The Meaning of Quantum Theory: A Guide for Students of Chemistry and Physics (Oxford Science Publications) [Paperback]

Jim Baggott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 1992 | ISBN-10: 019855575X | ISBN-13: 978-0198555759 | Edition: 1st PB Edition

Why is quantum theory so difficult to understand? In this book, written for both undergraduate and graduate students of chemistry and physics, the author looks at the continuing debate about the meaning of quantum theory. The historical development of the theory is traced from the turn of the century through to the 1930s, and the famous debate between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein. The book examines in detail the arguments that quantum theory is incomplete, as made by Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen; the development of Bell's theorem; and crucial experimental tests performed in the early 1980s. Alternative interpretations -- pilot waves, quantum gravity, consciousness, and many worlds -- are described in the closing chapter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`I can recommend it warmly. Baggott has a practised, informal, attractive style taht renders the potentially turgid digestible . . . , he gives a lucid, thoughtful, and helpful account of one of this century's great conundrums.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'Baggott is a chemist; he combines scepticism with an honest and painstaking effort to understand the message coming from the Copenhagen priesthood, the physicists Irwin Schrodinger, Niels Bohr and their colleagues. He tries, with refreshing modesty, to pass on the results of his labours ... Baggott has an entertaining style, with clever use of analogies and diagrams - and, above all, its realist honesty that shines like a beacon through the fog of contemporary mystical specualtions.' Trevor Marshall and Max Wallis, New Scientist

'The book is clearly written and should be of interest to all scientists and mathematicians.' Aslib Book Guide, Vol 57. No. 10, October 1992

'this reasonably priced and well produced book forms a valuable bridge from basic undergraduate knowledge to the real stuff' R. Crossley, Institute of Physics Journal

`I can recommend it warmly. Baggott has a practised, informal, attractive style that renders the potentially turgid digestible . . . , he gives a lucid, thoughtful, and helpful account of one of this century's great conundrums.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'Baggott's strength lies precisely in his appreciation of the problem of making real measurements on microscopic quantum systems using macroscopic devices. Baggott has an entertaining style, with clever use of analogies and diagrams - and, above all, its realist honesty that shines like a beacon through the fog of contemporary mystical speculations. The final sentence is particularly worth noting: "If you find the theory difficult to understand, this is the theory's fault - not yours."' Trevor Marshall, University of Manchester and Max Wallis, University of Wales, Cardiff, New Scientist, October 1922

About the Author

Jim Baggott, Environmental Officer, Lubricants Marketing, Shell International.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1st PB Edition edition (May 21, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019855575X
• ISBN-13: 978-0198555759
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Chemistry > Physical & Theoretical > Quantum Chemistry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into Quantum Theory - Great for Physics Students, June 8, 2003

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Meaning of Quantum Theory: A Guide for Students of Chemistry and Physics (Oxford Science Publications) (Paperback)

I have a fascination for books on the meaning of quantum theory. Many target the layman and dispense with mathematics. Others assume the reader is adept at applying both wave mechanics and matrix mechanics to quantum problems. Published by Oxford University Press, "The Meaning of Quantum Theory", strikes a good balance that is ideal for undergraduate students of physics and chemistry, and is especially useful as a companion for a formal text on quantum theory.

The author, Jim Baggott, combines his experience as a freelance science writer with his skill as a respected lecturer in physical chemistry. In 1989 he was awarded the Marlow Medal from the Faraday Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry for his research contributions in chemical kinetics and spectroscopy. Baggott is an exceptional writer and I enjoy reading sections at random. I have twice read his book and probably will do so again.

About quantum theory Baggott says, "For the first time, students are taught about a theory which they have to accept and which they have to learn how to apply, but which they cannot be expected to be told its meaning." Baggott argues that beneath the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics, there exists an interpretation, and a philosophy, that warrants investigation.

The first chapter (40 pages) offers a historical overview of the early development of quantum theory that is probably familiar to many readers.

Chapter 2 (35 pages), titled "Putting it into Practice", differentiates Baggott's work from many others. We learn about operator algebra, and then we encounter experimental evidence that we must either use non-commuting matrices, or non-commuting operators, to describe position-momentum relationships in quantum physics.

Baggott then carefully introduces the underlying postulates of quantum physics (and the mathematical formulation) as described by John von Neumann. We learn about complementary observables, the Dirac bracket notation, state vectors and eigenfunctions, and the usefulness of projection amplitudes. A substantial section is devoted to the Pauli exclusion principal, the polarization properties of photons, measurement operators, and the collapse of the wave function, all topics that are discussed later in the context of experimental results.

After 75 pages of preparation, Baggott asks "What Does it Mean"?, the title of chapter 3. Chapter 4 is "Putting it to the Test", and Chapter 5 is "What are the Alternatives?". A reader that skimmed the mathematical discourse in chapter 2 would still find the last three chapters intriguing, although some sections might be heavy going.

"The Ghost in the Atom: A Discussion of the Mysteries of Quantum Physics" by Davies and Brown is non-mathematical, but offers, nevertheless, an insightful look at alternative interpretations of quantum theory - standard interpretation (Copenhagen interpretation), conscious observer, parallel universes, hidden variables, and a statistical view - that dovetails rather well with Baggott's more detailed and more in-depth analysis. As a precursor to Baggott's book, I also highly recommend Richard Feynman's brilliant lectures published under the title "QED".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable and enlightening, February 11, 2003

By 

Mike (CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Meaning of Quantum Theory: A Guide for Students of Chemistry and Physics (Oxford Science Publications) (Paperback)

This book concentrates more on the philosophical aspects of quantum theory rather than formalism and problem solving, though some simple and easy to follow derivations are presented that give real insights into the guts of the theory, which will help a reader who goes on to pursue quantum theory in greater detail. The historical debate between the positivists and realists during the theories development is presented in a very readable and entertaining way. A very well written and researched book that you will be glad you read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quantum Theory in Plain Language, August 23, 2000

By 

Matthew M. Yau "Voracious reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Meaning of Quantum Theory: A Guide for Students of Chemistry and Physics (Oxford Science Publications) (Paperback)

A book devoted to the development of quantum theory, Jim Baggott gives readers a much-desired rest from the mathematical rigidity of the subject. This book is fun, pleasant, and easy to read. It introduces the fundamental and key ideas of quantum theory through clever, to-the-point analogies and diagrams. Many physical chemistry students, or just science audience, will welcome this plain approach of the subject. Landmark concepts such as operators, postulates, Pauli principle, Bohr-Einstein debate and Bell's theorem are covered with a lucid and thoughtful account.