Uncertainty: Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, and the Struggle for the Soul of Science

Stephen Hakwking's A Grand Design made me despise the Uncertainty Principle. David Lindley's Uncertainty made me despise those men who, throughout history, have despised the Uncertainty Principle. Such a drastic turnaround is no mean feat and likely is due to this book's, predominantly biographical, focus.

Physics history, but just a specific era therein. Not only Einstein, Heisenberg, and Bohr, but also Sommerfeld, Born, Schrödinger, Pauli, Dirac ... -- all the legendary figures of the formative years of quantum mechanics. More absorbing than I expected.

Covers the development of the ideas behind the Uncertainty Principle, including the introduction of randomness and spontaneity into quantum physics. The issues among Heisenberg, Bohr and Einstein are discussed in the context of their interests, personalities and lives.

There is also discussion of the confusion introduced by this development into philosophical thought and popular culture.

Only read half of this, tell you nothing about Uncertainty, it's just about some of the personalites involved. Avoid Lindley's books.

Werner Heisenberg’s “uncertainty principle” challenged centuries of scientific understanding, placed him in direct opposition to Albert Einstein, and put Niels Bohr in the middle of one of the most heated debates in scientific history. Heisenberg’s theorem stated that there were physical limits to what we could know about sub-atomic particles; this “uncertainty” would have shocking implications. In a riveting account, David Lindley captures this critical episode and explains one of the most important scientific discoveries in history, which has since transcended the boundaries of science and influenced everything from literary theory to television.

Only read half of this, tell you nothing about Uncertainty, it's just about some of the personalites involved. Avoid Lindley's books.

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