Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality [Hardcover]

John Gribbin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0316328383 | ISBN-13: 978-0316328388 | Publication Date: 1995

Revealing recent developments in quantum theory that are radically transforming our reality, a scientist demystifies quantum physics and explains the fundamental riddle of quantum mechanics--why a single photon can be seen going in two directions at once. 30,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Astrophysicist John Gribbin first introduced the general public to the world of quantum physics in 1984 with his book In Search of Schrödinger's Cat. A dizzying, counterintuitive domain, the quantum world is so strange that Richard Feynman, the greatest physicist of his time, admitted, "nobody understands quantum physics."

Science has not stood still in the years since In Search of Schrödinger's Cat was written, and in this new book, Gribbin brings us up to speed on the latest developments. New interpretive models have been put forth about the nature of particles and light; experimental evidence has turned over many of the basic precepts of the Copenhagen interpretation, which says that until it is observed, the subatomic world exists only as a probability wave, lacking any objective reality independent of observation. The new models offer not only a paradigm independent of an observer, but also begin to unite quantum phenomena with relativity and Newtonian mechanics. This is not to say that the quantum realm has become more comprehensible. With particles existing simultaneously as particles and waves, feedback loops, and waves that move forward and backward in time, the quantum world is still a strange, strange place; it's just a little less solipsistic.

As in his previous books, Gribbin deftly translates the abstruse mathematics of these new theories into a highly readable narrative that informs as it entertains. Schrödinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality is a book that can be enjoyed by expert and layman alike.

From Publishers Weekly

Astrophysicist Gribbin takes readers on an exciting, lucid and mind-stretching tour of the puzzles and paradoxes of quantum physics. Since the publication of his 1984 bestseller In Search of Schrodinger's Cat, experiments have confirmed some of the bizarre phenomena of the subatomic world?a single atom that goes two ways at once and interferes with itself; pairs of particles linked across space and instantaneously "communicating" with one another; photons (particles of light) for which time stands still. Gribbin reviews IBM physicist Charles Bennett's 1993 proposal that quantum theory supports teleportation of objects through space and Oxford physicist David Deutsch's recent outline of an experiment designed to tell us whether multiple universes exist. He endorses a "transactional interpretation" of quantum mechanics based on the notion that quantum waves can travel backwards through time. A gifted popularizer, Gribbin uses thought-experiments and diagrams to make difficult ideas accessible without oversimplifying.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T) (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316328383
• ISBN-13: 978-0316328388
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #992,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gets you closer to an understanding of quantum behavior, March 21, 2001

By 

Newt Gingrich (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
("THE")   

This review is from: Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries (Paperback)

This is the follow on to In Search of Schrodinger's Cat, which was a laymen's introduction to the complexities of Quantum behavior. I strongly recommend you read that book first to get a general introduction to the amazingly different world of behavior below the level of about one hundred nanometers or 200 atoms. At that level the rules change profoundly. So much so that we do not seem to even understand quantum behavior but we do understand the effects of quantum behavior. That is, as Feynman described it in QED we can measure and predict with astonishing precision (accurate to the thickness of a hair measuring between two points one in New York and one in Los Angeles) what happens but we cannot explain why.

Gribbin seeks to create a deeper understanding of the principles of quantum behavior and the why of it. Gribbin explains elegantly why all this matters: "the interactions of electrons with one another and with electromagnetic radiation determine almost everything about the world around us . . . All of chemistry is explained by quantum physics . . . biological life depends upon the behavior of complex molecules such as proteins and DNA, which is also chemistry and also depends ultimately on the quantum properties of electrons".

If you want to have a better understanding of the most powerful area of basic knowledge for the early 21st century you should read these three books and Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe. If after you get through it and it doesn't make sense then you are on the right track. You will, however, be closer to understanding quantum dynamics which will be as important for the first half of the 21st century as physics was in the 20th or electromagnetic theory and the internal combustion engine were for the second half of the 19th.

Gribbin does his best to make this subject both interesting and understandable and I recommend his two books to anyone willing to take the time to stop frequently to think about the amazing ideas they have encountered.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little difficult, February 26, 2003

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries (Paperback)

Although I'm not really a math/physics type person, I enjoy the popular books on the subject and have read a number. John Gribbin's book Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality was a little harder for me to get into, but there was a fair amount of new-at least to me-material. Part of the problem was that the author tended to repeat himself. Although if I plowed onward I usually discovered his purpose in doing so. Part of the problem is that he covers a lot.

The book has a fairly extensive history of the who's who of physics, starting with the early Greek philosophers for whom experiment was largely impossible (even the thermometer is a fairly new invention) to the likes of Galileo and Newton (for both of whom experiment was an imperative). The section on Modern Times is interesting in that it shows where thinking has gone wrong as well as right, and shows the interconnectedness of research in physics, one break through or thought experiment leading to further advances. I certainly found the degree to which Einstein was beholding to previous theorists surprising; he has become such an icon, that he seems to stand alone, head and shoulders above the rest. Just the idea that scientific understanding had reached a level at the turn of the century that the discovery of relativity was "ready" to be made was a surprise to me. It makes even more obvious that advances have their "time" and that much in science and technology moves forward in lock step.

In Desperate Remedies the author discusses in greater depth the various interpretations of quantum theory including, for instance, the well known Copenhagen Interpretation, David Bohm's pilot wave theory, and the many worlds theories, putting them into perspective and describing how each is different from the others and how each stands up to experiment. He has his own biases, but he is fairly up front with it, explaining his reasons for them. To those with a greater background in physics and/or math, this may seem arrogant, but to those of us who haven't a clue, it's helpful.

One of the benefits of the last chapters was that Dr. Gribbin points out clearly that all of the theories about "reality" are just paradigms that allow their authors to draw conclusions, design experiments and test results. He also points out that these same paradigms can confine thinking, confusing the metaphor with the described phenomenon, or channel thinking so much that experiments are designed to find certain things while neglecting other things. I thought his own idea of combining all of these theories and sifting out the relevant portions of each to make a master theory an interesting one.

The bibliography is fairly extensive and annotated, which allows the interested to follow up on some of the areas of interest, whether particular theories or biographies. Most of these are quite current, from the 80's and 90's, the oldest being 1873 and 1934 (Tyndall, On light; and Dunne, An Experiment with Time.)

I'm not sure I'd advise the first time dabbler to start with this book. I think it might be too confusing to start with, but it would definitely be a good one for those with at least some background in the genre. I agree with another reviewer; read 10, then go on to this one. The Universe Next Door: The Making of Tomorrow's Science by Marcus Chown, Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe by Martin J. Rees, Matter Myth by John Gribbin, and P. C. W. Davies, and About Time by P. C. W. Davies might interest the beginner.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another must-read from Gribbin, December 4, 2002

By 

Wayne Rash (Clifton, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries (Paperback)

I won't pretend that this book is for everyone. It's not. It helps if you've read the initial book in this series, and it helps a lot if you read about science extensively. You will need a frame of reference, but don't get too comfortable with it, because it will be snatched away from you.

John Gribbin follows "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat" with a book that is even more important. While he points out that no one will ever really understand quantum phisics, I must say that this book at least gives you an understandable look at it.

It's hard to overstate the value of "Schrodinger's Kittens" but if you've read "Cat" then you must read this. If you haven't, well then, go read "Cat," and then get this book.

Gribbin makes quantum physics as clear as it can be made to those who don't know all the math. He makes you wish you did, but you don't really need it. But he also adds an excitement that I never believed possible in a book on physics, or on a topic of this type, including my own.

You won't really understand quantum physics after reading this book (because it's beyond human understanding) but you will surely appreciate it more than you do now. That's as good as can be said about any book in this subject.

I wish I could do as well in my books. Thanks, John.