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John C. Polkinghorne

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Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction First Edition

by John Polkinghorne (Author)

433

Part of: Very Short Introductions (287 books)

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Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed. This volume offers the reader access to one of the greatest discoveries in the history of physics and one of the outstanding intellectual achievements of the twentieth century.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

ISBN-10

0192802526
ISBN-13

978-0192802521
Edition

First Edition
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

July 15, 2002
Part of series

Very Short Introductions
Language

English
Dimensions

6.8 x 0.4 x 4.1 inches
Print length

128 pages
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very short introducations, introductions, comprehensive

very short introductions, VSI, key features, concise, exper authors, analysis, grow your knowledge

Editorial Reviews

Review

`John Polkinghorne has brought to life that most mysterious and perplexing of revolutions in understanding and has made its mysteries accessible.' Peter Atkins, University of Oxford

`John Polkinghorne has produced an excellent piece of work. ... Many authors of "popular" books on modern physics have the regrettable habit of mixing science fact with science fiction. Polkinghorne never does that: he always allows the truth to stand by itself and show its own fascination. ... I think that this is an excellent contribution to the literature on quantum theory for a general audience.' Chris Isham, Imperial College, London

`This splendid book explains both the triumph and the mystery that is quantum theory. It is a triumph because of its towering mathematical structure, and amazing empirical accuracy. It is a mystery because of the conundrums about how to interpret it. John Polkinghorne, himself a distinguished quantum physicist, is a sure guide to all of this: he celebrates the successes of the theory, and shows unfailingly good judgement about the conundrums.' Jeremy Butterfield, University of Oxford

Book Description

A fascinating and accessible guide to the many wonders of the sub-atomic world

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (July 15, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0192802526
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192802521
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1360L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.8 x 0.4 x 4.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #282,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #70 in Nuclear Physics (Books)
- #254 in Quantum Theory (Books)
- #991 in Core

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Veritas

Excellent book in excellent condition

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024

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This small book is one of the best books for understanding quantum physics. It is highly recommended.

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Randolph Eck

A Short Introduction into a Complex Subject

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2014

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I love these "Short Introduction" books. They give you a brief overview of various interesting subjects. I would have to say that this is one of the more difficult ones to understand. John Polkinghorne is a very astute writer, and he does a brilliant job of summarizing this inextricably complex subject. I'll let him describe the intended reader. "Although the full articulation of the theory requires the use of its natural language, mathematics, many of its basic concepts can be made accessible to the general reader who is prepared to take a little trouble in following through a tale of remarkable discovery." Yes, I think most "general readers" will have a "little trouble" following the material. That said, what does he cover?

He starts by covering some basic concepts such as the particle nature of light, spectra, and the nature of the atom. Chapter 2 is quite difficult to follow. You will be introduced to matrix, wave, and quantum mechanics; there is also information on the double slit experiment and superposition. But the section on probabilities, observables, Hilbert space, vectors, eigenvectors, and eigenvalues is a little deep. He continues to discuss the uncertainty principle, complementarity, and decoherence. When talking about decoherence, Polkinghorne elaborates on something called the "measurement problem," which has to do with the collapse of the wave function where "the superposition principle holds together alternative, and eventually mutually exclusive, possibilities right until the last moment, when suddenly one of them alone surfaces as the realized actuality." There are a number of theories about what exactly happens here and he devotes a few paragraphs to each. In the end, he notes that we still really do not understand what is going on.

By chapter four, he is covering tunneling and statistics (as it relates to bosons and fermions). I found the coverage of the "delayed choice experiments," the "sums over histories," and further information on decoherence intriguing. It is here that we see some strange stuff going on in the quantum world.

He sums up by concluding that "Quantum theory is certainly strange and surprising, but it is not so odd that according to it `anything goes.'" In this book we have a brief summary of quantum theory; just don't expect it to be a breeze to read unless you have background in the field.

4 people found this helpful

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invisible

I wanted to hate this book, but ended up enjoying it.

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2018

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This book, actually more of a long pamphlet, reads surprisingly well. In my case I started with the mathematical appendix, since I can't really understand anything in physics without attaching it to at least a sprinkling of math. Once I could see how his terms were relative to the simplified version of the math he presented in the appendix everything kind of fell into place. There is just the slightest homeopathic amount of math to make the reader feel virtuous, but not enough to intoxicate them.

Kudos to Polkinghorne for his brief introductory history at the beginning of the book. This paragraph is a tangent based on my reading of that section. Which has nothing to do with quantum theory except that you have to some understanding of classical mechanics and optics to understand where quantum mechanics starts. I'd developed a general interest in this subject after studying the theories behind the patterns I'd seen in a single half slit device, the Foucalt tester, used during the polishing of a telescope mirror. So if could compare the level of this book with books on that subject, the level is 'junior hobbyist level', not what you'd see in a college course but not junior high level either. (Junior high level is really hard to determine since I figured my first mirror in the eighth grade.) I'd suppose an equivalent level book on the subject of mirror testing would be David Habour's introduction "Understanding Foucalt".

The reader interested in really looking at the subject should instead look at the Quantum Mechanics course offerings from the online MITOpenCourseWare site. Or they can buy this book when their family member asks for a brief explanation of what they learn in those courses.

8 people found this helpful

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WMOSKOWI

Highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023

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Book was in better condition than as described.

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Sisyphus48

lack clarity and meat

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2011

Verified Purchase

Let me preface this with the fact that I am neither a physicist or a mathematician. I did have to take countless hours of statistics in my many years of college but that was no help in understanding this book.I really purchased this book as I understood it to be written for the layman to give him an overall understanding of what Quantum Mechantics is about, what makes it special, and what it has accomplished.
Alas, after reading the book the above three questions are still unanswered. I may read it again as it is a tiny book but it is not the most enjoyable book to read (unlike Hawkins "A Brief History of Time" which was a great read). The author's explanations seem very unclear and he never quite gets to the point! In the preface to his book the author makes two very bold statements that in effect says that Quantum theory is the greatest intellectual achievement of the 20th century and that Quantum Theory has been "fantastically fruitful" during it's 75 years of "exploitation". Oh, really, would you care to elaborate on that please? This sets the tone for the whole book. He makes a vague statement about this accomplishment or that accomplishment throughout the book then just drops it without ever giving you a concise, clear cut example. I felt like someone at a cake bake whom is repeatedly told how great everything tastes but is never allowed to taste it himself
The author quotes a statement of Richard Feynman (a famous Quantum mechanics physicist) in which Richard says "I think I can safely say no one understands quantum mechanics." Well I think he must be right because I believe that if the author truly understood quantum mechanics he could certainly convey it's essence more clearly.

P.S. If you feel compelled to buy this book do yourself a favor and read through the Glossary two or three times before you read the book.

2 people found this helpful

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