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Product Description
Product Description
Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed.
About the Author
John Polkinghorne was from 1968 to 1979 Professor of Mathematical Physics in the University of Cambridge, and later president of Queen's College. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was knighted in 1997. His many books include The Quantum World (1986), The Faith of a Physicist (1994), and Science and Theology (1998).
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First Sentence
The first flowering of modern physical science reached its culmination in 1687 with the publication of Isaac Newton's Principia. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The first flowering of modern physical science reached its culmination in 1687 with the publication of Isaac Newton's Principia. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read a quite few 'pop science' books on this subject and this is the most lucid and enjoyable I have read. It encapsulates the main ideas so clearly and for once I understood the central mystery of quantum behaviour.
I don't care about the error that another reviewer got excited about as it doesn't make any material difference to the level of understanding I wanted to get to. And, unlike another reviewer, I find Mr Tomkins both dull and patronising. This book, in contrast, is extremely well written and never patronising.
I was extremely impressed and awed by the mastery of the subject the author has and that was demonstrated by the fact that he could explain the subject to a mathematical cretin like me...
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There seems to be some mixed reviews regarding J.C. book. Well, personally I feel that it offers a very broad and clear description to the overall structure of quantum physics. The book attempts to arouse the reader's interest through a 'storytelling' of historical facts and explains some of the fundamental problems in quantum theory.
Even as a physicist, I find some aspects of the book quite difficult to comprehend, especially the last part which discusses the philosophical aspects of quantum theory. To non-physicists, this book may seem all the more difficult. But from all the books I have read, this book gives the most simplified description of quantum theory. Highly recommended for readers who want to know what quantum theory is all about and what every physics student has to go through to earn their degree!
Even as a physicist, I find some aspects of the book quite difficult to comprehend, especially the last part which discusses the philosophical aspects of quantum theory. To non-physicists, this book may seem all the more difficult. But from all the books I have read, this book gives the most simplified description of quantum theory. Highly recommended for readers who want to know what quantum theory is all about and what every physics student has to go through to earn their degree!
42 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a short book, and that is its only advantage, unfortunately.
Granted, that the author is eminent in this field and was himself a student of the great Paul Dirac. However, this book does not sit easily in a series designed to make a subject approachable to the novice. It has far too much esoteric maths than is good for a book of this genre. An ever stronger criticism is the fact that instead of keeping to basic physics ideas such as the double slit experiment (which this book does well!) and then developing the ideas of atomic structure, and the uncertainty principle, it dwells on things like operators and such like.
If you want a good introduction to Quantum Theory, look no further than the books by George Gamow's "The New World of Mr Tompkins" or "Mr Tomkins in paperback", or, "Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Mathematically confusing
I never thought quantum theory would be easy or quickly understood, but I choose a quite poor introduction to this subject. Read more
Published 15 months ago by ManInsideTheHelm
An undergraduate's guide to quantum physics
Quantum Theory: a Very Short Introduction, by John Polkinghorne, Oxford University Press, 2002, 128 ff. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Dr. H. A. Jones
A Misleading Introduction to Quantum Theory
Having previously read the Mathematics book in this series (which I highly recommended), I was looking forward to reading this. Read more
Published on 20 May 2004
Curiosity not always kills cats.
Books of the "Very Short Introduction" series are true gems for the curioses among ourselves which want to snoop into a subject without getting too involved. Read more
Published on 18 July 2002 by M. Sanguineti
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