I read a lot of these popular science books and usually learn something from them. This was no exception. The big takeaway from this book is that at the scale where quantum mechanics applies, the universe is really weird. It doesn't correspond in any meaningful way with our experience or our intuition. It's all well and good to say that elementary particles act like particles and also act like waves, but the way in which they do so just isn't really something you can wrap your mind around. This More...

This book is supposed to be quantum physics for those not mathematically inclined. However, I didn't think it was very easy to understand. Maybe because it seemed like a lot of backstory that didn't really go anywhere. There was a lot about the history of physics, but I just couldn't grasp it or how it really connected all together. The "poet" angle didn't really work either, because they would just randomly slip in a poem here or there with no explanation for why they put that particular poem a More...

Over the last few years my non fiction reading has veered more and more to science books for the general reader. I recently discovered I had a big hole in my general science knowledge in the understanding of quantum physics. I spent a few months looking for the best introductory text on the subject and was frustrated for various reasons. When Leon Lederman (with Christopher Hill) released his intro text "Quantum Physics for Poets" I decided why not. Aside from a few quotes the "Poets" aspect is More...

After reading this intriguing book, my feeling of security with my place in this world has definitely wavered! This is an awesome book for someone interested in a thorough look at how quantum physics evolved from "classical" Newtonian physics that we all are probably a little more familiar with. The book also brushes over introductory quantum physics and tries to relay the confounding concepts in a more palatable manner for non-geniuses, hence the "for poets" in the title (there is no meaningful More...

3 1/2 stars. The first half of the book was excellent, but then it started getting so intense that it went beyond the normal comprehension of the intended audience. It is a fine art to be able to popularize science in the vein of Carl Sagan, and Lederman did a good job of it at the start. Perhaps the subject is just to out of the realm of the average reader. I'm still hoping to find that one book on quantum mechanics that can explain in PLAIN English the insanity of the micro-world. Quantum Phys More...

There really is no reasonable universe in which quantum physics and mechanics is simple, even for poets. Of course, it could be argued that I'm not a poet, so this was the wrong book for me.

Joking aside, this is a very reasonable, nearly completely non-mathematical introduction to quantum physics and quantum mechanics. it is well presented and I learned quite a bit. The history and interpretation of the double-slit experiments are what fascinated me the most.

"A single electron seems to know of t More...

Science has always fascinated me. I've particularly been intrigued with groundbreaking concepts that required totally new paradigms which gave birth to entirely new branches of science and mathematics. This does a good job explaining the genesis of thought and experimentation that gave birth to much of our modern technology.

The first half of the book is very readable. The shear weight of logic begins to belabor the second half, but it is still worth the read for serious weekend science enthusias More...

I actually have read this twice and will probably read it again. Quantum physics is something I know relatively well for a layperson. So this wasn't too demanding of a read for me. I enjoyed this book because it is, for someone who has some familiarity with physics, an effortless read on a topic that i really enjoy. It was a bit like attending a seminar that's open to the public, just longer and a bit more in detail on the topic.

Not exactly an introduction, the book does assume you have some ba More...

I have a hobby of attempting to understand the basic concepts of physics, and so I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Most explanations are easy to understand, though a few paragraphs may need to be pondered and reread before they are truly understood (but isn't this the nature of all books?).
I give the book four stars because the title was slightly misleading. Nothing in this book, other than the phenomena, were poetic. Descriptions were fairly technical.

In trying to describe quantum mechanics in non-mathematical terms, the authors end up presenting material that is far too complex for poets and far too simplistic for mathematicians, and thus end up falling short in both regards. To paraphrase T.E. Lawrence, when running back and forth between two windows to see different views of a beautiful garden, one ends up spending most of his time behind a brick wall.

One can tell that the author loves his subject, and wants to share with others. A complex and mysterious subject, but presented such that a novice can understand it. Although, I would have enjoyed more detail on the Standard Model, quarks, and string theory.

By reading the comments here I get the feeling that poets are really on the other side of the spectrum from physicists... It's awkward... I might write a poem about it... ;)

There's nothing wrong with this introduction to quantum physics, but it really doesn't work as a book for arts students as the title and introduction suggests. It is too bogged down in jargon and scientific mindset. Would work best as an introduction to quantum physics for someone about to go and study it at university.

Not quite as dumbed down as I needed, but at least some of the terms I've heard -- like string theory -- were defined. And I liked the poetry they threw in at the end of each chapter.

Makes a wild curveball assertion that gravity it caused by potential energy of atoms in chapter six. ( And had a wonderful mixed metaphor in chapter two ' ... driving a silver stake through ... ' Silver stake being a combination of ' silver bullet + wooden stake ' ) The chapter about chemistry and Pauli is worth reading twice

Poetic.

It sounds off the wall, but quantum physics does make sense when reading this book. And I kind of love the fact that it's totally based on probability. So much for an exact science!

Really good at taking complex concepts and explaining them for people without a lot of scientific training, but still not a light read. I feel much better-informed as to the history and reality of quantum physics than before I read this book. Do recommend.

This was a very enjoyable glance at the remarkably complicated world of quantum physics. Many of the ideas that were discussed in this book were simply too lofty for me to understand, but I thoroughly enjoyed all that I was able to comprehend. Even the things that I was barely able to comprehend.

Currently reading. So far I like it.