Product Description
This third, augmented edition contains the six original, famous papers in which Schrödinger created and developed the subject of Wave Mechanics as published in the original edition. As the author points out, at the time each paper was written the results of the later papers were largely unknown to him. The papers and lectures in this volume were revised by the author and translated into English, and afford the reader a striking and valuable insight into how Wave Mechanics developed. ... Read more

Product Description
Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger's What is Life? is one of the great science classics of the twentieth century. A distinguished physicist's exploration of the question which lies at the heart of biology, it was written for the layman, but proved one of the spurs to the birth of molecular biology and the subsequent discovery of the structure of DNA. The philosopher Karl Popper hailed it as a 'beautiful and important book' by 'a great man to whom I owe a personal debt for many exciting discussions'. It appears here together with Mind and Matter, his essay investigating a relationship which has eluded and puzzled philosophers since the earliest times. Schrodinger asks what place consciousness occupies in the evolution of life, and what part the state of development of the human mind plays in moral questions. Brought together with these two classics are Schrödinger's autobiographical sketches, published and translated here for the first time. They offer a fascinating fragmentary account of his life as a background to his scientific writings, making this volume a valuable additon to the shelves of scientist and layman alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

What is life and what is consciousness?
This brief little book manages to pack more of an intellectual wallop in its slim pages than many other longer books do.

The first essay, written in 1944, is called What is life? and attempts to connect what was then known about physics which was then known about biology to answer its title question.Though the material predated the discoverty of DNA it can still presents a challenger read for the layman.Significantly however, it does raise an interesting a suprisingly complex question about the nature of life and where we should draw the dividing line.

The second essay, written in 1956, is called Mind and Matter and attempts to shed light on the nature of the nexus between its two title topics.For me, this essay is particularly interesting because it really introduces you to the overflowing genius that gave us the conundrum of Schrodinger's cat who sits both alive and dead in famous box to illustrate the paradox that is presented to us under the Copenhagen view of quantum physics.Mind and matter were certainly close to Schrodinger's heart as he was at that forefront of physics which first learned the critical importance of observation in bringing about the existence of quantum phenomenon where trees falling in the forrest litterally couldn't make a sound until they were observed.

The rest of the book consists of odds and ends but it all hangs together in dealing with an intellect who every bit as interesting as the questions he raised.

Not bad for a book I had to read for class...
I was supposed to read this book for one of my classes, and it was a quick and easy read. But had it not been for this class, I don't think I would've ever read it.

A spectacular read!!
"What Is Life" is an excellent look into the brilliant mind of one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, Erwin Schrodinger. This book suggested the existence of DNA. Tell me thats not important!! Also, "Mind and Matter" is an amazing look into human consciousness and will definitely provoke many thoughts. This book contains alot of technical language, so you may want to have a dictionary with you or take down the words you are unfamiliar with. Overall, this book is simply amazing, and I'd recommend it to any intelligent individual.

Erwin Schrödinger: The man and his vision
This is another great work of Erwin Schrodinger which gives an insight into the biology of life from a physicist's perspective that inspired scientists like; Francis Crick who discovered the structure of DNA, J.B.S. Haldane, and Roger Penrose. It is clear from this work and other books of Schrodinger that he was one of the few physicists who deeply thought of the inner most secrets of life. This book is divided into two parts: What's Life (7 chapters) and Mind and Matter (6 chapters).

The physicist's most dreaded weapon, the mathematical deduction can not be used for life because it is too complex to be accessible to equations. The orderliness required for the preservation of life does not come by the random heat motions of atoms and molecules, but statistical averages that provide order. Schrodinger asks a simple question; why is life made of so many atoms and not just a few. He offers three examples; higher magnetic fields, increase in molecular population and the error introduced into a reaction rate constant or any other physical parameter would be far too great if only few molecules are involved to form life. Hence orderliness, and of course evolution and diversity of life, requires very large population of molecules.

The world is a construct of our sensations, perceptions, memories; all existing objectively and all scientific knowledge is based on sense of perception and nonetheless the scientific views of material processes formed in this way lack all sensual qualities and can not account for the latter. Theories that are developed from scientific observations of experiments never account for sensual qualities. The sentient, percipient and thinking ego does not figure anywhere in our world picture, because it is itself the world picture. It is identified with the whole and not part of it. The physical world lacks all the sensual qualities that go to make the subject of cognizance. It is colorless, soundless, and impalpable. The world is deprived of everything that makes sense in its in relation to the consciously contemplating, perceiving, and feeling the subject; no personal god can form part of world model that has only became accessible at the cost of removing everything personal from it. God is missing from spacetime picture like sense of perception or ones own personality. Upanisads (Hindu Scripture) states that Atman = Brahman, the personal self equal the all comprehending eternal self. Consciousness never experienced in plural only in the singular, and plurality is merely a series of different aspect of one soul and one conscious produced by a deception (Maya). There is no multiplicity of minds; in reality and truth there is only one mind.

Before and after is not a quality of the world we perceive but pertains to the perceiving mind and don't imply the notion of space and time. After relativity, the notion of before and after reside on the cause and effect relationship. The general directedness of all happenings is explained by the mechanical or statistical theory of heat. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that order changes to disorder but not disorder to order, and time travels in one direction from past to future, but not future to past.The statistical theory of time has a stronger bearing on the philosophy of time than theory of relativity. The latter presupposes unidirectional flow of time while statistical theory constructs from order of events.


My body functions according to laws of nature, but I direct body motions. The word "I" means to state that I who control the motion of the atoms and molecules according to the Laws of Nature. The uncertainty principle and the lack of causal connection in nature introduce certain features into physical reality. For example, we can not make any factual statement about a physical system without interacting with it which would change the physical state of the system. This explains why no complete description of any physical object is ever possible. These laws have pushed the boundary between the subject and object. In fact subject and object are only one, and no barrier exists. It is the same element that goes to compose my mind and the world. The situation is the same for every mind and its world, in spite of the unfathomable abundance of cross references between them. The world is given to me only once, not one existing and one perceived.

The last chapter gives brief autobiographical sketches of Schrodinger translated by his granddaughter. Schrödinger was deeply philosophical with strong family: He loved and respected his parents. His strong interest in physics and Vedanta philosophy (one of the six schools of Hindu Philosophy) is apparent, but he shy's away from writing about his complex personal life that involved many women and numerous extramarital affairs.

1. Schrödinger: Life and Thought
2. Space-Time Structure (Cambridge Science Classics)
3. A Life of Erwin Schrödinger (Canto original series)
4. Erwin Schrödinger's World View : The Dynamics of Knowledge and Reality (Theory and Decision Library A:)
5. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
6. Schrödinger's Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science)
7. Schrodinger's Science and the Human Temerament
8. Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries Tag: Author of In Search of Schrod. Cat
9. Statistical Thermodynamics
10. Science and Humanism, Physics in Our Time

An Absolute Classic from a Great Thinker
In "What is Life?" monograph, Schrodinger brilliantly enlightens us withthe true concept of life science. He proposes what himself calls "a naive physicist's ideas about organisms." Years before the discovery of double helix structure of DNA, Schrodinger beautifully details how the huge volume of information is related to the structure of what he calls "aperiodic crystal" (what we currently call it "protein structure."

The ideas are still fresh and everybody who really wants to start the REAL and TRUE molecular biology must read this classic. It is astonishing to see how this great thinker and physicist had elaborated, very correctly and properly, to use the statistical tools in physics (statistical physics) to explain the fundamentals of life.

It is an absolute classic from a great legend. Please read and enjoy it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Straight from the mind of a genius: Erwin Schrodinger on physics of reality
This is a collection of nine essays eight of which originally appeared under the title Science and the Human Temperament. The ninth chapter contains the address given by Schrödinger on the occasion of the Nobel Prize award for his discovery of wave mechanics. His profound knowledge and deep philosophical thought are reflected in each chapter as he walks through the nature of reality as perceived by classical and quantum physics. The critical issues discussed are:Is cause - effect relationship required for physical reality? Does statistical and chance (probabilities) replace cause and effect? How quantum uncertainty affects physical reality? Could we determine the initial state of an electron? Does positivism makes sense in quantum world. These are some of the questions asked, and he tries to answer them with an easy to understand language. This work is another example of this great genius who was curious about life and the universe from a very young age.

Schrodinger credits Franz Exener, Fritz Hasenoehrl, and David Hume for the idea of departing from mechanical concept of cause and effect. He suggests statistical outcome to replace pure cause - effect relationship. But practical impossibility to determine the initial state of an electron in spacetime precludes from understanding the final (effected) state of the electron. Statistical laws are even more clearly manifested when the behavior of each individual particle is undetermined. It is likely chance (probability) lies at the root of casualty. If the behavior of each atom in every single event is determined by casualty then the details of each individual cause - effect events in a multi-electron system must be registered (positivism,) in reality only the statistical outcome is registered. Thus chance is primarily important for the observed reality. The second alternative is the compulsion of physical law and not probability (chance) and statistical outcome would determine reality. An experiment can not decide between these two possibilities because scientific reasoning will allow us either to derive chance from law or law from chance. If mass, position and velocity of an entity is precisely known at the very start, and then the future behavior is easily predicted by classical physics. But classical physics does not make sense in quantum world (subatomic level), because identical conditions at a point in time do not invariably lead to identical results, but it results in identical statistical outcome; the relative frequencies of various possible events. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the velocity for a precisely defined position in space is not determinable. The second problem is determining the actual state of an electron. For example, it does not have a definite orbit around the nucleus that can be virtually detected, and it is in a state of perpetual motion around the nucleus without losing kinetic energy contrary to laws of classical physics. Experiments can measure only the energy level difference recorded in the form spectra. Virtual observation is essential to confirm the real existence of an object according classical physics. The exact registration of electromagnetic field generated by moving electron is precluded by Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Uncertainty principle is not an incomplete knowledge. The current view does not accept either ubiety or velocity as permanent objective realities. The word finding a particle at point A does not imply that it was there before. Our measuring device has brought it there or we disturbed its velocity while measuring and this doesn't imply it had a value. The implications of being and having are not the same even though the positivist philosophy concludes that they are one and the same.

1. Schrödinger: Life and Thought
2. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
3. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
4. Schrödinger's Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science)

Straight from the mind of a genius: Erwin Schrodinger on physics of reality
This is a collection of nine essays eight of which originally appeared under the title Science and the Human Temperament. The ninth chapter contains the address given by Schrödinger on the occasion of the Nobel Prize award for his discovery of wave mechanics. His profound knowledge and deep philosophical thought are reflected in each chapter as he walks through the nature of reality as perceived by classical and quantum physics. The critical issues discussed are:Is cause - effect relationship required for physical reality? Does statistical and chance (probabilities) replace cause and effect? How quantum uncertainty affects physical reality? Could we determine the initial state of an electron? Does positivism makes sense in quantum world. These are some of the questions asked, and he tries to answer them with an easy to understand language. This work is another example of this great genius who was curious about life and the universe from a very young age.

Schrodinger credits Franz Exener, Fritz Hasenoehrl, and David Hume for the idea of departing from mechanical concept of cause and effect. He suggests statistical outcome to replace pure cause - effect relationship. But practical impossibility to determine the initial state of an electron in spacetime precludes from understanding the final (effected) state of the electron. Statistical laws are even more clearly manifested when the behavior of each individual particle is undetermined. It is likely chance (probability) lies at the root of casualty. If the behavior of each atom in every single event is determined by casualty then the details of each individual cause - effect events in a multi-electron system must be registered (positivism,) in reality only the statistical outcome is registered. Thus chance is primarily important for the observed reality. The second alternative is the compulsion of physical law and not probability (chance) and statistical outcome would determine reality. An experiment can not decide between these two possibilities because scientific reasoning will allow us either to derive chance from law or law from chance. If mass, position and velocity of an entity is precisely known at the very start, and then the future behavior is easily predicted by classical physics. But classical physics does not make sense in quantum world (subatomic level), because identical conditions at a point in time do not invariably lead to identical results, but it results in identical statistical outcome; the relative frequencies of various possible events. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the velocity for a precisely defined position in space is not determinable. The second problem is determining the actual state of an electron. For example, it does not have a definite orbit around the nucleus that can be virtually detected, and it is in a state of perpetual motion around the nucleus without losing kinetic energy contrary to laws of classical physics. Experiments can measure only the energy level difference recorded in the form spectra. Virtual observation is essential to confirm the real existence of an object according classical physics. The exact registration of electromagnetic field generated by moving electron is precluded by Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Uncertainty principle is not an incomplete knowledge. The current view does not accept either ubiety or velocity as permanent objective realities. The word finding a particle at point A does not imply that it was there before. Our measuring device has brought it there or we disturbed its velocity while measuring and this doesn't imply it had a value. The implications of being and having are not the same even though the positivist philosophy concludes that they are one and the same.

1. Schrödinger: Life and Thought
2. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
3. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
4. My View of the World
5. In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
6. Erwin Schrödinger's World View : The Dynamics of Knowledge and Reality (Theory and Decision Library A:)
7. Statistical Thermodynamics

Straight from the mind of a genius: Erwin Schrodinger on physics of reality
This is a collection of nine essays eight of which originally appeared under the title Science and the Human Temperament. The ninth chapter contains the address given by Schrödinger on the occasion of the Nobel Prize award for his discovery of wave mechanics. His profound knowledge and deep philosophical thought are reflected in each chapter as he walks through the nature of reality as perceived by classical and quantum physics. The critical issues discussed are:Is cause - effect relationship required for physical reality? Does statistical and chance (probabilities) replace cause and effect? How quantum uncertainty affects physical reality? Could we determine the initial state of an electron? Does positivism makes sense in quantum world. These are some of the questions asked, and he tries to answer them with an easy to understand language. This work is another example of this great genius who was curious about life and the universe from a very young age.

Schrodinger credits Franz Exener, Fritz Hasenoehrl, and David Hume for the idea of departing from mechanical concept of cause and effect. He suggest statistical outcome to replace pure cause - effect relationship. But practical impossibility to determine the initial state of an electron in spacetime precludes from understanding the final (effected) state of the electron. Statistical laws are even more clearly manifested when the behavior of each individual particle is undetermined. It is likely chance (probability) lies at the root of casualty. If the behavior of each atom in every single event is determined by casualty then the details of each individual cause - effect events in a multi-electron system must be registered (positivism,) in reality only the statistical outcome is registered. Thus chance is primarily important for the observed reality. The second alternative is the compulsion of physical law and not probability (chance) and statistical outcome would determine reality. An experiment can not decide between these two possibilities because scientific reasoning will allow us either to derive chance from law or law from chance. If mass, position and velocity of an entity is precisely known at the very start, and then the future behavior is easily predicted by classical physics. But classical physics does not make sense in quantum world (subatomic level), because identical conditions at a point in time do not invariably lead to identical results, but it results in identical statistical outcome; the relative frequencies of various possible events. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the velocity for a precisely defined position in space is not determinable. The second problem is determining the actual state of an electron. For eaxample, it does not have a definite orbit around the nucleus that can be virtually detected, and it is in a state of perpetual motion around the nucleus without losing kinetic energy contrary to laws of classical physics. Experiments can measure only the energy level difference recorded in the form a spectra. Virtual observation is essential to confirm the real existence of an object according classical physics. The exact registration of electromagnetic field generated by moving electron is precluded by Heisenberg uncertainty principle, in addition that this principle is not an incomplete knowledge. The current view does not accept either ubiety or velocity as permanent objective realities. The word finding a particle at point A does not imply that it was there before. Our measuring device has brought it there or we disturbed its velocity while measuring and this doesn't imply it had a value. The implications of being and having are not the same even though the positivist philosophy concludes that they are one and the same.

1. Schrödinger: Life and Thought
2. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
3. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
4. My View of the World
5. In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
6. Statistical Thermodynamics
7. Erwin Schrödinger's World View : The Dynamics of Knowledge and Reality (Theory and Decision Library A:)

Straight from the mind of a genius: Erwin Schrodinger on physics of reality
This is a collection of nine essays eight of which originally appeared under the title Science and the Human Temperament. The ninth chapter contains the address given by Schrödinger on the occasion of the Nobel Prize award for his discovery of wave mechanics. His profound knowledge and deep philosophical thought are reflected in each chapter as he walks through the nature of reality as perceived by classical and quantum physics. The critical issues discussed are:Is cause - effect relationship required for physical reality? Does statistical and chance (probabilities) replace cause and effect? How quantum uncertainty affects physical reality? Could we determine the initial state of an electron? Does positivism makes sense in quantum world. These are some of the questions asked, and he tries to answer them with an easy to understand language. This work is another example of this great genius who was curious about life and the universe from a very young age.

Schrodinger credits Franz Exener, Fritz Hasenoehrl, and David Hume for the idea of departing from mechanical concept of cause and effect, and Schrodinger suggested that statistical outcome to replace pure cause - effect relationship. But practical impossibility to determine the initial state of an electron in spacetime precludes from understanding the final (effected) state of the electron. Statistical laws are even more clearly manifested when the behavior of each individual particle is undetermined. It is likely chance (probability) lies at the root of casualty. If the behavior of each atom in every single event is determined by casualty then the details of each individual cause - effect events in a multi-electron system must be registered (positivism,)in reality only the statistical outcome is registered. Thus chance is primarily important for the observed reality. The second alternative is the compulsion of physical law and not probability (chance) and statistical outcome would determine reality. An experiment can not decide between these two possibilities because scientific reasoning will allow us either to derive chance from law or law from chance. If mass, position and velocity of an entity is precisely known at the very start, and then the future behavior is easily predicted by classical physics. But classical physics does not make sense in quantum world (subatomic level), because identical conditions at a point in time do not invariably lead to identical results, but it results in identical statistical outcome; the relative frequencies of various possible events. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the velocity for a precisely defined position in space is not determinable. The second problem is determining the actual state of an electron. For eaxample, it does not have a definite orbit around the nucleus that can be virtually detected, and it is in a state of perpetual motion around the nucleus without losing kinetic energy contrary to laws of classical physics. Experiments can measure only the energy level difference recorded in the form a spectra. Virtual observation is essential to confirm the real existence of an object according classical physics. The exact registration of electromagnetic field generated by moving electron is precluded by Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Uncertainty principle is not an incomplete knowledge. The current view does not accept either ubiety or velocity as permanent objective realities. The word finding a particle at point A does not imply that it was there before. Our measuring device has brought it there or we disturbed its velocity while measuring and this doesn't imply it had a value. The implications of being and having are not the same even though the positivist philosophy concludes that they are one and the same.

1. Schrödinger: Life and Thought
2. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
3. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
4. My View of the World
5. In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
6. Erwin Schrödinger's World View : The Dynamics of Knowledge and Reality (Theory and Decision Library A:)
7. The Creation of Wave Mechanics ; Early Response and Applications 1925-26 (Erwin Schrodinger&the Rise of Wave Mechanics, Vol 5)
8. Schrodinger's Science and the Human Temerament
9. Space-Time Structure (Cambridge Science Classics)
10. The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Dublin Seminars(1949-1955) and Other Unpublished Essays ... Read more

Product Description
A Nobel prize winner, a great man and a great scientist, Erwin Sebrödinger has made his mark in physics, but his eye scans a far wider horizon: here are two stimulating and discursive essays which summarize his philosophical views on the nature of the world. Schrödinger's world view, derived from the Indian writings of the Vedanta, is that there is only a single consciousness of which we are all different aspects. He admits that this view is mystical and metaphysical and incapable of logical deduction. But he also insists that this is true of the belief in an external world capable of influencing the mind and of being influenced by it. Schrödinger's world view leads naturally to a philosophy of reverence for life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I have never read anything that has impacted me so much
I honestly have never read a more convincing account written on the oneness of mind and the principle of objectivation. Poorly written???? Schrodinger's writing has magic and genius infused throughout. This book is like a personal bible to me, and has really shaped the way I look at the world (a far more mystical and loving way). This is the first book I would recommend to almost anyone to read (along with Mind and Matter....also by Schrodinger). It's a short book, but be prepared to read it over and over to fully grasp what he is saying.

Interesting but badly written
If you're hoping for a tie-in between philosophy and quantum physics, look elsewhere.The author explicitly excludes that from his discussion right in the introduction.

It is not always very well written.Especially the second half is a bit rambling and disjoint.Nevertheless, Shrodinger's philosophy is interesting.A westerner's take on monism such as that found in Advaita Vedanta.

Schroedinger's thought
I had come across a bit of Schroedinger's philosophy while reading The Masks of God by Joseph Campbell.I found the paragraph to be very spiritual and very beautiful.At the time, it was a surprise to me to find that the author of the piece was one of fathers of modern quantum theory.It took me a couple years, but I finally found it; and I was very impressed.While those who mainly want to know about wave mechanics may not be interested in a work of philosophy, I find the works very mystic and spiritual.In all, this is a very good book for those who like philosophy, and/or are interested in the philosophy of one who was in forefront of what is known about reality today. ... Read more

Product Description
In the first comprehensive biography of Erwin Schrödinger--a brilliant and charming Austrian, a great scientist, and a man with a passionate interest in people and ideas--the author draws upon recollections of Schrödinger's friends, family and colleagues, and on contemporary records, letters and diaries. Schrödinger led a very intense life, both in his research and in the personal realm.This book portrays his life against the backdrop of Europe at a time of change and unrest.His best known scientific work was the discovery of wave mechanics, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1933. In Dublin, he wrote his most famous and influential book What is Life?, which attracted some of the brightest minds of his generation into molecular biology. This highly readable biography of a fascinating and complex man will appeal to anyone interested in the history of our times, and in the life and thought of one of the great men of twentieth-century science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great physicist - dubious kind of guy
I was impressed by the freshness of Moore's writing and his diligence in unearthing the daily life of Erwin Schrodinger over so many years. What do you make of a guy who spent his life falling in love easily with so many women and then seducing them? A man who in his forties suffers what Moore euphemistically calls a 'Lolita complex'? He ends up with three daughters, none by his wife, who he remains married to until the end. At least the girls got good intellectual genes.

Schrodinger was no friend to the concept of 'bourgeois marriage', and it might be argued in these enlightened times that he was doing nothing wrong. However, his lifelong self-centred and adolescent attitude to relationships led to collateral damage to many (not all) of the woman with whom he involved himself. Typically it was the younger or less well-educated who were left holding the baby, or worse.

His work was mostly blindingly competent in the spirit of mathematical physics. A strong visualiser, he was close in philosophy to Einstein and had little patience with the Bohr-Born interpretation of his wave equation. His culture, approach, techniques and beliefs all seem curiously dated now, but this was a first rate scientific biography.

This version of the book has the physics as well as the sex. The level is not particularly daunting ... first degree in physics or maths is fine.

Anything you want to know--it is here for you!!
If you look on page 238 on Walter Moore's book and view the Solvay Conference of Physics in 1927,you should think carefully of the world that Erwin Schrodinger was part of. All of those great minds were around him,Curie, Pauli, Einstein, etc, plus he lived through two world wars, and he had to deal with the Nazis and so on. Has anyone every lived at a better(or worse) time?The Schrodinger equation was probably the greatest discovery of the 20th century,but because of the wave mechanics involved,most people credit Einstein with being the smartest guy around because they would rather talk about relativity than a complicated equation.Our QM world is based on his equation for the most part and he did this in 1925!There is no denying this is a most complete book,having virtually every detail of ES life mentioned (some where) in it. My problem with this is it really necessary?Physicists will probably like this book because they can relate to it much better,but I guess you could skip the math and just read on.You can see how the scientists of the time pretend not to compete with one another,yet it is evident Schrodinger is the man for most of this period in time. This story is that of a great physicist that many times is overlooked because of the company he kept.He was horrified by the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima,as were most of his friends and considered it mass murder,but later managed to solve the Peierls equation which allows one to calculate the critical mass of a nuclear explosive.I would recommend this book for reading, but must warn you that every sexual encounter is included and you will not complete it in a day. It was quite interesting to read of the closeness between ES and Einstein.However,this exposure of how great ES was should impress upon you how often a man of such importance is virtually unheard ofin many parts of the modern world--even today.guyairey

The Great Mind: Erwin Schrodinger
If there is some way I could rate this book as five star plus, then I would love to do that. This is a very well researched book by an author who makes a passionate presentation of the mind and work of one of the greatest physicists of 20th century. Erwin Schrodinger is an enigmatic figure, a brilliant scientist, philosopher, poet and a humanist who lead a complex personal life; several love affairs allowed and approved by; his wife Annemarie, and husbands of his girlfriends. The author has examined and reviewed many archived materials from Schrodinger's family, friends, and universities/academic institutions who knew Schrödinger. The reader becomes fascinated by sheer brilliance, wisdom, sadness, and struggle in personal and professional life of Schrödinger.

Schrodinger was deeply philosophical in his thoughts than any other scientist of his time, but he apparently did not make far-reaching philosophical conclusions from his work in quantum physics. He was held back because he knew there was a lack of clarity. Schrödinger was deeply influenced by the thoughts of Schopenhauer, and developed strong interest in Buddhist philosophy and Vedanta (one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy.) Schrodinger intensively studied the works of Schopenhauer, Henry Warren, Max Welleser, Richard Garbe, Paul Deussen, Max Muller, and Rhys Davids to understand Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. Erwin's interest in Vedanta and Upanishads started at a young age when he was accustomed to cold hungry time in war-torn Vienna. His search for the truth never reached conclusion as his one time lover Hansi Bauer noted, but his belief in Vedanta remained the same since 1920 until his death. He was a life long believer of Vedanta. He lashed out Christian churches accusing them of gross superstition in their belief of individual souls.

Quantum physics has tremendous philosophical implications, which revolutionized modern thought in science and philosophy because it did not agree with the philosophy of materialism expounded by Newton. Interpretation of quantum world suggested that strict determinism and predictability is not an accurate description of reality, and consciousness is an integral part of the laws of quantum physics. In other words, the human observer (biological system) and the observed (rest of the universe) is not merely a biological (cognition) phenomenon but more than that. One can not actually derive the Schrödinger wave equation from classical physics. It is a justification and hence the final equation is used to calculate the energy levels that fit the experimental results such as the observed UV spectra of a hydrogen atom. Schrodinger developed relativistic equation first and then the non-relativistic equation. The relativistically framed (without spin) equation did not agree with the experimental result because it did not include electron spin. It was not known at that time that electron has a spin. This equation was good for a particle with no spin and it was the same as fine structure formula of Sommerfeld.

According to Vedanta; there exists only one universal being called the Brahman, which comprises all of reality in an undivided unity. This being absolutely homogeneous in nature: It is pure thought, which is not an attribute but the substance devoid of any qualities. The Brahman is associated with a power or a principle of illusion called Maya. As a magician creates illusion during his act, Brahman through Maya creates the appearances of the material world. Maya is the cause of the material world, and an indivisible Brahman is present in all forms of existence. The soul in reality is an infinite Brahman enmeshed in the unreal world of Maya. The unenlightened soul is incapable of looking beyond this illusion, but an enlightened soul knows the difference between its true self and the external illusory world thus paving the way for identifying itself with Brahman. This unity and continuity concept of All in One expounded in Vedanta is consistent with quantum physics where the universe is superimposed inseparable waves of probability amplitudes. The existence of Heisenberg uncertainty phenomenon and quantum Zeno effect is an allegory to the illusions of Maya or a prelude to the indivisible, All in One, Supreme Brahman. This intense philosophical debate was taking place in the mind of young Erwin in the midst of discovering wave mechanics! Nov 1925 to Dec 1926 is a critical period for the development wave mechanics. Erwin's thought process was so upbeat that his creative power peaked during this period and remains without parallel in the history of science!

In personal life; Erwin had contempt for Nazis but never openly criticized the regime. Schrodinger left Berlin 1933 to protest Nazi regime, in the same year he was awarded Nobel Prize with Paul Dirac. At one time he considered a faculty position at Tata Institute (Indian Institute of Science) in Bangalore, India at the invitation of Nobel laureate C.V. Raman. Erwin's love interests include a long list of women; Felice Krauss, Lotte Rella, Ithi Junger, Hansi Bauer-Bohm, Hilde March, Sheila May Green, Kate Nolan, Betty Dolan, Lucie Rie, and maids of Vienna during war years. He had two daughters Ruth and Linda from his lovers. Hilde March, wife of physicist Arthur March, with whom he had a daughter was his pseudo-wife living side by side with wife Annemarie under the same roof.It is ironic that the personal stress associated with his daring extra martial affairs unperturbed by the pressures of the society, and sadness created by financial problems and deaths of his parents and the terrible guilt that ensured due to his inability to do more to care them may have helped rather than hindered his creativity. In a letter of 1930, he recalls how his father's death on the Christmas Eve of 1919 left little cheer in his soul for the festive season throughout his life. This demonstrates the emotional and human side of Erwin; the deaths of his parents shook his consciousness and left him with tremendous pain and loss. Schrödinger's life is filled with drama and sadness caused by several failed romances; three illegitimate children, infidelity, two wives, nervous breakdown of his wife Annemarie, and some of his lovers, and his own illness due to various health problems, and constant displacement due to war and the Nazi regime. Yet his contributions to mankind are immortal. At the end of the book you feel like crying at the triumph and tragedies of this great human being.

1. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
2. Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries Tag: Author of In Search of Schrod. Cat
3. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
4. Space-Time Structure (Cambridge Science Classics)
5. Letters on Wave Mechanics: Schrodinger-Planck-Einstein-Lorentz
6. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory: Erwin Schrodinger and the Rise of Wave Mechanics, Part 1 : Schrodinger in Vienna and Zurich 1187-1925 (Historical Development of Quantum Theory)

All aspects of Schrödinger covered
Walter Moore captures the life of Erwin Schrödinger, one of the most important theoretical physicists of the 20th century, covering his career, science, philosophy and personal life.

In this ambitious book Moore tries to shed light on all aspects ofSchrödinger's life, and tries to connect them, but no coherent picture evolves. I had the impression, however, thatthis is not Moore's fault, but that the pieces that made up Erwin Schrödinger did not fit into a coherent whole.

A gifted student from an early age on, he took on physics. After initially dwelling in different sub-fields, he developed wave mechanics at the (for creative work in theoretical physics) late age of 38. His almost unparalelled mathematical skills made this advance possible. Schrödinger never saw mathematics only as a tool, but he greatly appreciated it's beauty. Moore does an excellent job in describing the intellectual journey towards this discovery, as well as the giants on who's shoulders Schrödinger was standing. For this work Schrödinger received the Nobel prize in 1933.

In his later years, he dedicated a substantial part of his efforts to the search for a unified (quantum mechanics - relativity) theory of physics. Just like Einstein, with whom he had an extensive correspondence about the mater, he failed. Schrödinger's scientific work is explained in quite a bit of detail. Despite being quite familiar with differential equations, but without a background in theoretical physics, I must admit that I had a hard time following Schrödinger's insights as presented by Moore.

From his student days on, Erwin Schrödinger was a believer in the Indian teachings of Vedanta, proclaiming a one-ness of all minds, which make up reality. It is hard to see how a rational 20th century scientist could adhere so uncritically to an ancient religion. However, these beliefs seemingly did not influence his science much and neither did they influence his personal life.

His personal life was, nevertheless, unusual. He was a lover of interesting women, and he had many (I am all for that!), but many of his loves were still teenagers, while he was in his 30s and 40s (very weired!). For a man of such high intellectual capacity, this shows very poor moral judgment. He was not solely interested in sex, but sincerely in love with many of them and wrote them love poems.

Schrödinger also showed somewhat poor moral judgment in terms of politics, although the turmoils of the 20th century greatly affected him (he was removed from his professorship in Graz by the Nazis). He was not an opportunist, like so many of his fellow Austrian and German physicists. Although he leaned to the left, he basically was not interested in politics at all. An irresponsible neglect during the rise of fascism in Europe!

Moore brings together all these aspects of Erwin Schrödinger, and he does so with lots of knowledge of the local culture and history of the places Schrödinger visited and lived at (Vienna, Graz, Dublin, Cambridge). This is a well researched book in all aspects and one with lots of sympathy for "Erwin".

Scientific and sexual fireworks.
This is a masterful biography, but one need to have a profound knowledge of higher mathematics and a basic one in physics to fully understand it.

Walter Moore shows that Schrödinger's life and thought was at least controversial.

Life
Schrödinger's personal itinerary is exemplary for the 20th century. He was born in a comfortable upper-middle class, but his parents lost their savings in the German inflation after WW I. The result was famine and diseases. It marked the rest of his life. As a young man he was confronted with unemployment and nearly left physics for financial reasons!
He found a decent job only at the age of 34. Even after winning the Nobel Prize he was still confronted with 'pension' problems.

Science
Walter Moore gives us a magisterial and detailed analysis of the scientific discoveries of ES, from his humble beginnings to the elaboration of the quantum wave function and after.
It shows that ES was above all a mathematical genius and a not so brilliant experimenter.
ES remained all his life opposed to the complemantary (particle/wave) interpretation of quantum mechanics (the 'Kopenhagen oracle' for ES). For him, there were only waves!

Sex
Beside science, sex was the principal occupation of his life, with all combinations imaginable. He lived a ménage à trois and sometimes à quatre, but still fell in love with other women, also with very young ones for he had a Lolita complex. He could without doubt have been accused of paedophilia.
But his intense love affairs stimulated highly his scientific creativity.
One can only wonder if his 'wild' behaviour and negative view of bourgeois marriage were not fundamentally influenced by the fact that he couldn't marry his first true love, because her family found that he was too poor!

Politics
He had a deep contempt for the governing classes (politicians, clergy) who 'enslave men by violence and use the religious desire of many people to promote superstition to rule over the dispossessed'. He also distrusted democracy!

Philosophical world view
This is certainly one of the strangest aspects of his thoughts.
He was convinced that physics provided absolutely no answers to philosophical questions (e. g. free will). All his life he remained, like Einstein, an adept of determinism.
His philosophical views and ethical principles were completely dissociated from his real life!
As an adept of the Vedanta, he believed the Buddhist wisdom that a thing could be both A and non-A (horribile dictu)!
He was also heavily influenced by the philosophy of Schopenhauer.

This work gives excellent explanations of the Vedanta, and the philosophy of Mach and Schopenhauer.
It contains a very painful paragraph on Heidegger.

I see only one minus point: the author doesn't give Bohr's pertinent response to the EPR-article against the Copenhagen interpretation of qm.

This is a brilliant book and certainly the definitive biography of Schrödinger. It is by no means a hagiography and doesn't dodge some 'weird' aspects of Schrödinger's life.
Not to be missed. ... Read more

Product Description
Nobel laureate’s brilliant attempt to develop a simple, unified standard method of dealing with all cases of statistical thermodynamics (classical, quantum, Bose-Einstein, Fermi-Dirac, etc.). Discussions of Nernst theorem, Planck’s oscillator, fluctuations, the n-particle problem, problem of radiation, much more.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

tradutorre tradittore
Title says it all: either the translator (if this is a translation from german, but I doubt) or the author (I believe actually the latter) do not have enough command of the english language to make it a smooth read. It's a pitty, there are very nice/interesting points of view, and I do not think that just the advanced concepts are to blame for the difficulty of the readout. Any takers out there among the native english speakers nobel laureats to rewrite a classic ?

An excellent guide in statistical thermodynamics
This book is an excellent guide in statistical thermodynamics. It's started with the theoretical justification of phenomenological thermodynamics and its system of concepts. In principle the methods ofstatistical mechanics are applicable to non-equilibrium states as well asto equilibrium properties. The author (Nobel prize,1933) treats only thetheory of equilibrium properties for which the destination"Statistical Thermodynamics" has been adopted.As aconsequence of the structure of phenomenological thermodynamic, statisticalthermodynamics developed in this book separates into two principal parts:the derivation of thermodynamic principles and the calculation ofthermodynamic functions for concrete systems. This text seemsespecially good for teaching basic thermodynamics and statisticalmechanics. I recommend this book especially for students, because it'shighest quality is the clarity of the exposed physical ideas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Must Reading for the Intelligent Reader
Schroedinger, one of the great physicists of the 20th Century, applied the knowledge he gained in his own discipline to analyze human life. Based upon lectures that he gave in the 1940s, this brief book contains Schroedinger's fascinating speculations on the nature of life, several of which have proven prophetic (including the discovery of DNA). The reader comes away with the joy of having shared in the workings of a great mind.

Perhaps the most impressive achievement of the book is that it can be readily understood by persons relatively untrained in science or mathematics. ... Read more

Product Description
Erwin Schrödinger was a brilliant and charming Austrian, and one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century. This abridgement of Walter Moore's magisterial Schrödinger: Life and Thought offers a highly readable account, interweaving Schrödinger's scientific work with his intense personal friendships, his interest in mysticism, and the turbulent background of political events in Europe. Hailed as a "breathtaking accomplishment," Walter Moore's colorful account is destined to become a classic of scientific biography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Great Mind: Erwin Schrodinger
This is a canto version (an imprint offering) of a more detailed work on the biography Erwin Schrödinger by the same author. If there is some way I could rate this book as five star plus, then I would love to do that. This is a very well researched book by an author who makes a passionate presentation of the mind and work of one of the greatest physicists of 20th century. Erwin Schrodinger is an enigmatic figure, a brilliant scientist, philosopher, poet and a humanist who lead a complex personal life; several love affairs allowed and approved by; his wife Annemarie, and husbands of his girlfriends. The author has examined and reviewed many archived materials from Schrodinger's family, friends, and universities/academic institutions who knew Schrödinger. The reader becomes fascinated by sheer brilliance, wisdom, sadness, and struggle in personal and professional life of Schrödinger.

Schrodinger was deeply philosophical in his thoughts than any other scientist of his time, but he apparently did not make far-reaching philosophical conclusions from his work in quantum physics. He was held back because he knew there was a lack of clarity. Schrödinger was deeply influenced by the thoughts of Schopenhauer, and developed strong interest in Buddhist philosophy and Vedanta (one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy.) Schrodinger intensively studied the works of Schopenhauer, Henry Warren, Max Welleser, Richard Garbe, Paul Deussen, Max Muller, and Rhys Davids to understand Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. Erwin's interest in Vedanta and Upanishads started at a young age when he was accustomed to cold hungry time in war-torn Vienna. His search for the truth never reached conclusion as his one time lover Hansi Bauer noted, but his belief in Vedanta remained the same since 1920 until his death. He was a life long believer of Vedanta. He lashed out Christian churches accusing them of gross superstition in their belief of individual souls.

Quantum physics has tremendous philosophical implications, which revolutionized modern thought in science and philosophy because it did not agree with the philosophy of materialism expounded by Newton. Interpretation of quantum world suggested that strict determinism and predictability is not an accurate description of reality, and consciousness is an integral part of the laws of quantum physics. In other words, the human observer (biological system) and the observed (rest of the universe) is not merely a biological (cognition) phenomenon but more than that. One can not actually derive the Schrödinger wave equation from classical physics. It is a justification and hence the final equation is used to calculate the energy levels that fit the experimental results such as the observed UV spectra of a hydrogen atom. Schrodinger developed relativistic equation first and then the non-relativistic equation. The relativistically framed (without spin) equation did not agree with the experimental result because it did not include electron spin. It was not known at that time that electron has a spin. This equation was good for a particle with no spin and it was the same as fine structure formula of Sommerfeld.

According to Vedanta; there exists only one universal being called the Brahman, which comprises all of reality in an undivided unity. This being absolutely homogeneous in nature: It is pure thought, which is not an attribute but the substance devoid of any qualities. The Brahman is associated with a power or a principle of illusion called Maya. As a magician creates illusion during his act, Brahman through Maya creates the appearances of the material world. Maya is the cause of the material world, and an indivisible Brahman is present in all forms of existence. The soul in reality is an infinite Brahman enmeshed in the unreal world of Maya. The unenlightened soul is incapable of looking beyond this illusion, but an enlightened soul knows the difference between its true self and the external illusory world thus paving the way for identifying itself with Brahman. This unity and continuity concept of All in One expounded in Vedanta is consistent with quantum physics where the universe is superimposed inseparable waves of probability amplitudes. The existence of Heisenberg uncertainty phenomenon and quantum Zeno effect is an allegory to the illusions of Maya or a prelude to the indivisible, All in One, Supreme Brahman. This intense philosophical debate was taking place in the mind of young Erwin in the midst of discovering wave mechanics! Nov 1925 to Dec 1926 is a critical period for the development wave mechanics. Erwin's thought process was so upbeat that his creative power peaked during this period and remains without parallel in the history of science!

In personal life; Erwin had contempt for Nazis but never openly criticized the regime. Schrodinger left Berlin 1933 to protest Nazi regime, in the same year he was awarded Nobel Prize with Paul Dirac. At one time he considered a faculty position at Tata Institute (Indian Institute of Science) in Bangalore, India at the invitation of Nobel laureate C.V. Raman. Erwin's love interests include a long list of women; Felice Krauss, Lotte Rella, Ithi Junger, Hansi Bauer-Bohm, Hilde March, Sheila May Green, Kate Nolan, Betty Dolan, Lucie Rie, and maids of Vienna during war years. He had two daughters Ruth and Linda from his lovers. Hilde March, wife of physicist Arthur March, with whom he had a daughter was his pseudo-wife living side by side with wife Annemarie under the same roof. It is ironic that the personal stress associated with his daring extra martial affairs unperturbed by the pressures of the society, and sadness created by financial problems and deaths of his parents and the terrible guilt that ensured due to his inability to do more to care them may have helped rather than hindered his creativity. In a letter of 1930, he recalls how his father's death on the Christmas Eve of 1919 left little cheer in his soul for the festive season throughout his life. This demonstrates the emotional and human side of Erwin; the deaths of his parents shook his consciousness and left him with tremendous pain and loss. Schrödinger's life is filled with drama and sadness caused by several failed romances; three illegitimate children, infidelity, two wives, nervous breakdown of his wife Annemarie, and some of his lovers, and his own illness due to various health problems, and constant displacement due to war and the Nazi regime. Yet his contributions to mankind are immortal. At the end of the book you feel like crying at the triumph and tragedies of this great human being.

1. Schrödinger: Life and Thought
2. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
3. My View of the World
4. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
5. Erwin Schrödinger's World View : The Dynamics of Knowledge and Reality (Theory and Decision Library A:)

A fascinting biography of a great scientific genius
I bought the hardbound edition (1989) of this book in a 2nd hand bookshop in Tokyo. As soon as I started reading it my interest forthe life of this great scientist of the 20th century increased dramatically and I couldn't stop my reading. Two points are worth telling you about Schroedinger's life. The first is about the hardships that he had to face during most of his life. He joined the Austrian-Hungarian army during WW1, survived the war and continued his research. The second is about his relationships with women that catalysed his genius. This is not so surprising and is a characteristic often seen in those creative individuals who contribute very greatly to the advance of human knowledge (in this case we are talking about quantum mechanics and the meaning of life - see his book "What is Life"). Moore's book reports also the contents of many letters that Schroedinger exchanged with his great collegues (Einstein, Bohr, Pauli, Born, etc.). From these letters we can grasp some of the feelings that Schroedinger felt during his original scientific work. I did not read yet other biographies about Schroedinger and, hence, I cannot compare this book to others on the same subject. All I can say is that this book conveyed to me the information necessary to better comprehend the life of this famous scientist.

It is unbelievable
Yes it is unbelievable, not the book itself but the life of Schrodinger. This book is the abridged version of the original from same publisher at three times of the cost of this book. What you are missing is the theoretical part of his physics. Book basically covers his personal life with touch and go to Physical concepts. You do not get the ideas, how he developed the wave mechanics and other new concepts. What is striking is his life story, his running after fourteen years old teenagers, sleeping with his best friends wife or his wife sleeping with his best friends son, what a life, I could not believe. This was a schoking book for me, I, with my naivete perhaps did not expect such a behavior from a nobel lauriete and all the famous physisict of his time who knew about it and accepted him as he was. If he lived now he would have been in jail for child malestation. book is basically about his personal life from one love story to another which by the way at the conclusion of each love story he discovers something. if you want to read more about his life together with his physics, this is not the book, you need to read the original. ... Read more

Product Description
Nobel laureate Erwin Schrödinger was one of the most distinguished scientists and philosophers of the twentieth century, and his lectures are legendary. Here the texts of two of Schrödinger's most famous lecture series are made available again. In the first, entitled "Nature and the Greeks," Schrödinger offers a historical account of the scientific world picture. In the second, called "Science and Humanism," he addresses fundamental questions about the link between scientific and spiritual matters. As Roger Penrose confirms, these are the profound thoughts of a great mind, and as relevant today as when they were first published in the 1950s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thoughts of a Distinguished Scientist
Erwin Schrodinger was a major contributor to the development of quantum physics. He, Werner Heisenberg, and many other giants of modern scientific thought, were very conscious of their enormous intellectual debt to Greek philosophy. Shrodinger's lectures on Greek ideas about Reason and the Senses, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, the Atomists, and much more besides, is a wonderful historic account that enables contemporary readers to understand and appreciate the forgotten grounding of science within philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must-read about the foundational problems of quantum mechanics
En español abajo

As electrical engineer I've always been interested in the duality problem, wave-particle, and from both the excellent introduction by Michel Bitbol and the first chapter a, July 1952 Colloquium, I really became very much safisfied with the clarity of the exposition of this book by the father of Quantum Mechanics.

It is obvious that the point of view of Schrodinger was not that one of mainstream physics at the time, as he wrote:

I am opposing not a few special statements of quantum mechanics held today, I am opposing as it were the whole of it...

In this whole chapter he demonstrates that the wave point of view is so general that:

Wave mechanics can never conflict with the U.P. The conflict is produced by imposing on wave mechanics the probability view... To my mind it is patently absurd to let the wave function be controlled in two different ways, at times by the wave equations, but occasionally by direct interference of the observer, not controlled by the wave equation.

So what I really wonder after reading this book is why it is not referenced when studying quantum mechanics. We really have to thank his daughter, Ruth Braunizer, for publishing these lectures and notes quite important not only for physicists but also for philosophers.

En español

Siempre he estado interesado como ingeniero electricista en el problema de la dualidad onda-partícula y tanto por la introducción por Michel Bitbol como por el primer capítulo un, July 1952 Colloquium, quedé plenamente satisfecho con la claridad de la exposición en este libro del padre de la mecánica cuántica.

Es obvio que el punto de vista de Schrodinger not era el de la corriente principal en la física puesto que escribió:

Me opongo no a unos cuantos puntos de la mecánica cuántica de hoy, sino a todo el asunto...

En todo este capítulo él demuestra que el punto de vista de onda, es tan general que:

La mecánica ondulatoria no puede entrar nunca en conflicto con el Principio de Incertidumbre. El conflicto se produce al imponerle a la mecánica ondulatoria el punto de vista probabilístico... Para mí es un absurdo dejar que la función de onda sea controlada por 2 puntos de vista diferentes, algunas veces por la ecuación ondulatoria, y ocasionalmente por la interferencia directa del observador, y ya no por la ecuación de onda.

Lo que ahora me pregunto después de leer este libro, es por qué no es referenciado cuando se estudia mecánica cuántica. Tenemos realmente que dar las gracias a su hija, Ruth Braunizer, por publicar estas conferencias y notas muy importantes, no sólo para los físicos sino también para los filósofos interesados en estos temas.
... Read more

Product Description
Quantum theory is so shocking that Einstein could not bring himself to accept it.It is so important that it provides the fundamental underpinning of all modern sciences.Without it, we'd have no nuclear power or nuclear weapons, no TV, no computers, no science of molecular biology, no understanding of DNA, no genetic engineering. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat tells the complete story of quantum mechanics, a truth stranger than any fiction.John Gribbin takes us step by step into an ever more bizarre and fascinating place, requiring only that we approach it with an open mind.He introduces the scientists who developed quantum theory.He investigates the atom, radiation, time travel, the birth of the universe, superconductors and life itself.And in a world full of its own delights, mysteries and surprises, he searches for Schrodinger's Cat - a search for quantum reality - as he brings every reader to a clear understanding of the most important area of scientific study today - quantum physics. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat is a fascinating and delightful introduction to the strange world of the quantum - an essential element in understanding today's world.Amazon.com Review
Part history book and part remedial physics text for those wholost interest when the equations started getting unintuitive, InSearch of Schrödinger's Cat explains quantum physicsin a way that's not only clear, but also enjoyable.

Gribbin openswith the subjects that most physics professors have just started toexamine at the end of the semester: The mysterious character of light,the valence concept in Nils Bohr's atomic model, radioactive decay,and the physics of life-defining DNA all get clear, comprehensive, andwitty coverage. This book reveals the beauty and mystery thatunderlies everything in the universe.

Does this book claim toexplain quantum physics without math? No. Math is too central tophysics to be bypassed. But if you can do basic algebra, you canunderstand the equations in In Search of Schrödinger'sCat. Gribbin is the physics teacher everyone should have in highschool or college: kind without being a pushover, knowledgeablewithout being condescending, and clearly expressive without beingboring. Gribbin's book belongs on the shelf of every pre-calculusstudent. It also deserves a place in the library of everyone who wasscared away from advanced physics prematurely. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

the cat ate my homework
I haven't read many books in the last few years but this one stands out. I managed to read the whole thing from cover to cover. I took the advice of another reviewer and read "Alice in Quantumland" first. I don't think it matters though in what order you read them. They are both good introductions for a layperson interested in this fascinating subject. And it was Stephen Hawkin's "Short History of Time" which got me started in wanting to know more about quantum physics. The "Alice" book is very good at explaining the basic concepts. "Schrodinger's Cat" gives an excellent historical account of how the theory evolved, explaining the concepts as it goes. Gribbin seems to have an excellent understanding of the subject matter and tells a great story.

A Great Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
I read this way back during my college years (1994-98). It was the first time I read a popular science book on quantum mechanics and cosmology (my first popular science book was Carl Sagan's magnificent treatise on science, "A Demon-Haunted World"). I just happened to see it in the library. You could say the title caught my attention. I remember the cover was so worn out already. But am I glad I saw it! Ever since then, I've been hooked to the field and wondered why I took a different college course. This book made me interested in physics!

edjohn
This book helps understanding quantum physics. I would recommend this for anyone interested in reality.

As shocking as science gets!
Niels Bohr said that "anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it." Indeed, if this is your first foray into quantum physics prepare to uncork a science that is more shocking, frustrating, and unsatisfying, than any other. The book's climax occurs in Chapter 8- Chance and Uncertainty. For me it was a humbling experience that left me feeling like everything I knew about the world was suddenly pulled out from under me. The book is very well written for the layperson, but it requires a basic understanding of atoms and molecules.

An easy, non-mathematical introduction to quantum mechanics
Since my freshman days at the University of Sarajevo, where I was studying Metallurgical Engineering, I have been quite a bit intrigued and extremely fascinated by the whole world of quantum mechanics. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat was one of very few popular science books published in the early 1980s on the subject of quantum mechanics. The title of the book refers to a famous thought experiment (paradox) devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger. The thought experiment presents a hypothetical cat that apparently can be simultaneously dead and alive (or neither dead nor alive), depending on an earlier random event, and assuming that the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics can be applied to everyday objects.

For those of us who are not physicists, the book covers, in a rather accessible manner (especially in its first half), a number of key theories, ideas, and paradoxes such as the dual nature of light, the double-slit experiment, the structure and the inner workings of atoms, Plank's constant and its history and significance, the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics and its possible far-reaching philosophical implications, the Compton effect, the Copenhagen interpretation, etc. Often incorrectly depicted as just an experimental limitation, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (the central idea of quantum mechanics), is explained quite nicely (and I believe correctly) in this book. The author also gives a couple of great examples of the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics (e.g., Dirac's mathematical prediction of the existence of positrons, the electron's antiparticle).

The author's style of writing is engaging and pleasant to read. The book is filled with relevant historic references, which I personally always find useful, as they help with putting everything in a right prospective and context. Even though it is thought provoking, the second half of the book, which deals with more speculative questions related to quantum mechanics (e.g., the many-worlds theory), is less satisfactory and less focused.

I recommend this book as an easy, non-mathematical introduction to the basic concepts of quantum mechanics, arguably the most fascinating scientific theory ever formulated by human mind. To fully understand and truly appreciate quantum mechanics, however, one has to sharpen one's mathematical pencil and dig deep into vector algebra with all its eigenvectors and eigenvalues. There are no shortcuts. Thus, my caveat lector: advanced students will almost certainly learn nothing new of importance in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Erwin Schrödinger is one of the greatest figures oftheoretical physics, but there is another side to the man: not onlydid his work revolutionize physics, it also radiacally changed thefoundations of our modern worldview, modern biology, philosophy ofscience, philosophy of the mind, and epistemology.
This book explores the lesser-known aspects of Schrödinger'sthought, revealing the physicist as a philosopher and polymath whosehighly original ideas anticipated the current merging of the naturaland the social sciences and the humanities.
Thirteen renowned scientists and philosophers have contributed to thevolume. Part I reveals the philosophical importance ofSchrödinger's work as a physicist. Part II examines his theory oflife and of the self-organization of matter. Part III shows howSchrödinger's ideas have influenced contemporary philosophy ofnature and our modern view of the world, drawing a fascinating pictureof the ongoing synthesis of nature and culture: one of the mostinteresting developments of modern thought.
The volume also contains the most comprehensive bibliography ofSchrödinger's scientific work, making it at the same time a bookof acute contemporary relevance and a major work of reference.
... Read more

Product Description
Schrodinger's Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics givesa comprehensive account of Erwin Schrodinger's successiveinterpretations of quantum mechanics, culminating in their finalsynthesis in the 1950s. It will be of interest to scientists,historians and philosophers who are involved in the foundationalproblems of modern physics. The book shows that the widespread view, according to whichSchrodinger was `conservative' in his approach to quantummechanics, is ill-founded. A rational reconstruction ofSchrodinger's innovative interpretation of the quantum theory inthe 1950's is undertaken. His apparently conflicting attitudes towardsrealism (which combine Mach's positivism and realism of theoreticalentities) are reconciled in the framework of S. Blackburn's`quasi-realism'. Schrodinger's rejection of corpuscles, and hisadoption of wave-like entities instead, is shown to be a by-product ofhis phenomenalist conceptions of material bodies and of hisquasi-realist attitude towards theoretical entities. In addition, his views on the measurement problem are compared withcurrent no-collapse interpretations (especially Everett's and VanFraassen's). Finally, Schrodinger's and Bohr's positions aresystematically contrasted. The difference between Bohr's combinationof holistic and dualistic analysis of the measurement process(contextual phenomena combined with classical-quantum cut), andSchrodinger's parallelist conception (experimental events-- wave function evolution) is emphasized. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Less Philosophy, More Physics please
This work is a very important and badly needed piece of research. Bitbol chronicles Schroedinger's attempts to promote the wave picture versus the particle/probability/collapse interpretation of the Copenhagen School. Schroedinger was hounded and ridiculed by the Born/Heisenberg/Lorentz cabal until he finally gave in, even teaching his own students the Copenhagen version for several years before returning with renewed vigor to his original wave picture in the final decade of his life.

I say the work is important because it's a story which is not told anywhere else; in fact it is everywhere superseded by the oft-repeated mythology of "the three nails": the first two being the black body spectrum and the photo-electric effect, and the Compton effect being the third and final "nail in the coffin" of the wave theory of light. You can search in vain on the Internet for an account of Schroedinger's wave-theoretic explanations of all three of of these phenomena. It is to Bitbol's great credit that he references all these fascinating papers.

Schroedinger's interpretation has today been thoroughly marginalized to the point where, for example, he does not rate even a mention in the Wikipedia article listing a dozen different interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. Copenhagen, Pilot Wave, Many-Worlds...but not Schroedinger's wave mechanics. For the record, Schroedinger did not believe in the photon, he did not believe in the collapse of the wave function, and he did not believe in the individuality of electrons and protons. If there were phenomena which he was unable to explain, such as the individual clicks in a geiger counter, then the reason was not because his theory was a failure, but simply that no one as of that moment had yet had enough imagination to see the correct explanation. I for one believe Schroedinger's vision will someday be vindicated.

The frustrating aspect of Bitbol's work is simply that there is too much philosophy and not enough physics. Bitbol's focus is on the philosophical underpinnings of Schroedinger's work. Yes, he lists all the significant physical results, but most of them get only a single line of description, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps on his own. A reader who does not know the difference between "ontology" and "epistomology" will find most of this book a pretty hard slog. I hope Bitbol finds his mark with the right audience, but for me it was unltimately a case of "so close yet so far". ... Read more

Product Description
Erwin Schrödinger era un austríaco brillante y encantador, uno de los mayores científicos del siglo XX y un hombre que poseía un interés apasionado por las personas y las ideas. Su mayor reconocimiento procedía del descubrimiento de la mecánica ondulatoria, merecedor del Premio Nobel de Física;sin embargo, su libro transcendental ¿Qué es la vida? sirvió para atraer a algunos de sus contemporáneos científicos más brillantes hacia el campo de la biología molecular. El libro de Walter Moore ofrece una exposición de muy grata lectura que entreteje el trabajo científico de Schrödinger con sus amistades intensas, su interés por el misticismo y el trasfondo turbulento de los acontecimientos políticos en Alemania y Austria de donde apenas pudo escaparse de los Nazis vengativos. 'El mejor libro disponible sobre la vida y obra de Schrödinger'. The Times Higher Education Supplement ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A major disappointment
Few physicists influenced their subject, both operationally and philosophically, as did Erwin Schrodinger. It was with great anticipation, then, that I began this book. Indeed, having read previously the outstanding accounts of Bohr (by Pais) and Heisenberg (by Cassidy), I hoped to be 'wowed' for a third time. Unfortunatley, Moore's book is a supreme disappointment and, aside from the fact that it deals with a towering figure of 20th century physics, has nothing in common with the other two. Moore is unable, or unwilling, to separate the relevant from the ridiculous in his narrative. Equal space (? even more) is given to the soporific details of Schrodinger's travels (yet another vapid description of a yet another love affair) as is devoted to an analysis of his work or even to the influences on his life and intellect.

Of all biographies, the scientific kind may be the most challenging type to write well. To be sucessful the author of a scientific biography must under! stand the science, the person and the world in which the person lived. Moore seems to knows the details and he must surely understand the prerequisites. It is a shame that he was unable to meld these details together with more skill and unable to convey his insights to the reader. Schrodinger deserved better. ... Read more