The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen

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The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 632 ratings · 94 reviews

In The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw approach the world of quantum mechanics in the same way they did in Why Does E=mc2? and make fundamental scientific principles accessibleand fascinatingto everyone.

The subatomic realm has a reputation for weirdness, spawning any number of profound misunderstandings, journeys into Eastern mysticism, and woolly pronouncem...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published 2011 by Allen Lane

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Sep 16, 2012 Tim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Probably the most annoying thing about this book is that it claims you don't need the maths to understand it, then proceeds to fill every page with maths. After one long equation filled section it rubs your face in it by saying, basically, that you needn't have bothered.

With quantum physics relying so much on maths to be explained, it seems rather glib to claim you don't need to understand it, but then again how could they have sold this as a pop-science book if you needed a degree in maths to r...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Matthew Tree rated it 3 of 5 stars

Having a vague idea that there is some connection between aspects of quantum mechanics and fiction, I got hold of this book which makes a serious attempt to really explain quantum physics to people (like myself) who are mathematicaly illiterate. I found I could follow it without really understanding it, which seems, from what the authors say, to be the standard reaction of many qualified physicists. The final chapter, however, which requires a more than basic knowledge of maths, left me feeling...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fantastic introduction using Feynman's path integral approach modeling phase changes with the rate of change of little clocks. They build from this heisenberg uncertainty relations, explain the Pauli exclusion principle, delve into talking about the structure of the atom, condensed matter physics and how transistors work and wrap up with a general discussion of other standard model particles and the Higgs with spontaneous symmetry breaking in the early universe. They wrap the entire th...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Janett Wawrzyniak rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of the many interacting components explained, the following links progress. Albert Einsteins quantum mechanics photo electric effect was explained. Photo electric effects are the heart of the quantum foundation theory. As energy of the photon depends on color, not light brightness when projected in a stream of particles. Feynman and contemporaries went further with QED Quantum Electro Dynamics. This is where light behaves like particles. It explains outside the nucleus and excepting gravity. Thi...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

The LHC announcement a few days ago convinced me to start my project of reading physics history with quantum mechanics and work backwards. I figured at least I could I wade in at the shallow end with some pop sci. This book is perfect for that purpose. Actually, if I had watched Brian Cox's TV show, which I just caught on Youtube (fun, but thin), I might have assumed it would be far more mickey mouse. This book is like a concise Feynman refresher, fun to read, clear and well written. With the ad...more The LHC announcement a few days ago convinced me to start my project of reading physics history with quantum mechanics and work backwards. I figured at least I could I wade in at the shallow end with some pop sci. This book is perfect for that purpose. Actually, if I had watched Brian Cox's TV show, which I just caught on Youtube (fun, but thin), I might have assumed it would be far more mickey mouse. This book is like a concise Feynman refresher, fun to read, clear and well written. With the advantage of being brought up to the eve of Higgs (published in late 2011), it is not entirely dissimilar to classic Isaac Asimov science writing. Rather than eliminating ALL equations - which, let's face it, was the core problem with Hawking's Brief History of Time - Cox and Jeff Foreshaw instead pare them back to a reasonable minimum, walking through mathematical expression of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle before offering a quick Fourier for Dummies, and describing the Pauli Exclusion Principle with an overview of spin that didn't leave me feeling hopelessly lost (and is quickly brought down to earth with a pleasant little chapter on why a transistor works). Following each equation, the terms are considered in plain English.

The final chapters are a breezy Cliff Notes of the standard model, leptons to top quarks, which is especially useful if you are like me and have not read this stuff in years. Rounding the book off with astronomical meditations ("The Death of Stars") is a nice touch. On the other hand, the authors seem overly concerned with proving to the reader that the standard model is true, because, as they say many times, the math works. It would have been more interesting, toward the end, to give more space to things the standard model doesn't predict (which have been rather piling up of late) and what unanswered questions the (soon-to-be) confirmed Higgs boson is going to leave us with. No doubt the Asimovian practice of checking out all the great college textbooks and then boiling them down for a smart reader doesn't work for current controversies, presumably because the math is too hard. Which is just plain depressing, because I can't imagine I'm ever going to understand that math.

As a bonus, their afterword points you to Abraham Pais' Inward Bound: Of Matter and Forces in the Physical World (OUP, 1986), an astoundingly well written history of a century of physics from X-rays to Z-bosons.
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May 12, 2013 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

I now know a small amount more about particle physics than I did before, to be sure, and enjoyed the authors' enthusiasm for their subject and the narrative history behind some of these discoveries. I also liked them taking the reader up to the limits of current understanding and sniffing the air beyond. But as others have said, you simply need a better grounding in maths and physics than I possess to really get much of what's going on in this book, especially the second half (except the bit on...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four stars for Cox and Forshaw's interesting little primer on quantum mechanics. Although this book had an effect on me similar to Feynman's (could follow the first half pretty well and felt lost by the end), it was a much more modern take on the subject. Cox uses good analogies to help the mathematically challenged, and I feel like I finally have a sense of what particle/wave duality actually looks like and can begin to grasp its weighty implications for science in general. Written with a very...more Four stars for Cox and Forshaw's interesting little primer on quantum mechanics. Although this book had an effect on me similar to Feynman's (could follow the first half pretty well and felt lost by the end), it was a much more modern take on the subject. Cox uses good analogies to help the mathematically challenged, and I feel like I finally have a sense of what particle/wave duality actually looks like and can begin to grasp its weighty implications for science in general. Written with a very clear voice, occasional and welcome injections of Brit whit, and awe for the natural world. As a matter of style, I loved how the authors capitalized the word Nature as a substitute for God. Would love to see more of that in science writing as well as in fiction.

Takeaway lessons:
1. Particles arrive at destinations in packets (points) of energy, but travel in waves where they occupy every position in the wave simultaneously.
2. Every particle in the universe is "aware" of the energy of every other particle, therefore no two particles can occupy the same energy level (or the same physical space) at one time (Pauli Exclusion Principle, I think).
3. Though it is theoretically true that electrons can jump from one place to any other place in the universe instantly, the probability of this occurring is extraordinarily low, which is why we can measure things and the universe retains its essential order. But we have to treat things that appear "certain" or "fixed" to us as probabilities in order to do the math.
4. There is no such thing as empty space, which accounts for why things have mass. Best theory is that "empty" space is really flooded with Higgs boson particles that constantly run into other particles, creating mass and accounting for why particles do not travel in straight lines. These particles make up the "condensation" left over from the cooling off of the universe after the Big Bang.
5. All of the above may be totally wrong as I have no way to verify that I have interpreted the main points of this book correctly. (less)

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Feb 04, 2012 Jorge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

The Quantum Universe by Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw

“The Quantum Universe" is the interesting book about the subatomic realm. Well known physicist and science celebrity Brian Cox along with fellow physicist Jeff Forshaw take us into the intimidating world of quantum mechanics. Using the latest in scientific understanding and creative analogies these scientists make complex topics accessible to the masses. This 272-page book is composed of the following eleven chapters: 1. Something Strange Is Af...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Brian Clegg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Brian Cox has picked up a lot of fans (and a few parodies) for his light and fluffy 'here's me standing on top of a mountain looking at the stars' TV science shows - no doubt a fair number of them will rush out and buy his latest collaboration with Jeff Forshaw. They will be disappointed. So, I suspect, will a number of My Little Pony fans, as with its rainbow cover and glittery lettering it only needs a pink pony tail bookmark to complete the look.

The reason The Quantum Universe will disappoint...more Brian Cox has picked up a lot of fans (and a few parodies) for his light and fluffy 'here's me standing on top of a mountain looking at the stars' TV science shows - no doubt a fair number of them will rush out and buy his latest collaboration with Jeff Forshaw. They will be disappointed. So, I suspect, will a number of My Little Pony fans, as with its rainbow cover and glittery lettering it only needs a pink pony tail bookmark to complete the look.

The reason The Quantum Universe will disappoint is not because it is a bad book. It's brilliant. But it is to Cox's TV show what the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is to Toy Story. It's a different beast altogether.

As they did with their E=mc2 book, but even more so here, Cox and Forshaw take no prisoners and are prepared to delve deep into really hard-to-grasp aspects of quantum physics. This is the kind of gritty popular science writing that makes A Brief History of Time look like easy-peasy bedtime reading - so it really isn't going to be for everyone, but for those who can keep going through a lot of hard mental work the rewards are great too.

More than anything, I wish this book had been available when I started my undergraduate course in physics. It would have been a superb primer to get the mind into the right way of thinking to deal with quantum physics. Using Feynman's least action/sum over paths with 'clocks' representing phase, the authors take us into the basics of quantum physics, effectively deriving Heisenberg's uncertainty principle from basic logic - wonderful.

They go on to describe electron orbitals, the mechanics of electronic devices, quantum electrodynamics, virtual particles in a vacuum and more with the same mix of heavy technical arguments, a little maths (though nowhere near as much as a physics textbook) and a lot of Feynman-style diagrams and logic.

The reason I think I would have benefited so much is that this book explains much more than an (certainly my) undergraduate course does. Not explaining why quantum physics does what it does - no one can do that. But explaining the powerful logic behind the science, laying the groundwork for the undergraduate to then be able to do the fancy maths and fling Hamiltonians around and such. It is very powerful in this respect and I would urge anyone about to start a physics degree (or in the early stages of one) to read it. I would also recommend it for someone who is just really interested in physics and is prepared to put a lot of work into reading it, probably revisiting some pages several times to get what Cox and Forshaw have in mind - because they don't ease up very often.

What I can't do, though, is recommend this as general popular science. It isn't the kind of excellent introduction that gives you an understanding of what's going on in quantum theory, a view of the mysteries and a broad understanding of what the topic is about. This book is just too hard core. I'd suggest that 90% plus of popular science readers shouldn't touch it with the proverbial barge pole. If that sounds condescending, it isn't meant to be. Good popular science can and does have a lot more content and thought provoking meat than a typical Brian Cox TV show - but this book goes so much further still than that, inevitably limiting its audience.

Review first published on www.popularscience.co.uk - reproduced with permission(less)

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Jun 01, 2012 Jedidiah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, science

I wasn't too impressed with this. I feel like the authors pandered too much to their intended target audience, who I'm not sure actually exists. Are there really people who are terrible at math and don't know anything about science that would be interested in reading a couple hundred pages about quantum theory? I doubt it. I would guess most people who read this are like me: know a little about it, would like to know more, and don't like being talked down to. So on that level, this book is annoy...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Kam-Yung Soh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, reference, physics

An impressive book that goes further than other general science books on quantum theory by actually showing how quantum effects arise in the real world from first principles.

The book uses the premise that in the quantum world, 'anything that can happen will happen' and uses the idea of turning clocks (as used by Richard Feynman in his book on QED [quantum electro-dynamics]) to indicate the probability of quantum events over time. From this, the book goes on to show how the Heisenberg Uncertainty...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Jakub Swiatczak added it

Simply put, I cannot really comment on this book. I didn't get most of it, but I couldn't tell you if this was more my problem, or the book's problem. Historically, I have been terrible with math. This book has just enough of it to leave me feeling lost more than 50% of the time. Even when I thought I understood something, that understanding was extremely tentative.

I have this sneaking suspicion that in trying to make a quantum physics book that is accessible to a layperson, while still includi...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Arvind Balasundaram rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Simply brilliant. Only Brian Cox can take complex ideas like fermions and bosons, the Pauli Exclusion principle, the Higgs mechanism, and the Chandrashekhar limit, and explain it without the math and extra-dimensionality that have long been held as requirements for a basic understanding of particle physics. Using the framework of transposing clocks, the authors take the reader on a wild adventure and introduce the structure of the Standard Model and QED. If you ever wanted to tell a strange quar...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Koen Crolla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I appreciate that the authors don't shy away from mathematics, but the way they're explained I can't imagine that most of the book is anything but confusing to a genuine layperson. The effective target audience, then, seems to be people who were Physics undergrads in a previous life and who have no real cause to use their knowledge in their current one; they can engage in intellectual masturbation by following along and realising they actually already understand what's being talked about. That's...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Gerald rated it 1 of 5 stars

Okay... well first off I should declare that I have a degree in Quantum Physics. And that I was bought this book as a present.

Its clearly trying to explain Quantum Theory for 'the layperson' - those that aren't scientists or mathematicians. That's a problem, because Quantum Theory is really rather complicated. In order to try and explain how wave addition works, the authors come up with what they obviously believe is a very straightforward mechanism to do with clocks. Only it takes them so long...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Thomas Acland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-s, 21st-century, non-fiction, science

I am afraid that I have had to give this book a poor rating based on the amount of the book that I failed to understand. I would like to think that with a first class mathematics degree and a general interest in science I had a fairly good grounding to start this book with. However the book simply did not explain the key ideas in a way that was conducive to being easily understood, many of the pieces of mathematics that I would have understood had they been written mathematically I failed to und...more

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May 16, 2013 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

I did physics at university, though it was a while ago. Whilst I could no longer cope with the maths behind quantum theory there is little of that here, and the ideas (aparent paradoxes and confusing conclusions) are very well presented. I enjoyed it, even though there were a few too many parts, by necessity, that seemed to be "let's assume xyz... and then the answer pops out".

A great introduction to the history, the themes, the bizarre interpretations and also an intro to semiconductors, which...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Ben Shepherd rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: popular-science

I don't think this book knew quite what it wanted to be. Is it an introduction to quantum mechanics for the layman? No - it's got too much maths in it. Is it a lecture course? No - it's not quite technical enough. But it certainly feels like a lecture course; I found it very heavy going, and I am a physicist. I found the explanations of the basics of quantum theory repetitive and baffling. It was very dry - not nearly enough history of science - and this is a field awash with some 'Big Character...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Anthony rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: popular-science, physics, quantum-mechanics

First, a disclaimer. I have a degree in Physics so have studied Quantum Mechanics (QM) at degree level. Therefore I didn't read this as a lay person (it's intended target audience), so YMMV.

I was hoping that if anyone could make QM accessible to the layman it would be Prof. Brain Cox. Sadly, in my opinion, this isn't the case.

The book starts with a brief history of the beginning of the subject (which I found interesting), but when the author starts to describe the actual theory things start to u...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Kyle Wright rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: the scientifically and mathematically inclined

Having read many of Stephen Hawkings' and Brian Greene's books, I had fairly high expectations going into this. I'm fairly scientifically inclined and enjoy learning more about the universe we live in. The problem with this book is that it tries to be two things at once: an accessible introduction to quantum physics for the layperson, and a slightly more advanced perspective for the mathematically inclined. Unfortunately, by trying to reach both audiences I feel that the authors have failed to c...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Jim Whitefield rated it 3 of 5 stars

I gave this an average rating; not because the book itself was average; for those who can understand quantum physics, I am sure it is amazing. Unfortunately, I never could understand algebra and this is no average book explaining why things happen at all. Unlike other work of his I have read, which is written for the lay person, you need a degree in quantum mechanics to even begin to understand this one. I really tried but have to confess I didn't understand a word of it, despite Cox's best effo...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was my first foray into physics since GCSE, and has definitely sparked my interest in the subject.

The authors' enthusiasm for their field really shines through. Their language and thought process is approachable and engaging, even for someone with no real background in physics.

I do however feel that a solid mathematical grounding is important to appreciate this book in full, and there were a few instances where the authors leapt from one conclusion to the next without explaining the st...more

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May 15, 2012 James Hawes rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was kind of hoping this would be an easy to understand guide to quantum mechanics, but having had some lectures on the stuff at uni, should probably have known better. The authors have a good go at explaining things and I feel I do understand QM better now, but ultimately they are trying to explain something that is very complicated. So if you are a physics student, great, if not you'll need to put in some time to get the most out of the subject, not just this book.

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Sep 01, 2012 Joel Simon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, science

The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. But it was ver difficult to follow once you get past the first half of the book. It is described as an accessible and relatively easy to understand book on a very difficult topic, but I felt that it was still too difficult for even the above average reader. I guess it is impossible to understand quantum physics without an intense math background. And although I was very good in mat...more

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May 24, 2012 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

The review by Brian Clegg says it all - I bought this book having been captivated by Cox's TV shows, but even with a (dimmly remembered) 'A' level in physics, it was too much for me. Nevertheless I skimmed through to the end, enjoying the narrative and skipping most of the algebra. It is reassuring that there are people who do understand these things, and I am amazed how mathematics can be used to show the maximum mass of a collapsing star.

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Jan 27, 2013 Patrick Carroll rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a none maths/physics person (life sciences) this book did bog me down around the clock concept and then what was to me "difficult" maths and algebra but I did feel i came away with some concept of quantum even if it was "Wow, way more complicated than I realised, no wonder so many people are studying it". I felt I could grasp some of the LHC news stories and why finding the Higgs-Boson was important.

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Aug 02, 2012 Fiona Robson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thouroughly enjoyed this book, although I can't pretend that I understood it ALL. It took me ages to read, because I kept on having to go back to read equations and explanations several times. I especially loved the way the authors took the mick out of hippies who erroneously used Quantum Theory to explain paranormal/spiritual experiences! A very good read, and entertaining, too.

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Feb 05, 2013 Peter Fortune rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

The Quantum Universe--Brian Cox

Bian Coxe is among the few scientists who can write for the layman. This is an excellent survey of quantum physics and cosmology. I've learned much more on the topics since I read this, and I appreciate his expository abilities more than ever. The only problem is, once you read this you'll want to fill in the blanks (or you'll be asleep).

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Nov 14, 2012 Paul Banham rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book about the complex weird widdly bits of life at the very edge of human understanding. Fantastic subject but approach after a little groundwork not before. There are snippets of laymans rhetoric and typical Cox hyperbole but mostly it just baffles because the scientists themselves are still baffled by it, which is another big attraction. The maths is insane. I still enjoyed the book, because of it's cover possibly, i understood that.

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Apr 26, 2013 Rosemarie Short rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I ploughed through, struggling valiantly, with a books which was written for someone several IQ points and a mathematics A Level above me. I would recommend this book for anything who has those things (the former not hard, the latter absolutely essential to follow this particular read). It was a sacrifice made for a project I'm currently working on. Whilst I can't say I'm phenomenally wiser for battling through I can say that I can see merit and worth here and don't regret reading it. Just don't...more

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About Brian Cox

Brian Edward Cox, OBE (born 3 March 1968) is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow, PPARC Advanced Fellow and Professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. He is working on the R&D...more

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