Alice in Quantumland: An Allegory of Quantum Physics [Hardcover]

Robert Gilmore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 1995

In this cleverly conceived book, physicist Robert Gilmore makes accessible some complex concepts in quantum mechanics by sending Alice to Quantumland-a whole new Wonderland, smaller than an atom, where each attraction demonstrates a different aspect of quantum theory. Alice unusual encounters, enhanced by illustrations by Gilmore himself, make the Uncertainty Principle, wave functions, the Pauli Principle, and other elusive concepts easier to grasp.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

My eyes tend to glaze over when I encounter YAPBAQPs (Yet Another Popular Book About Quantum Physics). But this volume captured my attention, and imagination. Told in the same way as Alice in Wonderland (with many of the original passages re-tooled to their new purpose) and a hint of Flatland, Gilmore guides us through the principles of Quantum mechanics in a truly lively and fun way. I suspect it may even be a good read for teens or extremely bright children.

Review

It (..) includes characters like the uncertain accountant and the state agent who shows Alice how items can be two places at once. -- The Vancouver Sun

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Copernicus; 1995 edition (July 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387914951
• ISBN-13: 978-0387914954
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Readers in Wonderland! February 26, 2000

By D. Roberts VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I found this book very readable & an excellent introduction to QM. The other really good intro that I would recommend would be Fred Alan Wolf's "Taking The Quantum Leap." Some of the ideas of this fascinating subject I found to be clearer in Gilmore's book....others I thought were said with less verbosity in Wolf's book. As Gilmore's book is told in the style of Lewis Carrol's allegory, it is a touch more pleasant to read.....but not much. I would recommend reading them both for a complete intro to the wonderful world of theoretical physics. Afterwards, I would recommend "In Search Of Schroedinger's Cat" by John Gribbin and "Parallel Universes" (also by Fred Alan Wolf).

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and fun introduction January 28, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Alice in Wonderland metaphor fits the subject perfectly and Gilmore does a fantastic job of catching the tone and feel of the original. He manages to make many subtle concepts understandable in an entertaining manner. Everyone in our family has read it and enjoyed it, even those who don't normally like science texts. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants an overview of Quantum Physics!

53 of 66 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on this one September 23, 1999

By W. Truppel

Format:Hardcover

Like a previous reviewer, I can appreciate the author's efforts. Being a physicist, I am well aware of how difficult it is to explain even the simplest concepts of quantum mechanics. Unfortunately, I find the book to be extremely boring if you happen already to know something of QM, and extremely confusing if you are trying to learn something about it. I'd highly recommend George Gamow's Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland, instead, which I read for the first time in my junior year in college 17 years ago, and several times more since then, always with great joy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful introduction to quantum physics March 3, 1998

By [e-mail]

Format:Hardcover

I had attempted to read several writings geared toward introduction to quantum theories and practices,without any real understanding of what was being said. Then I stumbled across this book, and with it's easy to follow format and great illustrations of ideas, I now have an understanding I can apply to the previously read works. This book has proven invaluable to my studies and I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this field of study. It is informative and makes the information easier to retain with amusing visual memory aides.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Confusing and Funny January 2, 2005

By Silme Sikil

Format:Hardcover

Alice in Quantumland is an entertaining novel that is sure to get the basics of quantum physics across to its readers. Gilmore teaches his readers the basics of complex concepts through lovable characters that are sure to hook his readers. While the concepts are hard to grasp without formal teaching Gilmore presents them in a way that makes it easier to understand. Characters such as the kind and lovable Quantum Mechanic or even the Classics Mechanic help to keep the readers entertained while teaching them new concepts.

However, if you have never taken any type of physics course and have no background in chemistry, this book may come across as very confusing. The concepts can be very difficult to grasp. It is hard to understand how someone can be in six different places at once without having a physicist standing behind you explaining quantum physics while you read about Alice's adventures. As Gilmore explains in the Preface, "Neils Bohr, the father figure of quantum mechanics in its early days is said to have remarked that anyone who did not feel dizzy when thinking about quantum theory had not understood it."

Yet, once the concepts are understood there is an underlying bit of humor that makes the book amusing. There are characters such as the ugly duckling, the little mermaid, and even the emperor with new clothes. Bad puns and old storybook characters appear in this book making the adventures of Alice rather humorous.

As a junior in high school with two older siblings majoring in physics I recommend reading this book (provided you have some physics knowledge or siblings that can explain quantum mechanics). If you are able to understand the concepts of quantum mechanics the book is hilarious and will call you back to read it again and again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought this book was great June 15, 1998

By Stephen Sawiak ([e-mail])

Format:Hardcover

I am a 15yr old student and didn't really know anything about Quantum Physics - other than that it was supposed to be really difficult, complex and beyond the average person's intelligence. This book taught me quite a lot and I found it interesting(which can't be said for a lot of physics books) and informative. The only problem was that when I got to the last page, there was still more that I didn't really understand - as if there should have been more pages, it inspired me to find out more about the subject as well. I think that this book definetly deserves all five stars.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Big Time let down January 21, 2002

By Dolem Fendol

Format:Hardcover

I was really excited by the idea behind this book- making learning about quantum physics interesting and entertaining. The problem was, the analogies were just too imprecise and seemed to muddle things up. I got incredibly bored with the book as things were never explained properly. The best part of the book is the little blurbs and notes at the end which actually explain what is going on. The actual content of the book just seems to confuse rather than explain.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for anybody except the VERY VERY young. December 30, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

When my son was ten, I read this to him as bedtime reading. We had a LOT of laughs. It's a great way to get the feel of quantum mechanics and have fun at the same time.