Taking the Quantum Leap: The New Physics for Nonscientists (Paperback)

~ Fred A. Wolf (Author) "Who has seen the wind?..." (more)
Key Phrases: quantum pond, paradoxical cube, pencil atoms, Albert Einstein, Principle of Complementarity, Big Qwiff (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book entertainingly traces the history of physics from the observations of the earlyGreeks through the discoveries of Galileo and Newton to the dazzling theories of such scientists as Planck, Einstein, Bohr, and Bohm. This humanized view of science opens up the mind-stretching visions of how quantum mechanics, God, human thought, and will are related, and provides profound implications for our understanding of the nature of reality and our relationship to the cosmos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Revised edition (January 25, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060963107
• ISBN-13: 978-0060963101
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #149,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Be or Not to Be..., May 6, 2000

By	Cynthia Sue Larson "www.realityshifters.com" (San Francisco bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is one of the best books for finding out about quantum physics and what impact it has on our lives, from the vantage point of the parallel universes (or many worlds model) perspective. Wolf's writing is humorous and descriptive, and the book is chock full of wonderful cartoons, photographs, charts, and quotations. Whether you've studied physics before or are a complete novice, you'll find lots of good information here! As active observers, we are responsible for selecting which of the infinite possible realities we will experience. As Wolf puts it, "To be or not to be is not the question; it is the answer".

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent intro to Quantum Physics, June 28, 2000

By A Customer

Excellent book on Quantum Physics, which is a complex field to understand, especially because of the mechanistic frame of reference we all exist in and are limited by. Entertaining and playful in the way ideas and concepts are presented. Excellent presentation of the history of ideas in Physics. I disagree with one of the previous reviewers, who rated the book low, based on his (her?) claim that Wolf simply uses the text as a means of propagating his own ideosyncratic personal ideas. I urge the reviewer to read other literature on Quantum Physics, and not to give up on trying to understand this complex field. It's not Wolf's descriptions that are fantastic, but the field of Quantum physics that we find hard to grasp, coming, as most of us do, from a rigidly narrow framework of perception of time and space, which we take for granted.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating, March 22, 2001

By	T. Parry "Stonewall63" (Mont Alto, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Taking the Quantum Leap" is an excellent introduction to the bizzare and amazing world of quantum physics. Wolfe takes the reader on a journey from the early Greeks to the modern day as man searched for the answers to the universe's riddles. He shows systematically how physicists first thought they had solved everything with Newtonian mechanics and were then thrown on their heads with the discovery of the quanta. Wolfe proceeds to describe how the science world struggled with these new ideas and attempted to bring meaning to a universe that had suddenly become unpredictable.

Wolfe's analysis delves into the inner workings of the human mind and shows how each of us affects the "reality" we experience. Suddenly the human mind becomes the shaper of the universe and each of us is "god". This is both reassuring and disturbing at once, but Wolfe guides the reader through it, showing that we and we alone control our destiny.

The book only gets four stars because at some points, Wolfe moves beyond the realm of science and introduces a strong religious trend into the story. While he weaves it in well, it still seems out of place, and would have been stronger had he not taken this route. However, the book is still very strong and informative. Definitely a good starting place for a novice of quantum theory.