Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsHow to Teach Your Dog Physics is an Excellent Read!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 13, 2010
"he called it spukhafte Fernwirkung
"Spooky action at a distance?" she translates
"Since when do you know German?"
"Dude, look at me" she turns sideways for a second, showing off her black and tan coloring and pointed nose. "German shepherd, remember?"
So goes the banter between a dog and his owner as they discuss the strange world of quantum physics. This highly readable book will take you into the realms of quantum tunneling, Schrodinger's Wave equations, the quantum zeno effect and other topics of this strange world of the very small.
Chad Orzel writes a very clear, readable book using his dog Emmy to explain the physics of quantum mechanics. The style which he uses his conversations with his dog to set up the explanations is an ingenious method and for those who are not familiar with the subject provides a short glossary; for those who want to read more suggested readings are also given.
What I liked about this book is how Mr. Orzel takes on the tasks of dispelling certain myths about quantum physics in a very nonthreatening manner. Usually it is his dog who has the incorrect interpretation of the concept and upon examples and strong analogies, the concept is explained and by the end of the chapter Emmy understands.
For example, Emmy begins chapter 2 with a lost bone and failure to understand Chad's joke about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. After Emmy finds her bone (under the TV) Chad begins to explain the principle and at the end of the chapter Emmy comes back to help us summarize what we learned.
The use of Emmy is a clever way to introduce the "What does that mean?" into a book that could be a dry and dusty tome about a subject that many would probably never read about. The use of Emmy is not over done nor is it condescending towards the reader. You are taken along with Emmy into Orzel's explanations with no abrupt jumps in transition.
Overall the book is a joy to read, but unfortunately there are parts where you may have to just back up and read again. Quantum physics is a hard topic to explain to those who are not familiar with the topic and while Orzel does a very good job at explanations, sometimes the reader will have to re-read a passage to grasp what he is saying. This is not the fault of the author, it is the fault of the subject. The world of these tiny objects is quite beyond what we can perceive so we have to be very imaginative to explore this world. Because of this, written explanations can get wordy or burdensome trying to illustrate these difficult concepts. Orzel does a good job of clearing the air and helping the reader understand.
As a teacher of high school physics, I have read many books on quantum physics and this one, I must say, tops the list in readability, interest and clarity. I even would venture to use it as a text in a high school class to introduce the topic of quantum physics.
While it helps to have a background knowledge of physics when reading this book, any one can learn from this book and enjoy it. As the college syllabus reads "Prerequisites-none".
