The Quantum Universe: Everything that Can Happen Does Happen
Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw
The Quantum Universe: Everything that Can Happen Does Happen
Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw believe everyone — yes, even you — can understand the deepest questions of science. But just what is quantum physics? How does it help us understand the world? Where does it leave Newton and Einstein? And why, above all, can we be sure that the theory is good? The bizarre behaviour of the atoms and energy that make up the universe has led to some very woolly pronouncements on the nature of all interconnectedness. Here, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw give us the real science, and reveal the profound theories that allow for concrete, yet astonishing, predictions about the world.
3.2 out of 5 based on 6 reviews
|
Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Science & Nature |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
272 |
| RRP |
£20.00 |
| Date of Publication |
October 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-1846144325 |
| Publisher |
Allen Lane |
| |
Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw believe everyone — yes, even you — can understand the deepest questions of science. But just what is quantum physics? How does it help us understand the world? Where does it leave Newton and Einstein? And why, above all, can we be sure that the theory is good? The bizarre behaviour of the atoms and energy that make up the universe has led to some very woolly pronouncements on the nature of all interconnectedness. Here, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw give us the real science, and reveal the profound theories that allow for concrete, yet astonishing, predictions about the world.
Reviews
The Guardian
David Kaiser
"This is not just "tell", but "show" too. With clear prose and helpful diagrams, they march the reader along a series of arguments so that nonspecialists can get a sense of where the core concepts come from … [An] engaging, ambitious and creative tour of our quantum universe."
19/11/2011
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The Sunday Telegraph
Manjit Kumar
"Peppered with diagrams and equations, The Quantum Universe is not an easy read. We encounter Planck’s constant (nature’s own axe for chopping up energy and much else besides); the principle of least action; the wave function; the uncertainty principle; electron standing waves; the exclusion principle; semiconductors; Feynman diagrams; quantum electrodynamics; the Higgs boson and the standard model of particle physics. The reader is made to work along the way and for those prepared to do so there is much to learn."
24/10/2011
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The Economist
The Economist
"The Quantum Universe is not a dry undergraduate text book, but nor is it a particularly easy read … Whether or not readers will follow all the maths, the authors’ love for their subject shines through the book."
05/11/2011
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The Financial Times
Clive Cookson
"Even people with physics PhDs may struggle to make sense of The Quantum Universe. This reviewer, with a mere chemistry degree, was often lost for pages on end … In the end, I gained enough additional understanding of quantum theory to feel that the book was worth reading. But no one should buy The Quantum Universe just because they love Cox’s television programmes. This is far, far harder work."
11/11/2011
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The Independent on Sunday
Doug Johnstone
"It has to be said that most non-scientists coming to this book on the back of those television shows are probably in for a nasty shock … This reviewer has a first in physics and a PhD in experimental nuclear physics and, while I managed to follow it all, there were times when it felt as if I was wading through a thought-swamp ... Enthusiasm and passion for your subject matter is great, but sometimes it can only take you so far."
23/10/2011
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The Sunday Times
Christopher Potter
"… a generally rather dry read. Profuse apologies for sections that come with the whiff of “tweed and chalk dust” aren’t quite enough to expel either ... The Quantum Universe would make a great textbook. But as entertainment, it’s hard going."
30/10/2011
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