A great book exploring the latest thinking on the meaning of quantum mechanics, one of the the strangest and most rigorously tested theories in all of science. Philip Ball steps through some of the key concepts of quantum mechanics, such as superposition, entanglement and decoherence, explaining what the latest research has to say about them. He also reviews the main historical interpretations of quantum mechanics in the light of the latest research and shows their failings. He covers the Copenhagen interpretation put forward by Niels Bohr in the 1930's, and the many worlds view developed by Hugh Everett in the 1950's, amongst others.
Philip Ball also outlines recent developments that are taking the understanding of quantum mechanics in a different direction. In the course of this he dispels a number of myths about the theory, many of which we originated with founders of the theory in the 1930's and 1940's. For example, he explains how the uncertainty principle is not about the perturbation caused by measurement as Heisenberg originally popularised it.
I have always been fascinated by quantum mechanics, and particularly it's philosophical interpretation. This book has changed my view of how to understand the theory. A great read.
Philip Ball also outlines recent developments that are taking the understanding of quantum mechanics in a different direction. In the course of this he dispels a number of myths about the theory, many of which we originated with founders of the theory in the 1930's and 1940's. For example, he explains how the uncertainty principle is not about the perturbation caused by measurement as Heisenberg originally popularised it.
I have always been fascinated by quantum mechanics, and particularly it's philosophical interpretation. This book has changed my view of how to understand the theory. A great read.
An excellent book from Carlo Rovelli in which he explains how physicists understand time today. He starts with the everyday conception of time as "something that flows uniformly and equally throughout the universe", and shows how physics has revealed this to be "an approximation of a much more complex reality." He explains how relativity and quantum mechanics have shown time to be quite different when we look outside of the narrow confines of our everyday experience. The order of past, present and future is only partial and the speed at which time passes varies depending on speed and the presence of gravity. The fundamental equations of physics show no preferred direction for time, moving forwards and backwards in time are on an equal footing. He has quite an extensive discussion on how thermodynamics and entropy can give rise to the direction of time that we experience.
He starts with the theories that all physicists would agree on: general relativity and quantum mechanics, later in the book moving on his own interpretation of the implications of the work to combine these two theories, and in particular the program of loop quantum gravity that he is working on.
Rovelli has a great gift for providing clear explanations of complex theories and combining this with discussion of the philosophical implications. I couldn't put this book down, a delightful read.
He starts with the theories that all physicists would agree on: general relativity and quantum mechanics, later in the book moving on his own interpretation of the implications of the work to combine these two theories, and in particular the program of loop quantum gravity that he is working on.
Rovelli has a great gift for providing clear explanations of complex theories and combining this with discussion of the philosophical implications. I couldn't put this book down, a delightful read.