Download or read book The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics written by Daniel F. Styer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-02-24 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an exceptionally accessible, accurate, and non-technical introduction to quantum mechanics. After briefly summarizing the differences between classical and quantum behaviour, this engaging account considers the Stern-Gerlach experiment and its implications, treats the concepts of probability, and then discusses the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and Bell's theorem. Quantal interference and the concept of amplitudes are introduced and the link revealed between probabilities and the interference of amplitudes. Quantal amplitude is employed to describe interference effects. Final chapters explore exciting new developments in quantum computation and cryptography, discover the unexpected behaviour of a quantal bouncing-ball, and tackle the challenge of describing a particle with no position. Thought-provoking problems and suggestions for further reading are included. Suitable for use as a course text, The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics enables students to develop a genuine understanding of the domain of the very small. It will also appeal to general readers seeking intellectual adventure.
Download or read book The History of Quantum Theory written by Friedrich Hund and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Quantum Theory Origins and Ideas written by Carl S. Helrich and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-08-02 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a fresh perspective on some of the central experimental and theoretical works that laid the foundations for today's quantum mechanics: It traces the theoretical and mathematical development of the hypotheses that put forward to explain puzzling experimental results; it also examines their interconnections and how they together evolved into modern quantum theory. Particular attention is paid to J.J. Thomson's atomic modeling and experiments at the Cavendish Laboratory, Max Planck's struggle to explain the experimental results of Heinrich Rubens and Ferdinand Kurlbaum, as well as the path leading from Louis de Broglie’s ideas to the wave theory of Erwin Schrödinger. Combining his experience in teaching quantum mechanics with his interest in the historical roots of the subject, the author has created a valuable resource for understanding quantum physics through its history, and a book that is appreciated both by working physicists and historians.
Download or read book The Historical Development of Quantum Theory written by Jagdish Mehra and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2000-12-28 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantum Theory, together with the principles of special and general relativity, constitute a scientific revolution that has profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is a definitive historical study of that scientific work and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning. Drawing upon such materials as the resources of the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics, the Niels Bohr Archives, and the archives and scientific correspondence of the principal quantum physicists, as well as Jagdish Mehra's personal discussions over many years with most of the architects of quantum theory, the authors have written a rigorous scientific history of quantum theory in a deeply human context. This multivolume work presents a rich account of an intellectual triumph: a unique analysis of the creative scientific process. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is science, history, and biography, all wrapped in the story of a great human enterprise. Its lessons will be an aid to those working in the sciences and humanities alike.
Download or read book The Historical Development of Quantum Theory written by Jagdish Mehra and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The History of Quantum Physics written by Melih M. Gordesli and published by . This book was released on 2017-02-09 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Still today, it is hard for most of us to comprehend the paradoxical character of quantum theory. Its complex nature can nevertheless be broken down into the most important aspects and explained in an intelligible way. This book offers an easily understandable overview of its development and fundamental features and illustrates the origins of quantum theory as we know it today through the contributions of distinguished physicists and scientists over several centuries.
Download or read book The Old Quantum Theory written by D. Ter Haar and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2016-07-07 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Old Quantum Theory explains how the classical laws were modified by Planck, Einstein, Rutherford, Bohr, and other contributors to account for atomic phenomena, comprising the development of quantum theory from its start at the very end of the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century. This book begins by discussing Planck's discovery of his radiation law, followed by Einstein's introduction to quanta. Next is a description of the Rutherford model of the atom and Bohr's postulates, which are confirmed by the Franck-Hertz experiment. This selection concludes with a description of how Bohr's theory could explain the main features of the atomic spectra. A brief summary of other important developments in the period are also elaborated. This publication is beneficial to students and researchers conducting work on the history of quantum mechanics from the 1900s to the development of wave mechanics.
Download or read book The Quantum Story written by Jim Baggott and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2011-02-24 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The twentieth century was defined by physics. From the minds of the world's leading physicists there flowed a river of ideas that would transport mankind to the pinnacle of wonderment and to the very depths of human despair. This was a century that began with the certainties of absolute knowledge and ended with the knowledge of absolute uncertainty. It was a century in which physicists developed weapons with the capacity to destroy our reality, whilst at the same time denying us the possibility that we can ever properly comprehend it. Almost everything we think we know about the nature of our world comes from one theory of physics. This theory was discovered and refined in the first thirty years of the twentieth century and went on to become quite simply the most successful theory of physics ever devised. Its concepts underpin much of the twenty-first century technology that we have learned to take for granted. But its success has come at a price, for it has at the same time completely undermined our ability to make sense of the world at the level of its most fundamental constituents. Rejecting the fundamental elements of uncertainty and chance implied by quantum theory, Albert Einstein once famously declared that 'God does not play dice'. Niels Bohr claimed that anybody who is not shocked by the theory has not understood it. The charismatic American physicist Richard Feynman went further: he claimed that nobody understands it. This is quantum theory, and this book tells its story. Jim Baggott presents a celebration of this wonderful yet wholly disconcerting theory, with a history told in forty episodes — significant moments of truth or turning points in the theory's development. From its birth in the porcelain furnaces used to study black body radiation in 1900, to the promise of stimulating new quantum phenomena to be revealed by CERN's Large Hadron Collider over a hundred years later, this is the extraordinary story of the quantum world. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.
Download or read book What Is Real written by Adam Becker and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2018-03-20 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A thorough, illuminating exploration of the most consequential controversy raging in modern science." --New York Times Book Review An Editor's Choice, New York Times Book Review Longlisted for PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Longlisted for Goodreads Choice Award Every physicist agrees quantum mechanics is among humanity's finest scientific achievements. But ask what it means, and the result will be a brawl. For a century, most physicists have followed Niels Bohr's solipsistic and poorly reasoned Copenhagen interpretation. Indeed, questioning it has long meant professional ruin, yet some daring physicists, such as John Bell, David Bohm, and Hugh Everett, persisted in seeking the true meaning of quantum mechanics. What Is Real? is the gripping story of this battle of ideas and the courageous scientists who dared to stand up for truth. "An excellent, accessible account." --Wall Street Journal "Splendid. . . . Deeply detailed research, accompanied by charming anecdotes about the scientists." --Washington Post
Download or read book The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory written by Max Planck and published by . This book was released on 1922 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Helgoland written by Carlo Rovelli and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named a Best Book of 2021 by the Financial Times and a Best Science Book of 2021 by The Guardian “Rovelli is a genius and an amazing communicator… This is the place where science comes to life.” ―Neil Gaiman “One of the warmest, most elegant and most lucid interpreters to the laity of the dazzling enigmas of his discipline...[a] momentous book” ―John Banville, The Wall Street Journal A startling new look at quantum theory, from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time, and Anaximander. One of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists, Carlo Rovelli has entranced millions of readers with his singular perspective on the cosmos. In Helgoland, he examines the enduring enigma of quantum theory. The quantum world Rovelli describes is as beautiful as it is unnerving. Helgoland is a treeless island in the North Sea where the twenty-three-year-old Werner Heisenberg made the crucial breakthrough for the creation of quantum mechanics, setting off a century of scientific revolution. Full of alarming ideas (ghost waves, distant objects that seem to be magically connected, cats that appear both dead and alive), quantum physics has led to countless discoveries and technological advancements. Today our understanding of the world is based on this theory, yet it is still profoundly mysterious. As scientists and philosophers continue to fiercely debate the meaning of the theory, Rovelli argues that its most unsettling contradictions can be explained by seeing the world as fundamentally made of relationships rather than substances. We and everything around us exist only in our interactions with one another. This bold idea suggests new directions for thinking about the structure of reality and even the nature of consciousness. Rovelli makes learning about quantum mechanics an almost psychedelic experience. Shifting our perspective once again, he takes us on a riveting journey through the universe so we can better comprehend our place in it.
Download or read book The Principles of Quantum Theory From Planck s Quanta to the Higgs Boson written by Arkady Plotnitsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-26 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book considers foundational thinking in quantum theory, focusing on the role the fundamental principles and principle thinking there, including thinking that leads to the invention of new principles, which is, the book contends, one of the ultimate achievements of theoretical thinking in physics and beyond. The focus on principles, prominent during the rise and in the immediate aftermath of quantum theory, has been uncommon in more recent discussions and debates concerning it. The book argues, however, that exploring the fundamental principles and principle thinking is exceptionally helpful in addressing the key issues at stake in quantum foundations and the seemingly interminable debates concerning them. Principle thinking led to major breakthroughs throughout the history of quantum theory, beginning with the old quantum theory and quantum mechanics, the first definitive quantum theory, which it remains within its proper (nonrelativistic) scope. It has, the book also argues, been equally important in quantum field theory, which has been the frontier of quantum theory for quite a while now, and more recently, in quantum information theory, where principle thinking was given new prominence. The approach allows the book to develop a new understanding of both the history and philosophy of quantum theory, from Planck’s quantum to the Higgs boson, and beyond, and of the thinking the key founding figures, such as Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Dirac, as well as some among more recent theorists. The book also extensively considers the nature of quantum probability, and contains a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, “the statistical Copenhagen interpretation.” Overall, the book’s argument is guided by what Heisenberg called “the spirit of Copenhagen,” which is defined by three great divorces from the preceding foundational thinking in physics—reality from realism, probability from causality, and locality from relativity—and defined the fundamental principles of quantum theory accordingly.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the History of Quantum Interpretations written by Olival Freire Jr and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-03-07 with total page 1311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy. This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity. This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing.
Download or read book The Heroic Age written by Robert D. Purrington and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a detailed look at the period between 1925 and leading up to WWII, in which quantum theory was created and then quickly applied to nuclear, atomic, molecular, and solid state physics. The book includes a heavy emphasis on the scientific literature rather than a breezy overview of this period focusing on personalities or personal stories of the scientists involved.
Download or read book Compendium of Quantum Physics written by Daniel Greenberger and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-07-25 with total page 901 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With contributions by leading quantum physicists, philosophers and historians, this comprehensive A-to-Z of quantum physics provides a lucid understanding of key concepts of quantum theory and experiment. It covers technical and interpretational aspects alike, and includes both traditional and new concepts, making it an indispensable resource for concise, up-to-date information about the many facets of quantum physics.
Download or read book Quantum Theory A Very Short Introduction written by John Polkinghorne and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2002-05-30 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book Quantum written by Manjit Kumar and published by Icon Books Ltd. This book was released on 2008-10-02 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This is about gob-smacking science at the far end of reason ... Take it nice and easy and savour the experience of your mind being blown without recourse to hallucinogens' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian For most people, quantum theory is a byword for mysterious, impenetrable science. And yet for many years it was equally baffling for scientists themselves. In this magisterial book, Manjit Kumar gives a dramatic and superbly-written history of this fundamental scientific revolution, and the divisive debate at its core. Quantum theory looks at the very building blocks of our world, the particles and processes without which it could not exist. Yet for 60 years most physicists believed that quantum theory denied the very existence of reality itself. In this tour de force of science history, Manjit Kumar shows how the golden age of physics ignited the greatest intellectual debate of the twentieth century. Quantum theory is weird. In 1905, Albert Einstein suggested that light was a particle, not a wave, defying a century of experiments. Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Erwin Schrodinger's famous dead-and-alive cat are similarly strange. As Niels Bohr said, if you weren't shocked by quantum theory, you didn't really understand it. While "Quantum" sets the science in the context of the great upheavals of the modern age, Kumar's centrepiece is the conflict between Einstein and Bohr over the nature of reality and the soul of science. 'Bohr brainwashed a whole generation of physicists into believing that the problem had been solved', lamented the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann. But in "Quantum", Kumar brings Einstein back to the centre of the quantum debate. "Quantum" is the essential read for anyone fascinated by this complex and thrilling story and by the band of brilliant men at its heart.
