Introducing Quantum Theory

by J.P. McEvoy, Oscar Zárate

Explains all of chemistry & most of physics but upsets common sense, & reconfigures classical physics.

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction, Comics, Philosophy, History, Quantum Mechanics

175 pages, Paperback

Published July 23, 1996

Reviews

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful. But despite being a member of the "Introducing..." series, this book does tend to assume that you understand certain science/physics concepts that you might have forgotten since your last class on the subject. My other complaint is that sometimes the drawings seem to just be inserted in order to have drawings. Some concepts that would be easier to understand with drawings, however, are lacking. Overall though, if you're looking for a readable introduction to Quantum Theory, I don't know of a better one.

[Mohammad Pharhangian · Rating 5 out of 5]

یکی از بهترین و عامه پسند ترین کتاب هایی که در مورد کوانتوم خوندم، در واقع یک کتاب کمیک بود،اقای مجتبی سلطانی ترجمه کردن و در نشر ،نشر و پژوهش شیرازه چاپ شده. من بەش پنج ستارە دادم(این مدیر گود ریز انگار اجدادش هتل دار بودن)باید ستاره داد:))))

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly different than I thought. Tries to follow the history of quantum physics and doesn't shy away from math. I actually learned some new aspects I was unaware of before. Does need some solid understanding of physics though, not for beginners.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

To quote the one man to truly defy the laws of physics: "whoa."

I chose this book because of the word "introducing" in the title, and while accurate it would have been better to learn more about classical physics before diving in.

Even with the graphic-novel style I was still lost. It's impossible to determine whether this is the fault of the author (yes, some of the time) or the ignorance of the reader (yes, most of the time) but overall it's a worthwhile read if you know nothing about the subject. I suspect folks well versed in Quantum Theory would be bored, but while many of the specifics were over my head the summations and philosophical implications were not.

The fact that as of the year 2000, one hundred years after Quantum Theory was first devised, we were still arguing about whether it proved faster-than-light travel or not ... that's just staggering. If not locality is ever proven (I'm assuming it still hasn't been disproved, though 12 years have passed since this book was published) it will basically open a while new world of scientific discovery. Fascinating stuff.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to pat myself on the back TWICE for plowing through this warp-speed tour of Quantum Theory. Thanks to the power of bedrock-simple baby prose and frequent though often extraneous or even distracting illustrations, I think I might actually have a grasp on what it might be and what its principal ideas entail. I will admit that I became extremely bored discussing the dry as dust theorems, but they all methodically built up step by step to produce the finished product. And I'm also encouraged by the fact that many people SAY they understand relativity and quantum mechanics, but really have no idea what they're talking about. The dusty bones of these withered old white dudes really laid the backbone for this paradoxical but nonetheless practical idea. Non-local reality is real. The quantum world undergirds everything, even if we wish it weren't so.

[Sally Sugarman · Rating 4 out of 5]

These guides are useful as the illustrations and diagrams help with the concepts as do the conversations between the characters. I particularly liked that between Einstein and his wife. I don’t necessarily think that I understand quantum theory completely. This is after all only an introduction, However, I do have a strong sense of the scientific method with one scientist building on the work of another, finding different angles to explore. It is building on the work of others or learning from the mistakes. As the scientists interact, they gain insight. This books gives the reader an appreciation of process.

[Viktoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch bietet einen guten Überblick über die komplette Entwicklung der Quantentheorie. Die Illustrationen des Comics sind gut. Obwohl der Sachcomic eine Einführung ins Thema sein will, setzt er relativ viel Wissen voraus bzw. dass der Leser sehr schnell, sehr viel nachvollziehen kann.
Keine einfache Einführung, aber dennoch gut.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and interesting, the history of physics since 1800 through drawings and explanations seem almost understandable, almost.

Chiaro ed interessante, la storia della fisica dal 1800 ad oggi attraverso disegni e spiegazioni sembra quasi comprensibile, quasi.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND ICON BOOKS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Marcelle Chamberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is truly an enjoyable and understandable introduction to Quantum Theory.

As someone who is not 'gifted' in the sciences but takes big interest in them, this book was a great way to learn more about a subject that is quite dense.

It's a book I'll definitely re-read and can't recommend enough for those looking to start understanding the incredibly crazy world of physics.

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if you can really "review" this book. You either like the subject or not but I will say it has a graphic novel feel to it which I found made it enjoyable to read

[Shaho · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب با ارزشیه، نویسندش واقعا موضوع رو لمس کرده و با زمان قابل فهمی بیانش کرده، تصاویر کتاب هم جذابه

[transuser · Rating 3 out of 5]

حتی برای کسی که با نظریه کوانتوم به صورت عمومی و تخصصی آشنایی داشته باشد توضیحات این کتاب پختگی کامل را ندارند و درک خوبی از مسئله به خواننده نمی‌دهد.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book that aims to clearly describe the questions and studies leading to quantum theory. Every page has a graphic, usually one that shows two scientists explaining the results of an experiment. Math concepts are central to understanding the explanations, but the math is general and not in depth. I am interested in physics but barely passed my only college physics course, so I am no expert. Here is what I learned from reading this book:

The story begins with the observation that when an object is heated, it emits radiation of electromagnetic radiation (light). As the oven an oven gets very hot, the light wave frequency reaches the visible range and the oven glows. Early potters learned to determine the temperature of their kilns by the color of this light. Yet, this observation presented a problem. Wouldn’t continually raising the temperature of an object cause it to emit life-threatening radiation? It should, according to this model, but it doesn’t – and only Max Planck could understand why.

Planck found a formula that accurately predicted the actual relationship between heating an object and the radiation it produces, but that formula required the radiation energy to exist in packets, which he called “energy quanta.” A few years later, Einstein would explain an observation known as the photoelectric effect by showing that the light radiation is actually a collection of particles (photons).

A third key observation from experiments in this time (early 1900’s) was that the spectrum of light from a hot gas when passed through a prism consisted of a pattern with distinct bright lines. Different gases gave different patterns. Ernest Rutherford and his assistant, Hans Geiger, used this phenomenon experimentally to derive a theory of an atom with a nucleus. But it took Neils Bohr to calculate a formula that accurately predicted the bright line spectra for different gases, which led to his explanation that radiation (electrons) travel in orbits around the nucleus. All of the spectral lines could be predicted on the basis of 3 quantum numbers – n (the size of the orbit), k (the shape of the orbit), and m (the direction in which the orbit is pointing). This amazing research led to a thorough understanding of the table of elements, which had been known since the 1890’s.

But a key problem remained – how could light be a wave (radiation) and a particle (photon)? From 1925 to 1926 three developments in quantum theory opened doors to answering this question. First, Werner Heisenberg and Max Born showed that the light frequencies could be represented by infinite matrices, a mathematical formula that became the basis for quantum mechanics. Meanwhile, Erwin Schrodinger was discovering how light frequencies could be described as the sum of an infinite series of the wave functions. In other words, if a matrix formula explains the effects of light, then light must be a particle. But, if a wave function also explains the effects of light, light must be a wave. Therefore, there must be an equivalence in quantum mechanics and quantum wave equations.

The best explanation might be that radiation acts as a probability wave until someone observes it, then the probability wave collapses into something that can be observed as a particle. Add to the explanation the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and Neil Bohr’s concept of complementarity and you have the Copenhagen Interpretation – a view of how radiation can be a wave and a particle.

[Tesa Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, the title is misleading. It's not an "Introduction" of Quantum Theory, it supposed to be a "Brief" explanation of it.

I am a graduate student in the study of light (photonics), now is home for holiday and saw this book sat on my Dad's shelf. So I picked up this book to see how this one could relate to beginners. Well, I must say, you need a little basic knowledge in physics to understand the theory explained here, also to grasp the significance of this study disciple.

For those who study basic physics and quite familiar with theory of wave and quantum, you will surely find this book helpful. The description is brief, enough to supply you with necessary information you need to know. The plot is easy and it brings the characters alive. The historical background captured the personallities of the scientists behind the theory. You'll be attached not only to the theory explained, but also the scientists behind it.

Not recommend to those who knows nothing about physics, I suggest you to find a popular science article about QP instead of this book. For me personally, it refreshed me to QP and even open up new understanding of some significance of the findings.

Overall, I think this is a great effort to explain the complicated QP theory into a story that relatable for beginners (who has basic physics knowledge already). Very well written, full of illustration and good summary for physics beginners.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this one. Hell, it's got pictures! Why is quantum physics so important? Well, at the dawn of the 20th century and the death of classic physics, we moved into a new age. And this new age brought about great discoveries and inventions. Did you know that quantum physics was responsible for computers? That microprocessors began with sub atomic theory? That the guys at the early Solvay Conferences in Brussels were an odd group? That many asked the question, why did so many like minded men of science, live in the same area at the same time? Kind of like why did best friends, and two of the most influential founding fathers, Adams and Jefferson both die on the same day? July 4th! Makes you go hmmmmmmmmmm. Delve into the science of it all. Learn, wonder, be facinated and grow in your depth and breath of understanding. Live that fuller and greater life now. Why wait until death for all that mystery to unfold then?

[Pvw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of those comic book versions that try to explain difficult scientific theories. I approached it with a certain amount of suspicion, holding in mind Richard Feynman's oneliner: "One who states that he clearly understands what quantum mechanics is about, obviously has not understood it."

The book was agreeable, though it didn't bring any new insights. The problem with these well-meant attempts at smplification is the same that you have with the (horribly bad) "For Dummies" series. In that last one, the authors try so hard to dumb things down that it actually becomes incomprehensible.

"Introducing Quantum Theory" at least did an adequate job of introducing some of the key scientists in the development of the theory. I picked it up second hand in Glasgow but it seemed rather improbable that I would ever read it again, so when finished I donated it to a charity shop in Oban.

[LilacF · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mir war langweilig und da sah ich diesen Comic in der Buchhandlung.

"Perfekt", dachte ich mir, "das Buch ist dünn, es hat eine Katze auf dem Cover und ich muss dieses Semester eh über Quantum Computing lesen - vielleicht hilft es mir ja ein klitzekleines Bisschen!"

Als ich dann schließlich abends kurz vor dem Einschlafen ein wenig reinlesen wollte, wurde mir binnen Sekunden klar, dass das keine Bettlektüre ist.
Es wird mit physikalischen Formeln und Theorien um sich geworfen; die Zeichnungen sind einfach nur Bilder von Physikern mit komplizierten Sprechblasen oder komplexe physikalische Sachverhalte.

Zweifelsohne interessant und inspirierend, jedoch schwerer verständlich als erwartet. Ob ich nun mehr von Quantentheorie verstehe? Nein. Ob mein physikalisches Grundwissen ein wenig aufpoliert wurde? Ja.
Ich bin nun auf jeden Fall hoch motiviert, mich weiter mit der Quantentheorie zu befassen!

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

More often than not, non-fiction graphic novels don't lend themselves to explaining complex ideas and concepts. This is the case of Introducing Quantum Theory. While it offers a solid historical background, the illustrations do little to illuminate the ideas and the depth lost to the comic form means the explanations are sub-par as well. Many of the statements seem so generic and boiled down, it's easy to take them to distant conclusions that doesn't exist (yet).

In some ways, this could be fun to play with, as the facts don't seem to limit the possibilities, but really it just weakens the value of the information and defeats the educational elements of the book. If you're looking for a historical survey, this book may do, but don't take the title at face value.

[Johannes Duckeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know whether to give this book four or five stars. It definitely left me stumped on more than a few occasions, but most likely that’s a flaw with me, not the book. It is really well written and illustrated (which surprised me, since the illustrator is the one from the Freud book which I heavily disliked). And it does especially well in raising and explaining the paradoxes in Quantum Theory. A very thorough understanding of black body radiation and the photoelectric effect would make reading this book much easier. And I need to brush up on my physical formulas, as well as the meaning of the various letters and symbols.

All in all, this book broadened my horizon and made me eager to learn more, which is the best you can say about one of these Introducing books!

[Brian Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book in order to learn Quantum Theory for a Discovery classroom series I was writing. While it's a lot heavier on the math, science and history of the theory than the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know", it does do a fair job of making the heavy concepts palatable via humor, analogies and comic-booky illustrations. By the end (and after several necessary re-reads) I actually felt like I had a good handle on just how Quantum Theory works, the mysteries it invokes and the reason it is such a cool branch of science. If you're interested in this type of stuff it's a good comprehensive intro to the subject.

[Taro Yamashita · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly accessible summary of the history of physics. Written as a graphic novel, this emphasizes the history and very broad concepts of physics from classical mechanics to quantum theory. It's a painless and interesting way to get a very high level basic introduction to the major players and major concepts.

I lent this to a highly motivated 9th grade student of mine (when I was teaching science), and he understood it well enough to discuss it with me, and was interested enough in it to have read it in three days. (Mostly, he read during class because he was so far ahead on the class material.)

[Pam Stebbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.P.McEvoy introduces the reader to the scientists and ideas that developed into the field of quantum physics. It's graphic novel format drew me in despite my lack of high school physics. The author makes a valiant effort to give complicated information in a concise and clear manner by using charts, equations, silly drawings, and humor. There's a lot in this small book, and you won't understand quantum physics when you're done, but you will have an appeciation for how quantum physics came to be and bonus-- you'll understand more of the jokes on "The Big Bang Theory."

[Eduardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ideia de utilizar o formato de história em quadrinho é sensacional, mas, o livro não é lá bem para público iniciante introdutório uma vez que diversos termos são utilizados sem, serem explicados (como seria de se esperar).

Levando em conta ainda que o livro é fino, eu tive a sensação de ter muito desenho para pouca explicação didática para valer.

Um outro ponto que notei foram alguns gráficos sem legendas ou explicação que é inaceitável para a proposta no meu ver.

Parei antes do meio e, quem sabe eu volto a ler um dia.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Dad has a shirt that says, "What part of Quantum Theory don't you understand?" If the person who claims to understand quantum theory reaaly doesn't, then I'm good to go. Because I don't think I understand it. Still, apart from all the confusing equations and derivations that fill the pages, this book takes a helpful look at the broader ideas behind classical and quantum physics (plus their implications in terms of our worldview). And the drawings are fun!

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative, but not really for the layman. I liked the pictures. :)

I think the focus could have actually been on the more interesting implications of Quantum physics and their implications for modern society. I have read Gregg Braden's "Divine Matrix", Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics", and other similar works, but this was really more of a history lesson combined with a survey of the mathematics behind the different developments in quantum theory.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the history of post-classical atomic physics. This book focuses on the physicist themselves, as well as their theories and gets into the equations. The math can be difficult to grasp, and while the illustrations are helpful in breaking up the narrative, the cut-and-paste photocopied look to this book falls weirdly between DIY and slick making it more functional then aesthetically pleasing. Less tedious than a textbook, this is indeed an okay introduction to quantum theory.

[Abhishek Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book take you on a ride in the past on how the science and the world we know today had been shaped by the some tribe members of our own species. The agreements, disagreements a d the criticism they used as a tool to build the house as we live in today. While on the journey, it opens up so many doors of curious questions for you that you end up being troubled imagining and even extending the derivatives from the experiments and the theories. That's what a good book does to you!

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

In cartoon style, this little book races through the history of which scientists discovered what in the field of quantum theory. One disappointment is that the book never mentions string theory (I was hoping for a pseudo-intuitive explanation.) Clearly some physics background is required to even begin to understand the topic(s).

[Matias Cimmino · Rating 3 out of 5]

No podria haber pedido una mejor introduccion a la teoria cuantica que este libro. Me resulto muy ilustrativo e interesante pero hay muchas partes que requieren un nivel de entendimiento mayor al que se puede esperar de una persona que no posee conocimientos previos. De cualquier manera tengo que admitir que hubo partes que necesite volver a leer porque no me quedaron claras.

[Greg Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is and an excellent read for those interested in quantum mechanics. This book describes quantum theory in the most readable and understandable format I have found, as a person who is not even close to being a proper physicist and/or mathematician. The book clearly describes the history and concepts of many great minds on the topic. The contributions of DeBroglie were very profound.