Quantum physics has never been more popular. Once thought of as an obscure science, it reached the masses via the notion of teleportation in Star Trek and, more recently, as an integral part of the popular TV series Lost and Fringe. Now, inspired by his hugely popular website and science blog, Chad Orzel uses his cherished mutt Emmy to explain the basic principles of quantum physics. And who better to explain the magical universe of quantum physics than a talking dog?
How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog
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'It's hard to imagine a better way to grasp basic quantum physics.' --Booklist
'Charming. A lighthearted and amusing way for laypeople to learn about one of the strangest and most important aspects of modern science.' --William D. Phillips, Nobel Laureat in Physics
'A fast-moving and fun introduction to some of the deepest mysteries of modern physics. And Emmy is a star.' --Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
'Charming. A lighthearted and amusing way for laypeople to learn about one of the strangest and most important aspects of modern science.' --William D. Phillips, Nobel Laureat in Physics
'A fast-moving and fun introduction to some of the deepest mysteries of modern physics. And Emmy is a star.' --Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Chad Orzel is Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College, where he carries out research in the field of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. His blog is renowned the world over for its humour and its clear explanations of complex principles of physics.
--This text refers to the
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135 of 137 people found the following review helpful
By ebygum
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm currently studying Physics for A-Level and the course covers a bit of simple quantum mechanics. Of course, quantum mechanics is something which fascinates almost everyone, and so I looked around for some books about the subject and came across this from a recommendation from my teacher. Admittedly, before reading the book I thought it would either be overly complicated (which many books on this subject are) or patronising and simple but to my surprise, from cover to cover the book kept me hooked -- it not only covers things that I've learned in class but new topics too, such as quantum tunnelling. Harder topics are introduced slowly and in a funny manner: usually with an intro from an encounter with the author's dog! Jokes are well placed and not too much, they allow the reader to have a good laugh yet still learn about the wonders of the quantum world. Well worth reading for anyone wanting to find out more!
71 of 75 people found the following review helpful
By Daniel Park
Format:Paperback
Chad Orzel is a scientist. He is also a teacher. It is therefore unsurprising that he writes in the style of a college professor. If you think a college professor lecturing you on the subject of quantum physics sounds boring, then you're wrong. By using conversations with Emmy, his pet German Shepherd dog, as cover, the author is able to speak to his readers as a pet-loving human, instead of a lab-coated geek. If you think a college professor lecturing you on the subject of quantum physics sounds complicated, then...well...I have to admit that you're right. In all modesty, I'm not an unintelligent reader, and yet a good 30% of what Orzell had to say went completely over my head, even after a second reading. Also, scientists like to explain theories by repeated demonstration and as soon as the mirrors, lenses and polarising filters came out of the physics cupboard, I was sent back, quaking in my shorts, to my school physics lab 30 years ago, and a blind panic set in!
Orzell is at his best when explaining the general concepts of quantum physics to Emmy, who incidentally is very smart and is even biligual on account of her German ancestry. I got the impression that his dog is considerably brighter than most of his physics students. Where Orzell falls down, for me, is in the mind-numbing minutiae of the explanations. At these points, not even Emmy could get a bark in. However, I'm not a scientist, so perhaps this book speaks louder to those who naturally suit lab coats.
The best chapter is the final one, which debunks a collection of quasi-scientific claims for quantum physics. It is good to know that scientists can dismiss the outlandish claims that can be made about their discoveries, and are likely to reject any publically funded adoption of them.... Read more ›
Orzell is at his best when explaining the general concepts of quantum physics to Emmy, who incidentally is very smart and is even biligual on account of her German ancestry. I got the impression that his dog is considerably brighter than most of his physics students. Where Orzell falls down, for me, is in the mind-numbing minutiae of the explanations. At these points, not even Emmy could get a bark in. However, I'm not a scientist, so perhaps this book speaks louder to those who naturally suit lab coats.
The best chapter is the final one, which debunks a collection of quasi-scientific claims for quantum physics. It is good to know that scientists can dismiss the outlandish claims that can be made about their discoveries, and are likely to reject any publically funded adoption of them.... Read more ›
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. Bojan Tunguz
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
There is perhaps no area of Physics that has garnered as much fascination as quantum mechanics, save perhaps the theory of relativity. Yet in a sense the weirdness associated with quantum mechanics is even more profound than that associated with relativity. Relativity deals with physics of very fast objects, and even though it challenges our normal way of thinking, it still preserves some of the basic intuitions of what does it mean to be a physical object, how we measure properties of those objects, and what those objects can and cannot do. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, puts all those basic notion to a test. We are forced to reconsider even our basic understanding of what reality is. There have been many popular accounts of Quantum Mechanics over the years, and this book is yet another attempt of bringing this arcane field to the general readership. So despite what the title may say, this is not a book about Physics in general, but just about quantum mechanics. The dog from the title is author's German shepherd, and she is used as a stand-in for all the naïve, "Newtonian" ways of thinking about the world. Each chapter in the book covers a different aspect of quantum theory, and all the discussions are motivated in a light-hearted way by author's "dialogues" with his dog. These "dialogues" are meant to provide some comic relief from the otherwise technical subject matter. As such they work fine, although I am not the biggest fan of author's attempts at humor. The explanations provided in the book are actually very good - they are very well written, accessible to the general audience, and absolutely conceptually correct.... Read more ›
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Kindle edition of this book follows the same tradition of many Kindle editions being little more than an afterthought by the publisher. Thankfully, it does not want to use its own font! Other than that, it has it all: inconsistent formatting, weird substitutions (the word 'left' has been replaced with 'indent' absolutely everywhere in the text: "If we start the experiment with a single photon in the indent half, we find that over time, it will slowly move into the right half" -- what?!), the occasional run together words ("the initial photon-onthe-indent state" -- a twofer!), hyphens in the middle of some words, exponents and subscripts rendered as regular text ("1036" instead of ten to the power of 36, or "6.626 × 10-34 kg m2/s" for the value of Planck's constant), badly paged captions for figures, references to page numbers (useless on the Kindle), annoying footnotes that are links that need to be clicked instead of real footnotes, and so on. Quite irritating, and distracting from an otherwise rather nice book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Great book. Funny and exciting to read and learn about quantum physics. Beautiful description and ended perfect. Make more books
Published 12 days ago by Leanne Holmes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
This is a really good book because it gets you interested in what you are reading without being too complicated.
Published 28 days ago by Samantha
5.0 out of 5 stars
My dog is greatful.
My dog loved the book, it was useful for me too. It was down to the level we both could enjoy.
Published 28 days ago by Steven R. Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars
I still can't understand it!
Struggled with the concept but it is still very well written and I did end up with a better grip on the subject. My dog just preferred the walkies and treats
Published 1 month ago by E. J. Kirkaldie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quantum Physics for dogs...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although I think the dog in the book is cleverer than I am, I now understand the subject a lot better and am ready to move onto merkier waters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. Alexandra K. Macevoy
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Way to begin to Understand
This book means that you don't need to have a 'heavy background' in quantum physics to read and understand and the use of the dog means you can relate everything to normal... Read more
Published 1 month ago by L
5.0 out of 5 stars
I now have an erudite dog
As a biologist, I can remember being somewhat confused by quantum physics at university. If only this book had been available then!
Published 1 month ago by Shiroi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quantum physics for idiots
As a layman I found this incitefull and easy to read without having to look dumb, which I normally do with this topic
Published 3 months ago by KeithB
1.0 out of 5 stars
Annoying
I have read a lot of books on this subject primarily by Marcus Chown and Michio Kaku, I found I was profoundly irked by the tone this book struck and found the device of chats to... Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. A. Davison
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bought for my husband by one of our dogs.
My husband is dipping into this book between "readers" and is finding the annecdotes amusing. The dogs are happy too!
Published 4 months ago by Mrs C R Chapman
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