Where Does The Weirdness Go?: Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, But Not As Strange As You Think [Hardcover]

David Lindley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0465067859 | ISBN-13: 978-0465067855 | Publication Date: April 16, 1996 | Edition: First Printing

Few revolutions in science have been more far-reaching—but less understood—than the quantum revolution in physics. Everyday experience cannot prepare us for the sub-atomic world, where quantum effects become all-important. Here, particles can look like waves, and vice versa; electrons seem to lose their identity and instead take on a shifting, unpredictable appearance that depends on how they are being observed; and a single photon may sometimes behave as if it could be in two places at once. In the world of quantum mechanics, uncertainty and ambiguity become not just unavoidable, but essential ingredients of science—a development so disturbing that to Einstein ”it was as if God were playing dice with the universe.” And there is no one better able to explain the quantum revolution as it approaches the century mark than David Lindley. He brings the quantum revolution full circle, showing how the familiar and trustworthy reality of the world around us is actually a consequence of the ineffable uncertainty of the subatomic quantum world—the world we can’t see.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Few revolutions in science have been as far-reaching and as little-understood as the quantum revolution in physics. Everyday experience cannot prepare us for the strangeness of the subatomic world, where particles can look like waves, electrons lose their identity, and photons appear to be in two places at once. The author of The End of Physics explains how physicists are finally discovering an answer to the question of how a Newtonian world can arise from quantum foundations.

From the Publisher

At last--a short, intelligent, and fun guide to quantum physics that fully explains the strange and seemingly spooky effects that manifest themselves at the subatomic level.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; First Printing edition (April 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465067859
• ISBN-13: 978-0465067855
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,678,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for layman, redundant writing, November 17, 2002

By 

J. McCranie (Brunswick, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Where Does The Weirdness Go?: Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, But Not As Strange As You Think (Paperback)

This is a good discussion of quantum mechanics (particularly the Copenhagen interpretation) for the layman. Many books have been written that try to make QM more mysterious than it really is. This one strikes the right balance. My only complaints are that (1) the author often repeats himself, (2) his writing style uses a lot of redundancy, and (3) he keeps saying the same thing over and over.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Copenhagen interpretation explained to the non-scientist, February 3, 2004

By 

Michael B. Brand (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Where Does The Weirdness Go?: Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, But Not As Strange As You Think (Paperback)

The point of this book is to convince the reader of the validity of what it known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Bohm's hidden-variable theory and Everett's multi-universe theory are briefly explained, then dismissed. The author concludes that "in quantum mechanics nature is, at the most fundamental level, genuinely unknowable, but despite that, the world at large, the world of which quantum mechanics is the foundation, can be known and understood." This is the author's interpretation of the Copenhagen interpretation.

The book is written in an entertaining and engaging style without any equations or graphs. The intended audience seems to be non-scientists who have some understanding of quantum mechanics (apparently gained from reading other works on QM aimed at non-scientists) and who are in need of a detailed and full explanation of the Copenhagen interpretation.

By the end of the book, I felt I fully understood the author's point, but I was not convinced that his interpretation is the only possibly valid interpretation. The author might be disappointed in this as he seemed very eager to convince the reader of his opinion. Although I am glad I have read the book because I did learn much, my complaint is that the author seemed to have an agenda and was not dispassionately explaining the current state of knowledge in the field.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Weirdness, May 9, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Where Does The Weirdness Go?: Why Quantum Mechanics Is Strange, But Not As Strange As You Think (Paperback)

I freely admit to being math impaired, so while this book may not meet the highest benchmark of the more initiated, I found it a delight to read. I felt the author explained the topic clearly for those of us who do not routinely subscribe to physics or math journals. For most of us, the sciences are rather arcane subjects approached with caution if not down right suspicion. That's really too bad, especially for scientists. They'd probably get more financial support from those of us who feel like outsiders if we better understood something of their fields. Certainly Feynman and Sagan were brilliant at putting this across in their time. If those who would pooh-pooh this or any other book like it would have the rest of us better educated in the topics dear to their heart, it might behove them to direct us to better ones.