Beyond Weird
Published on 31. January 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-78470-608-1 (ISBN)
Description
PHYSICS WORLD 2018 BOOK OF THE YEAR
'A clear and deeply researched account of what's known about the quantum laws of nature, and how to think about what they might really mean' Nature
'I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.' Richard Feynman wrote this in 1965 - the year he was awarded the Nobel prize in physics for his work on quantum mechanics. Over the past decade, the enigma of quantum mechanics has come into sharper focus. We now realise that quantum mechanics is less about particles and waves, uncertainty and fuzziness, than a theory about information: about what can be known and how.
The quantum world isn't a different world: it is our world, and if anything deserves to be called 'weird', it's us. This exhilarating book is about what quantum maths really means - and what it doesn't mean.
'Gorgeously lucid...takes us to the edge of contemporary theorizing about the foundations of quantum mechanics... Easily the best book I've read on the subject' Washington Post
'A clear and deeply researched account of what's known about the quantum laws of nature, and how to think about what they might really mean' Nature
'I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.' Richard Feynman wrote this in 1965 - the year he was awarded the Nobel prize in physics for his work on quantum mechanics. Over the past decade, the enigma of quantum mechanics has come into sharper focus. We now realise that quantum mechanics is less about particles and waves, uncertainty and fuzziness, than a theory about information: about what can be known and how.
The quantum world isn't a different world: it is our world, and if anything deserves to be called 'weird', it's us. This exhilarating book is about what quantum maths really means - and what it doesn't mean.
'Gorgeously lucid...takes us to the edge of contemporary theorizing about the foundations of quantum mechanics... Easily the best book I've read on the subject' Washington Post
Reviews / Votes
This is the book I wish I could have written, but am very glad I've read. It's an accessible, persuasive and thorough appraisal of what the most important theory in all of science actually means. -- Jim Al-Khalili Excellent. -- Andrew Crumey * Spectator * Ball is an exceptionally talented writer who manages to combine accessibility and thoroughness in razor-sharp prose -- Philip Moriarty * Physics World * Riveting ... Ball is an intelligent guide -- Natalie Wolchover * Nature * A deeply fascinating book ... Philip Ball is a rare writer in having such depth of knowledge of a difficult field, yet retaining the critical eye of an observer. Highly recommended. -- Jon Butterworth, Professor of Physics at UCL and author of SMASHING PHYSICS A laudable achievement. -- Rob Kingston * The Sunday Times * Ball, a gifted and prolific science writer familiar to Prospect readers, is a demanding but engaging guide to this daunting terrain. -- Anjana Ahuja * Prospect * A subtle unpacking of Heisenberg's famous uncertainty principle... is alone worth the price of the book... Ball takes us on a whirlwind tour through the quantum realm -- Manjit Kumar * New Statesman * Perfect. It is engaging and clear without feeling dumbed down. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in really understanding what quantum physics is all about -- Kathryn Gempf * RSC * This author explains his subject simply and thoughtfully * Economist, **Books of the Year** *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
308 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78470-608-1 (9781784706081)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Philip Ball writes regularly in the scientific and popular media and worked for many years as an editor for physical sciences at Nature. His books cover a wide range of scientific and cultural phenomena, and include Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads To Another (winner of the 2005 Aventis Prize for Science Books), The Music Instinct, Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything, Serving The Reich: The Struggle for the Soul of Science Under Hitler, Invisible: The History of the Unseen from Plato to Particle Physics and The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China.