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Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 231 ratings · 29 reviews

In this lively look at quantum science, a physicist takes you on an entertaining and enlightening journey through the basics of subatomic physics.

Along the way he examines the paradox of quantum mechanics—beautifully mathematical in theory but confoundingly unpredictable in the real world. Marvel at the Dual Slit experiment as a tiny atom passes through 2 separate openings...more

Paperback, 280 pages

Published September 1st 2004 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (first published 2003)

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Sep 27, 2012 John Jeffcoat iii rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Quantum Physics"... the term causes many people to either roll their eyes in an expression of pointlessness, or to just fall asleep for lack of seeing any applicable use, or to drift into apathy from an assumption that the subject is far beyond their ability to grasp. That is unfortunately because quantum physics is at its heart the study of the nature of reality, in a way that far transcends the esoteric realm of philosophy... but in a way that is not quite classic "science" either.
What I lov...more "Quantum Physics"... the term causes many people to either roll their eyes in an expression of pointlessness, or to just fall asleep for lack of seeing any applicable use, or to drift into apathy from an assumption that the subject is far beyond their ability to grasp. That is unfortunately because quantum physics is at its heart the study of the nature of reality, in a way that far transcends the esoteric realm of philosophy... but in a way that is not quite classic "science" either.
What I love in particular about this book, is its many color illustrations that help (at least slightly) to visualize what is being discussed. Much like the popular "For Dummies" series of books... but in a far more visually appealing way... this book seeks to show the non-scientist masses just how fascinating, weird, disturbing, and to use an overused business phrase "paradigm-shifting" the discoveries of quantum physics really are.
Your cell phone, your computer, and the GPS in your car... none of them would work at all without the principles of quantum physics. Quantum is a study of the unimaginable small. And when we look closely at such things... atoms and parts of atoms... we discover that the world around us may just be an illusion of sorts. Looking "too closely" at the fabric of matter exposes us to a world where effect can precede cause, information can travel faster-than-light, objects can absolutely be in in more than one place at the same time, and matter and energy blur into the same thing. Even more spooky and disturbing, we discover than when human beings look at an atom, the act of looking at it - being aware of its position or its velocity in our minds - actually changes its nature into being different than it was before we looked at it... because looking at it imparts an energy unto it.
Remember back in high school when they taught us that electrons go around the nucleus of an atom like the moon goes around the earth? Wrong. And they knew it was wrong when they taught us that, decades ago... it's just that you cannot explain to most high school teenagers what electrons REALLY do, so they dumb it down to an analogy of one object circling another. What's really happening within every atom in the universe? Those electrons don't orbit the nucleus... they occupy quantum areas of probability of location around the nucleus... "superpositions"... in more than one place at the same time. At least until we look at them using an electron microscope. Then, they suddenly "collapse" into being in one place, as if we caught them with their hands in the cookie jar.
The implications of this are shocking. Forget about such trivial mind games as "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there, does it make a sound?" The real question is "If nobody is in the forest... is the forest still there... or does the forest only collapse from a potential state into a real state upon someone being there to experience it?" To take this mind-twister out of the realm of science and drag it kicking and screaming into the realm of theology... "We don't leave lights on in rooms we are not using... so why do we assume that God wastes vast amounts of energy maintaining physical reality in areas where and when nobody is looking?"
Sure, it's easy to dismiss all this as "silly talk"... until you take a moment to actually LOOK at what quantum physic experiments have been proving beyond any doubt in recent decades. Then, it's not so easy to dismiss the facts.
If you've ever seen the movie, The Matrix... there is a scene where Morpheus asks Neo if he wants to take the red pill and be made aware of the true nature of reality... or if he wants to take the blue pill, and wake up in his bed at home, and continue in blissful ignorance. I encourage you to "take the red pill" and read this book.(less)

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Apr 17, 2010 Dennis Littrell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: physics

Al-Khalili, Jim. Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed (2003)
I'm still perplexed

I love quantum mechanics. I just don't understand it. It is to me like embracing yes and no at the same time, like believing and not believing in the same instant, like being and not being as one. Yes, Virginia there is something beyond our understanding. And the wonderful thing about the postmodern world is that we know for a certainty (in as much as we can be certain about anything) that we really don't understand thi...more Al-Khalili, Jim. Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed (2003)
I'm still perplexed

I love quantum mechanics. I just don't understand it. It is to me like embracing yes and no at the same time, like believing and not believing in the same instant, like being and not being as one. Yes, Virginia there is something beyond our understanding. And the wonderful thing about the postmodern world is that we know for a certainty (in as much as we can be certain about anything) that we really don't understand this world into which we have been thrown. QM proves it. As Al-Khalili points out again and again, even the top physicists turn away when certain questions are asked and let them pass because they have no answer.

But I don't think it really matters what we think. The plain truth of the matter is that from our perspective as macro-creatures in a macro-world, with macro-minds and macro-mind modules molded by the evolutionary mechanism for a macro-world, quantum physics just doesn't make sense--or I should say, it makes good sense if we ignore the fact that the sense it makes is totally different in some very fundamental ways from the world in which we live.

Einstein understandably abhorred the spooky action at a distance--the strange entanglement of particles which has no basis in our conception and no basis in any science prior to QM--and worse yet, no explanation. (We prove things we don't understand.) As Al-Khalili makes crystal clear no one knows how to account for the fact that no matter how far apart two entangled particles get, they seem to be in instantaneous "communication" with one another. Theoretically they could be on opposite sides of the universe. Well, the phrase "opposite sides of the universe" is meaningless, as is so much of our terminology when applied to the very, very large or the very, very small.

And "communication" is the wrong word since instant communication would in effect be information moving in excess of the speed of light, which is still impossible. (I wouldn't bet the ranch on it staying that way, however.) Yet, what other word is there? No one knows! Measure the spin of one entangled particle and you can bet that ranch that the other particle will have the predicted spin. Hocus-pocus, abracadabra--or something like that.

All of which tells me--all of what little I know about quantum mechanics--that the world is not as we think it is, and that down, down the dimensions to a very deep, deep "place," way, way tinier than we can imagine, way, way tinier than the Planck limit, there is--well, by definition, zero, but by imagination possibly a wondrous world so far beyond our ken that it might as well be magic. Indeed, it is surely beyond our notions of magic whatever, however, wherever, whenever it is.

Despite the wonderful color photos and drawings and fanciful artwork, and despite the detailed and even laborious explanations, I am afraid that Al-Khalili's book is not going to unperplex the perplexed. Frankly, QM cannot be understood; it can only be appreciated. And it can only be fully appreciated by those who understand the math. This book, in keeping with a long-standing book-biz tradition contains no math, or at least very little. Well, Schrodinger's equation appears on page 63, and is parsed, as it were, but not solved. It's really there more for decorative effect than anything else, as part of the artwork.

But quantum mechanics can be used. The amazing thing is that applications based on our understanding of it are used everyday all over the world in lasers, computers, CDs, DVDs, rockets to the moon, etc. In other words, it's the same old story. We know enough to employ the ideas for our benefit, but not enough to come to a full understanding or a final theory. My guess is we never will. Scientific knowledge expands like a widening circle in a pond of water as we know more and more about the very large and the very small and the very distant in time and space; but the pond is unimaginably large, large beyond the limits of our senses and our instruments, possibly infinitely large. And so the circle expands and expands but never reaches the shore, possibly because there is no shore.

Incidentally, of course neither the infinitely large nor the infinitely small are allowed in either cosmology or quantum mechanics. There is the Big Bang and no knowledge of what there was before the Big Bang, and of course there is nothing smaller than Planck and the "logic" of QM would allow.

Or is there?

The strength of this book is in the colorful and imaginative artwork and in the mini-essays from physicists such as Paul Davies, Chris Dewdney, Ron Johnson and others along with Al-Khalili's enthusiastic text. But if you think relativity was strange--well, comparing the strangeness of relativity to the strangeness of QM is like comparing the complexities of tick-tack-toe to those of three-dimensional chess.

By the way, Al-Khalili assures us on the copyright page (alluding of course to the "diabolical" Erwin Schrodinger) that "No cats were harmed in the making of this book."(less)

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Apr 10, 2011 Steve Malbasa rated it 4 of 5 stars

A challenging read, no two ways about it, that is a good thing. One thing that is very good, though, is that it is about an area of study -- quantum physics -- that, by name alone, scares the hell out of people. But if your are willing to do a few mental gymnastics, you realize that even though the people who study this and teach it for a living are undeniably very intelligent, they don't know a lot more than they do. A lot of QP is the study of probability and establishing what they don't know...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, favorites

I found this to be both more comprehensive and more accessible than any other book I've read on this subject. For the most part, it's neither inpenetrable nor dumbed down, but manages to strike just the right balance.

Written in an informal style yet with great attention to detail, author Al-Khalili guides us through everything from the very beginning, taking care to answer exactly the kinds of question a beginner to the subject would have. He makes use of appropriate analogies, and dispels seve...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Ben rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: physics

If Al-Khalili spent less time waxing about how strange and weird and strange quantum mechanics is, and more time explaining it in a clear manner, perhaps it would seem less strange. He jumps around to different topics, and his chapters are interspersed with essays by other physicists, none of whom agreed on what exactly had been covered so far. All of this makes for a difficult time understanding---though it is easy to read.

He does cover many interesting topics, including different interpretatio...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Douglas Koehne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

I'm not sure there is any easy way to learn about quantum physics, but Al-Khalili does his best to take some incredibly difficult ideas and present them to a reader in a way that can be understood. Understood - up to a point. Without a detailed knowledge of advanced (really advanced) mathematics or theoretical physics, some of this material is very difficult to grasp by even the most intelligent people.

But the effort to learn is well worth the time and concentration. Ordinary physics can be very...more I'm not sure there is any easy way to learn about quantum physics, but Al-Khalili does his best to take some incredibly difficult ideas and present them to a reader in a way that can be understood. Understood - up to a point. Without a detailed knowledge of advanced (really advanced) mathematics or theoretical physics, some of this material is very difficult to grasp by even the most intelligent people.

But the effort to learn is well worth the time and concentration. Ordinary physics can be very interesting and if a person digs into it enough can fill a person with awe. The universal forces of nature are incredibly enough - and that there are people who are creatively brilliant enough to search and discover and quantify these laws and forces is to me doubly amazing. Finding out there is an entirely different set of forces that make up the natural world, obeying a completely separate set of laws really pushes one to marvel at the simple complexity of how things work. Scientists and theorists who can tackle the uncertainty and craziness of how these quantum forces work to understand them and push for their applications in everyday use really have my admiration.

The book has three basic parts: describing what quantum mechanics is and discussing the main features that make this field of study so unique; exploring the atom in more detail and the subatomic structure of the atom beyond the basic proton, electron, neutron components; and discussing and giving examples of the actual use of quantum mechanics in today's society (computers, lasers, medical scanning, etc.) and how research in the near future could revolutionize and improve how we live. I can't say I understood everything about any of these three topics - at best I'd like to say I felt good about up to 75% of what was discussed. Decoherence of quantum structures, subatomic interactions and differences of Fermions (Quarks and Leptons - matter carrying particles that make up the atomic nucleus and electrons) and Bosons (force carrying particles like photons dealing more with energy), and the search for a unifying theory combining quantum mechanics with Newtonian's laws (the world we see and experience) and general relativity (cosmic level forces). These areas the concepts makes sense to a point, but the in-depth understanding just didn't come to me.

It is frustrating to me that what I learned in high school science in the 80's was mostly decades and in some cases a century old. It would be like US or World History classes not teaching anything past the 1920's. Why were we being taught the model of an atom that went out of accepted belief 75 years earlier? Sure, science is a difficult topic to teach, especially something like quantum mechanics that tries to fight against any intuitive reaction a person might have in trying to understand it. If current science isn't introduced to students, science that is changing the world as we know it with it's everyday applications, then it is easy to see why the US is slipping further and further behind in producing advanced professionals in science and mathematics compared to other countries across the world.

The book certainly wasn't an easy undertaking, but I'm glad I read my way through it to the end. There is a beauty and wonderment to all of this, much of which is set in place because it is all so mysterious. But it works and it affects everyone's lives on a daily basis. And it gives us even more information on how and why the universe is what it is and can potentially lead us to know more about how the universe was created and why we have consciousness (that is a pretty big span of possibilities!). Undertake reading this at your own risk - but you'll be glad you did.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Martin Moleski rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion-and-science

Very helpful introduction for the non-physicist. Lavish illustrations, which come at a cost of imposing an awkward form on the book and making it uncomfortably heavy. Good-humored. Not too many lapses into scientism or materialism. I should probably take a vow to re-read it every five years or so--and I should go work on my notes on the Standard Model while the distinction between fermions and bosons is still fresh.

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Aug 06, 2011 Neil Denham rated it 2 of 5 stars

I got about 3 or 4 chapters in and was still perplexed. I am afraid this went back to the library half finished. I certainly want to read another book on this topic (message me if you know a good one!) but sadly this one left me feeling BOTH patronised AND confused.

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Aug 28, 2012 Marisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have always been interest in Quantum Physics but could never seem to get my mind to wrap around some of the major theories of Quantum Mechanics. He does an incredible job of explaining that which is impossible to explain.

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Mar 20, 2012 Ahmad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Five stars.
If you don't know anything about quantum physics, this is the book for you.Jim has a good style, he does not leave any point not explained.
But still it is not enough to know everything about quantum.

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Oct 29, 2010 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely the best book on quantum mechanics I have ever read! (And I have read quite a few.) Funny and accessible, along with enlightening. I finished this and went out to find his other books. =)

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Oct 26, 2009 Evad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I don't know that this has made this 100% more clear, but it's been a good read and I think I have a better understanding of just how confused I should be...

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Sep 10, 2008 Marman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: physics, science

I have been fascinated by quantum mechanics ever since I wrote a term paper about LASER some 21 years ago. The biggest hurdle really is the level of math that you need to learn to fully appreciate the concept. I never had the discipline to upgrade my math skills so I took the convenient route of finding and reading science books that deal with the subject with less technical approach. I thought I got the whole concept peg, then came this book and it just cleared up so many things for me.
I think...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book greatly helped me explain some more advanced of the concepts in simple everyday terms. Great read.

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Dec 11, 2012 Jon Earnshaw rated it 5 of 5 stars

First book I read on QM - made me laugh out loud at the true nature of reality! Bonkers and brilliant!

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Jul 05, 2011 Em rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This book did a great job of explaining quantum theory. Al-Khalili can definitely write for the layman; however, there were a lot of short articles written by other physicists that were not quite as clearly written for the novice.

The illustrations in the book clearly delineated his explanations -- I think there was only one that I was scratching my head over. The first few chapters and the very last chapter were exceptionally good.

I look forward to reading Al-Khalili's other book, Black Holes, W...more

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Jan 11, 2009 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very readable for someone who does not read too much about physics

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Dec 02, 2009 Kelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: physics-favourites, non-fiction-gems

Comprehensive, intelligible and absolutely enjoyable. Excellent!

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Aug 09, 2009 Joe rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

Fun read, if you're into relativity, or quantum mechanics.

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Mar 31, 2013 Swardlaw rated it 4 of 5 stars

So far so good.

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Sep 13, 2010 BAKU rated it 3 of 5 stars

Contains a lot of information.

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Jan 01, 2013 Adam Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Best intro to quantum theory I've ever read, for anyone interested.

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Jun 22, 2010 Nicola Morrice rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

Great book!!!!

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May 07, 2008 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

For people who have a basic understanding of physics but still curious about the world we live in. i didn't finish it as most of the facts there were already known to me but I would recommend it nevertheless.

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Sep 03, 2008 Tori rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoy this book. I pick it up now and then but its easy to read. A good choice for all those who want to know more about the quantum world.

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Feb 25, 2010 Holly Lindquist rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

When I finished reading this I was still perplexed, but at least the journey was entertaining and informative.

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Oct 27, 2012 Sreedharnalam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good book..it gives a good introduction about the quantum physics.. recommended for beginners.

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Apr 19, 2009 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty simple introduction that doesn't push you to think one way or the other.

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Nov 05, 2012 P. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Informative and interesting.

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May 23, 2013 Saagar rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Jim Al-Khalili

Jim Al-Khalili(born Jameel Sadik Al-Khalili) is an Iraqi-born British theoretical physicist, author and science communicator. He is Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey. He has hosted several BBC productions about science and is a frequent commentator about science in other British media venues.

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More about Jim Al-Khalili...

Books by Jim Al-Khalili

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Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines

The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance

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Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines, Second Edition

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