Themes are stressed and repeated. The links between mind, physics and math seem profound. This reader found the mathematical reasoning enlightening but the physics seem somewhat vague. It is a worthwhile read for those interested in our minds connection to the universe.

Quantum Mind: The Edge Between Physics and Psychology by Arnold Mindell
Mindell draws an extraordinary picture of the mind as a manifestation of a totality, an indivisible totality of matter, energy fields and spirit. His early studies of nuclear physics and analytical Junguian psychology, come together with an extensive and very lively and very long first hand experience, working with individual clientes, with conflict (racial, religious, gender, etc.), states of conciousness, extreme states such as coma or schizofrenia, seen from a compasionate non judgemental perspective. He is very convincing and easy to read, even when entering dense materials. He has been an excelent guidance for my practice as a body psychotherapist, as a teacher, as well as for my private life. I am most gratefull for his work, and wish his books were more readily available in Spanish.

This book is LAME FLUFF
(I just happened to see that the review I wrote for this book is no longer posted here.Did this website delete it?Why weren't the other reviews deleted if it was an accident?Makes me wonder...)

Anyway, I'll just re-cap some of what I went to the trouble of typing before (Amaz. should watch themselves; people won't bother writing reviews or trusting ratings if they find that reviews & ratings mysteriously disappear!!)

This book is junk.It's for baby-boomer new-age wannabe's who are desperate to feel that there's a meaning to life.It's vague clap-trap, old ideas paraded as something new on the author's part but with no substantial insights of his own.The author quotes scientists' ideas but then acts like HE has somehow gone further with those ideas, which he hasn't (unless you consider vague generalities & empty filler to be progress).He's the type of author who literally makes money off of holding therapeutic "workshops" for groups of gullible people who don't know much about science, where they discuss each other's "feelings."Nothing wrong with that, IF you file it under THERAPY.

One part of the book that really crystallized my feelings for it was the transcript of one of those touchy-feely, inane "workshops," where the author's wife gets herself into the mindset of a baby to experience the "edge" of that experience... she makes some baby noises...talks about the sensations of pretending to be a baby... I kid you not. Then the workshop group laughs and spits out some more generalities and pretends like they've "gotten somewhere."What drek!If reading that kind of stuff sounds deep or meaningful to you, then order this book right away, because that's what you'll get.

If you're someone who knows something about science and likes to think a bit more seriously, spend your time on a book like physicist Brian Greene's _The Elegant Universe_ for an understanding of modern physics and all the weird, far-out things it implies.Read _The Holographic Universe_ by Michael Talbot for the far-out ideas presented within (some are flimsy, but a lot of it is quite interesting).Read _Wholeness and the Implicate Order_ by physicist David Bohm.All those books show that, yes, quantum physics points towards some very strange conclusions, and the universe is probably way stranger than we thought.

But _Quantum Mind_ by Arnell is as fluffy and lite as the clouds on its cover.It seems to be aimed at flakey scatter-brains who want to feel connected to everything, but can't, and who don't know enough about the history & philosophy of science to realize that this book really doesn't offer anything useful, insightful, or new.It's fine to feel a desire for connection to the universe, but to publish this big thick book that manages to be so short on real ideas is a joke.I can't believe I wasted my money on it.You've been warned. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Our Quantum World
As our perception of our environment moves from Newtonian mechanization to a Quantum realization of fluidity, paradox and plenty, we must also shift our thinking in how we lead and sustain our institutions, corporations, governments and non-profits.In this book, Gerald Harris clearly lays out how the concepts integral to Quantum physics apply to our organizations and why we stand to gain enormously from thinking differently about their purpose, their management and their strategies for the future.Our organizations are in need of new thinking and new solutions to meet the challenges they are now facing including global competition, unpredictable climate change, scientific advances and radical new technologies.To grow and thrive, organizations must attune themselves with their business environment, their internal organizational environment and the natural environment.Having this book as a guide to the lessons to be learned from the "new" sciences is invaluable.

Anika Savage, co-author, Life Sustaining Organizations: A Design Guide

Quantum Planning is a Quantum Leap
Quantum Planning is a quantum leap or at least a phase-change in how businesses and institutions need to think about problems that defy traditional logic.By drawing analogies to the "big picture" lessons from modern physics, Harris leads us: beyond the static business plan to the dynamic marketplace of relative customer value; beyond the extremes of rigid definitions to the collaborative space of fluid possibilities; and beyond the cut-throat world of win-lose competition to the win-win dimensions of cooperation.

One doesn't have to be a scientist to appreciate how quantum physics has helped us understand the linkages within a universal energy system; and one doesn't have to be a physicist to appreciate the practical manner in which Harris has adapted these principles to scenario planning and management advice for just about any commercial enterprise or public institution.

It is a short read, but packed with game-changing ideas.I am pleased to recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Meet A.J. Aaron, the plant manager of a Fortune 500 manufacturing plant. He is a 40 year old businessman educated in one of the most logically-driven professions - MechanicalEngineering, but has an opening to manyunexplained energies and experiences thatchallenge his every belief. With the help of several strangers, A.J. changes his life and his outlook on everything he believes true. One stranger is healed of Multiple Sclerosis as a result of her paranormal connectedness to A.J. Others teach him the power of intention and how to tap into the energy of the universe. He learns how the principles of Quantum Physics may explain this new reality, thus reaffirms his sanity, and helps him realize how much more there is to life than previously gleaned from his narrow point of view. A.J. Aaron shares his story with millions of readers to help them see what is true and right. Read this with an open mind and know that you are part of a vast universe that is welcoming you with open arms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A Guide To Spirituality
While reading A New Reality: A Wake Up Call To Life's Mysteries, it made me want to find out more about what the author was experiencing.I found this book to be a great read and guide for anyone who is curious about spirituality and the connection that we sometimes feel towards a complete stranger or something greater that we are not aware of.It made me want to know more about this subject and the other aspects of everything he experienced.I wish I could have the sort of connection he did with people in other states, with some of the people who live in my own house!I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in spirituality and meditation.It was a great book.

Real or an Illusion?
"A New Reality: A Wake Up Call to Life's Mysteries" by A. J. Aaron is a very interesting book. It was a quick read and quite insightful. I am inspired into deepening my spiritual journey after reading his personal reflections and experiences. This book makes you truly wonder what an illusion is and what reality is. This book is well written and I would recommend this to others.

Every thought is open for us to follow...
If you want to read a story with spirituality, mysticism, magic, and miracles then this is the book for you.It is titled "New Reality: A Wake Up Call To Life's Mysteries" by A. J. Aaron and is a page turner with inspiration for everyone.Let's face it; everyone has had something happen to them that they can't explain.It is a very easy book to read and you will enjoy it from the time you pick it up until its end.Sometimes you do have to listen to your thoughts and give in to them for an extra minute to think about them.I enjoyed that the author took us on his journey and wasn't afraid to share his thoughts and feelings.A good read.

"WOW"
This is a great book...Easy to read ...This book moves quickly and holds your interest. It will make you think about the things that may have happened to you.I think everyone everywhere has had some sort of experience with the unknown...whether wanting to admit it or not... Sometimes I think we push these so called unusal and hard to explain encounters aside. ... as we are afraid of what people will think about us... I have come to realize we are who we are... Maybe the "pink monkey" needs to come out from under the bed...We are just more spiritual and capable of controlling a portion of our brain others have not figured out how to use...Great job A.J.I have a feeling he is not done yet!

VERY INTERESTING READ
I found "A New Reality: A Wake Up Call to Life's Mysteries" by A. J. Aaron a very thought provoking book. I enjoyed sharing and experiencing through his thoughts the knowledge he gained in this journey thru meditation,
and everything he learned about consciousness I was mesmerized by all he learned. This is a must read for anyone wanting to gain a better insight of what can happen when you let your mind go into places I have never thought of. ... Read more