Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of Everyday Objects

by Chad Orzel

Just beneath the surface of our ordinary lives, strange phenomena lurk. Exciting physics doesn’t only show up in the Big Bang, or a black hole, or in the guts of giant particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider – it’s all around us.

Beginning at sunrise, Chad Orzel embarks upon a fascinating tour of the exotic science that underlies each moment of our every day. Did you know your alarm clock held secrets about quantum mechanics? And that the GPS on your phone has a built-in correction for the effects of relativity? In Breakfast with Einstein, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, everything is possible and the day’s end will find us dazzled.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Physics, Audiobook, History, Popular Science, Unfinished

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2018

About the author

Chad Orzel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in Schenectady, NY.

He studied at University of Maryland, College Park, MD: PhD in Chemical Physics, 1999 and Williams College, Williamstown, MA: BA in Physics, 1993.

From 1999-2001, Chad was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Physics Department at Yale University, studying Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in the group of Mark Kasevich.

Chad has published in Science Magazine, Physics World and his PhD thesis research was carried out in the Laser Cooling Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book aims to explain quantum physics by tying its bizarrely exotic features to common everyday events. The hope of this approach is to convey to the reader the fact that quantum physics is part of everyday life, not some obscure theory separated from reality.

Indeed the book explains that the quantum revolution began in 1900 with Max Planck wondering why the hot burner on his electric stovetop glowed (i.e. emit photons). Additionally, why did the color (i.e. light wave frequency) of the hot metal glow change with different temperatures?

The book then tells the history of the development of atomic/quantum/particle physics and its evolution through repeated phenomenal observations, leading to explanatory theories, hence leading—sometimes—to confirmatory tests of those theories. Over a hundred years later, we now have the Standard Model of particle physics and a host of explanations of how they make up our material universe.

Planck introduced the quantum hypothesis to explain black-body radiation, then Albert Einstein used that idea to explain the photoelectric effect, which led to photon statistics, and then to lasers. Marie Curie dug deeply into radioactivity, which Ernest Rutherford used to discover the nucleus of the atom, which led Niels Bohr to introduce discrete atomic states, which led to ultra-precise atomic timekeeping. Dmitri Mendeleev introduced the periodic table, which led to the idea of electron shells, which led Wolfgang Pauli to introduce the exclusion principle, which turns out to be essential for just about everything.

I’ll credit the book’s approach with making the subject seem less foreboding. However, just because the author is able to begin his explainations with simple everyday observations and end with examples from modern technology doesn’t mean that all readers will easily grasp an intuitive feel and understanding of the subject.

I need to make special note of Chapter 7 where the author used the idea of a one-dimensional box in order to explain the uncertainty principle. I think I now almost comprehend the fundamental nature of the principle. The fact that the thought experiment needed to be brought down to only one dimension in order for me to grasp it is an indication of my limited intellectual capabilities. The more popular Schrödinger's cat model had previously been too complex for me. ;-)

I try to expose myself to this sort of subject at least once a year in an effort to help it sink into my understanding of science. Repeated exposure seems to make things less bizarre. For example, nothing is more mysterious than the force of gravity (inversely proportional to the square of the distance between objects), but we live with effects of gravity all our lives so it just seems natural. After exposing myself over many years to the theory of relativity it doesn’t seem so strange as it once did. I hope someday to grasp a similar familiarity with quantum physics.

Three Natural Mysteries That Could Be Explained By Quantum Physics:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/1...

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good introduction to quantum physics, using everyday examples. He uses his daily breakfast for little physics lessons. Some of his examples work well. Others seem pretty forced. From my notes:
Our sun's power release from nuclear fusion is equivalent to converting 4 million tonnes of mass to energy every second via Einstein's famous formula, E = mc-squared. For the entire life of the star, several billion years. Whoa!

What keeps an atomic nucleus from blowing itself up? You're putting protons (positive charge) very close together. Like charges repel. Answer: the "glue" is the Strong Nuclear Interaction, 100x stronger than Electromagnetic force at close range. It accounts for around 99% of the mass-equivalent of ordinary matter, via e=mcexp2!

Digital photos, like those taken by millions of cell-phone cameras, depend on the photoelectric effect, a well-known example of quantum physics. And the source of Einstein's and Richard Feynman's Nobel prizes. The dual nature of light, as both particle and wave, is a classic example of high Quantum Weirdness. Forex, the weird double-slit experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-... , that you may recall from freshman physics.

In 1917, Einstein had an insight into how light is emitted: a then-new possibility he described was stimulated emission, an insight that led (eventually, around 1960) to the invention of the Laser -- a device that can only be explained via quantum optics. Back then, it was a solution looking for a problem. Lasers are ubiquitous now, and perhaps most important in high-bandwidth fiber-optic telecom. Lots of other uses -- such as the laser pointer, often used as a cat toy!

My problem with the book was that the physics became less intelligible (for me) as the book went on. So I largely skimmed the last third of the book. But the first 2/3 had some great stuff. Overall rating, 3.4 stars. Cautiously recommended, for those (like me) still trying to get their head around quantum physics. A difficult topic, for non-physicists!
===================
Here's the author, at Scalzi's: https://whatever.scalzi.com/2018/12/1...
"At the deepest level, the universe really does behave according to quantum mechanics, and while the huge size of the human-scale world mostly blurs out quantum phenomena, there are subtle hints left behind. That’s how we know about quantum physics, after all– from the work of scientists who spotted those little clues in the behavior of human-scale objects, and doggedly followed them to uncover the fundamental rules that we find so weird.

Breakfast with Einstein is a book about those clues, about how quantum phenomena manifest in everything that we do. It explains the quantum rules that govern everything, and how those rules applied to huge numbers of atoms combine to produce the world that we see. And it tells you where to look to see quantum physics in your daily routine. It probably won’t make you a morning person, but it might help make your mornings a little more amazing."

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 2 out of 5]

* Review pending. *

[Sanar Othman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book is a respected physicist who, so far, has done a great service to make science more and more simple and understandable for those who are not in the field or have no scientific background. This book along with the other one that's called "How to teach Quantum physics to your dog" and his other books are very compatible and flexible to understand, simplifying the laws and fundamentals of physics to a level which, at least, everyone can understand and that is an astonishing skill since a lot of the ideas and concepts in physics and especially theoretical physics are, at most, complex. as I previously stated, I pretty much everything that's considered content in this book since I myself am a physics undergraduate but what was really beneficial for me was to get some ideas or ways to explain some of the complex concepts if I ever get asked about, knowing how to simplify or say or talk about a complex subject in a way that the public can understand is a hard job to do sometimes. the book pretty much relates almost all the main ideas of physics into the things we see in our daily life and particularly in our breakfast time, the toaster, the fridge, sunlight, the kettle and so on, hence the title of the book "Breakfast with Einstein". This book could be really great for someone, as I said, that’s their first time hitting with physics but for me no, it was interesting but to an extent. That’s why I’ll give it 3 stars.

[Anna Feakins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not even thought about physics since I left school but I felt like this was a really fun and (relatively) easy way to remind myself of elements of physics and how it effects our everyday life. It had a note of humor to what can be considered a droll topic which I appreciated and even though it took a lot of brain power to understand black box theory, wave-like light and how this translates to barcodes I found it an easy read.

[Kevin Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great explanation of quantum physics and how it impacts our everyday lives.

I only gave it three stars because the subject matter is dense, and despite the author's best efforts, there were times when it came off as dry.

I learned quite a bit in the reading of this book, but I fear that I won't retain it because I don't work with it every day or have entertaining metaphors to hang it on (e.g. George Gamow's "Mr Tompkins" books).

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chad Orzel returns with another book explaining important physics ideas to the layperson. Orzel covers a typical morning and discusses the physics behind mundane things like alarm clocks.

Even something so ordinary as the sunrise gets a chapter describing the four fundamental interactions and how gravity powers the sun.

Orzel opens the book by describing how most people associate physics with high-energy reactions and the LIGO. If you look closely enough, you can find physics in a piece of toast.

I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[MeliMiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los libros de divulgación científica más completo y sencillos de leer que me he encontrado. Lo súper recomiendo para amantes de la física, quiénes se preguntan por cómo funciona el universo y los curiosos en general.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Physics teacher would have devoured this book were he alive to hear about it!
I was drawn to the title because well, "everyday Physics" or rather "Physics in every day life" who wouldn't want to read that? Besides the phrase "Quantum Physics" is enough to get me thinking of everything that's way above my time to reason and comprehend but reading this made me look at everything like "uh? really...who knew?" and I like that.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author took a topic that is hard to hold most people's interest and wrote an informative and interesting book. I enjoyed this and learned a lot.

[Brian Thorson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading an introduction to the quantum physics explanation for everyday occurrences was interesting. It was also typically over my head. When selecting this book, I had thought it was going to be written at a lower level. Maybe I just need to level up?

[Ella]

dnf had to return to da library

[Brian Clegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his book How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, Chad Orzel hit on a brilliant hook to deal with what can be a very difficult task - how to get across an abstruse topic and make it approachable for a general audience. The idea of having a conversation with a dog made a great entry point and won the book many fans. Now Orzel is back, once more giving an often surprisingly in-depth overview of quantum physics, but this time the approach he has taken is to tie the science into the everyday experience of a morning, from waking to the sun and an alarm clock, through breakfast to checking social media.

Linking complex science to everyday experiences and objects, giving it context and making it less detached from reality, is not exactly a new idea, but it is an effective one to help make the weird approachable. The trouble is here that the idea of linking it to the morning's ritual is very thinly used. After the introduction, each chapter gives us a couple of lines of context, but the rest is just a straightforward exposition of quantum physics. There's not a lot of narrative to this - although Orzel does bring in the scientists involved in the development of the theory it's at a very summary level. The result is an old-fashioned feeling 'science for beginners' book that lacks any sense of storytelling.

I can't fault Orzel's description of the physics, which goes into more depth than you might necessarily expect to find in such an overview, nor is there anything wrong with his history of science. It's just that the whole thing doesn't provide any real added value to a simplified textbook. In places, it verges on the dull.

There are plenty of quantum physics introductory books out there, many of which do have a USP, in the sense of having an interesting way to engage the reader - this was very much the case with the dog book. Sadly, though, Breakfast with Einstein is not one of them.

[Raghu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of popular science books, especially the ones in Physics. In my high school days in India, I read entertaining popular science works in Physics by authors from the USSR. I remember particularly those by Ya. Perelman, which clarified many concepts in Physics for me. I can’t remember how many such books I would have read over the years on Quantum Mechanics. Nowadays, quantum computing is very much a real thing. Google, Honeywell and IBM have claimed making limited versions of Quantum computers in the race for quantum supremacy, This book introduces the subject by showing that quantum physics is not an exotic theory, far removed from our experience. Rather, it is something we constantly experience through its effects in our everyday life. The author chooses experiences such as the sunrise, the heating element in a toaster, digital photography, the humble alarm clock, the internet, computer chips, the sense of smell, magnets and the smoke detector to illustrate how ‘quantum’ they are. It is the promise of discovering the quantum in these everyday experiences that encouraged me to read this book. 

However, when I did so, I found the book rather tough going. It is popular science only to the extent of 30%. The remaining 70% demands the reader to have a good grounding in the fundamentals of Physics. I felt that it is a semi-serious introduction to quantum mechanics using our everyday experiences as props. Whether the author talks about the sunrise or the smoke detector or the alarm clock, the discussion jumps deep into the science swiftly. It needs the reader to pay a lot more attention to the text than one would have bargained for in a popular science book. In the following paragraphs, I shall try to give a flavor of the book through some of the phenomena under discussion.

The first chapter starts out with the morning sunrise and explains it using the Standard Model of Physics. Particles attract and repulse each other under the influence of the four fundamental forces of Nature. These forces cause stars to collapse into white dwarfs or neutron stars or black holes based on their mass. In this process, electromagnetism holds atoms and molecules together and connects matter to light. It is what sunrise is all about. It comes from the interactions between gravity, electromagnetism, and strong & weak nuclear forces.

I was curious about the chapters on ‘Internet,’ and ‘Computer Chips’ as these are subjects I am more experienced in. My expectation was that they would deal with quantum computing and the impact of quantum physics in the pursuit of Moore’s Law. But the author focuses mainly on the optic fiber networks which carry the bits and bytes. Since most of the data is carried by lasers, the discussion comes down to electromagnetism and atoms again. Discussing computer chips, the book says that it requires a detailed understanding of the physics of electrons inside semiconductors, which depends on their wave nature. When we share pictures of cats over the net, they have a deep connection to the cat of quantum mechanics - Schrödinger’s Cat! Semiconductors and diodes are explained at a molecular level and how molecules emit light at particular wavelengths.

I liked the chapter on Encryption the best, possibly because it is one I understood better than the others. Randomness and probability are fundamental to quantum mechanics. They are also fundamental to encryption. In public key encryption algorithms, we use probabilistic encryption to generate different ciphertexts while encrypting the same message several times. Ultra secure encryption and decryption of messages need a process which allows two widely separated people to generate two lists of random numbers that are nevertheless perfectly correlated. This is what quantum cryptography hopes to achieve through quantum entanglement. This chapter provides the background to entanglement through the famous EPR paper of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. The paper presents a thought experiment to show an inherent paradox in the early formulations of quantum theory. It is among the best-known examples of quantum entanglement. The author says that history subsequently recorded that Einstein & Co were wrong in their arguments. However, he calls it a ‘brilliant mistake’ because it brought to light a strange and troubling aspect of quantum physics that had not been previously considered.

The book covers a lot of light-hearted descriptions of the history of quantum computing through the lives and works of its great pioneers. There are entertaining accounts of anecdotes involving Einstein, Planck, Bohr, Pauli, Schrödinger, Heisenberg and Marie Curie. Contrary to the general impression among the public about Einstein as a Theoretical Physicist and adept in Mathematics, the author says that Einstein’s formal background in physics was more in statistical mechanics, which is the study of the properties of large collections of particles and their behavior. He also quotes the famous mathematician, David Hilbert, as saying that “Every boy in the streets of Göttingen understands more about four-dimensional geometry than Einstein.’

The main thrust of the book is that the quantum is all around us, if only we look. Given this thrust, it is curious that the title of the book refers to Einstein, who expressed skepticism about quantum mechanics than embrace it. Einstein was uncomfortable with its indeterminacy, did not believe that it reflected the fundamental nature of reality, and thought of it as incomplete. He had misgivings about General Relativity too, regarding it as incomplete, and spent his life trying to unify it with Electromagnetism. Considering all this, I would have thought ‘Breakfast in Copenhagen’ could have been a more appropriate title for the book, in honor of Niels Bohr’s team in Copenhagen.

I read the book because of its title. I thought it may cover photoelectric effect, General Relativity, quantum entanglement and his unfinished work on the Unified Field theory. In recent years, we have seen Einstein’s ideas coming good in Astronomy with Gravitational Lensing. Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916 in his general theory of relativity. Exactly one hundred years later, in 2016, the LIGO detected Gravitational waves. In 2019, the Event Horizon telescope showed the first-ever images of a black hole confirming many facets of General Relativity. This book does not deal with any of them, though. It does not touch on the disappointing results from the Large Hadron Collider so far on Super Symmetry or dark matter particles. Nor does it discuss the tendency in Theoretical Physics without worrying too much about experimental verification.

Summing up, without a strong grounding in the fundamentals of Modern Physics, I think it would be difficult for a reader to enjoy or even fully understand this book. We should bear this in mind before embarking on reading it.

[Yzabel Ginsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Not exactly easy to grasp—basic understanding of quantum physics (and some classical physics concepts, too) is definitely needed here—but the use of typical kitchen/breakfast examples helps when it comes to illustrating each point and show how deeply intertwined quantum physics is with what we take for granted in everyday life. There were more than just a couple things about which I had never really paid attention, and once the obvious was pointed at, it suddenly made a lot more sense.

I usually find Orzel’s writing pleasant enough to help me follow through physics explanations. I can’t say I’ve memorised every single thing in the book, obviously, however, my understanding is definitely better now.

If there’s one thing, I would say that the idea of drawing parallels with breakfast rituals, while interesting, was probably stretched out here, in that it was used at the beginning and very end of each chapter, but not really throughout. So even the comparisons were useful, this book has a more typical approach to physics than the author’s books where he has conversations with his dog.

Conclusion: With my limited but not completely ultra-basic understanding of the subject, I enjoyed this book a lot. This said, it would probably discourage complete beginners, at least partly.

[Dave Ciskowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable and informative look at the ways in which unintuitive aspects of physics manifest in everyday life. Orzel focuses on consequences of quantum theory, relativity, and the Standard Model - all portions of physics that confound our normal sense of how the world works. But rather than discuss them in the abstract, he ties them to normal aspects of everyday life - everything from the way smoke detectors work to the glow of a heating element on the stove to the reason the table can hold solid objects. This provides an accessible handle for very complicated theory. Along the way, he works in stories of how the theories were developed, with bits about the personalities involved. The result is a book that provides a grounded and generally accessible overview of many confusing physical theories, walking a line between detailed explanation and relaxed storytelling. While Orzel avoids detailed math, he does use graphs and mathematical concepts to explore the theories he covers, and I think some readers may find it more technical than they prefer. But that’s the nature of the theories involved, and the diligent reader is rewarded with a stronger intuition for how (and why) the theories were developed and how they work.

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A basic recap of all the scientists, physicists, and principles mentioned throughout all my textbooks used for my BS of Chemistry. Everything from Pauli’s Exclusion Principle to sums of infinite terms.

I thought there would be more day-to-day examples. There were some cool fun facts that I hope to remember but not nearly enough to warrant more stars.

[Kelly K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as interesting as I was expecting since it was quite rambly, but not bad.

[Booksoverhoes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fizyka kwantowa dla większości ludzi brzmi jak ostra jazda bez trzymanki na rollercoasterze w psychodelicznym parku rozrywki. Czyli jak coś, czego raczej wolelibyśmy nie próbować (mówię za siebie, bo akurat panicznie boję się kolejek górskich, może do Was przemówi inne porównanie). Ale z drugiej strony, ma w sobie coś takiego, co nas kusi, nęci, przyciąga i zastanawia. No i zgódźmy się, kto nie chciałby w końcu zrozumieć memów o kocie Schödingera?

Chad Orzel, naukowiec, profesor nadzwyczajny Katedry Fizyki i Astronomii na Union College ("nadzwyczajny" nie znaczy, że jest jakiś super wyjątkowy, tylko, że tytuł obowiązuje jedynie na tej uczelni, w przeciwieństwie do "profesora zwyczajnego", który jest profesorem wszędzie) obrał sobie za cel przybliżenie podstaw fizyki kwantowej szerszej publiczności, nawiązując do czynności i przedmiotów, z których korzystamy w codziennym życiu. Na początku "Śniadania z Einsteinem" opisuje swój poranek - parzenie kawy, robienie tostów, przeglądanie mediów społecznościowych, a potem w kolejnych rozdziałach rozkłada go na czynniki pierwsze i wyjaśnia, w jaki sposób teoria kwantowa jest obecna w każdym z tych przyziemnych zajęć.

Uwielbiam książki popularnonaukowe szczególnie ze względu na fakt, że w przystępny sposób wykładają nam, laikom, wszelkie zawiłości i skomplikowane prawa tego świata. I właśnie z tego powodu sięgnęłam po książkę Orzela - ciekawiło mnie, jak autor postanowił przedstawić trudne i dla większości z nas owiane tajemnicą zjawiska kwantowe, z łatwością nawiązując do codziennego życia, tak żeby każdy mógł je zrozumieć. Właśnie dlatego, bo o każdym z poruszanych tu tematów uczyłam się już na studiach. Nie twierdzę, że jestem ekspertem, ale mam jako takie pojęcie o podstawach mechaniki kwantowej.

Niestety, czytając tę książkę, czułam się tak, jakbym znowu była na studiach i pochylała się nad podręcznikiem... tylko ze zdecydowanie mniejszą liczbą obrazków. Myślałam, że faktycznie będzie tu więcej życiowych przykładów. Że czytelnik w którymś momencie klepnie się w czoło i powie "ach no tak, już rozumiem, przecież to takie oczywiste". Że styl autora okaże się lżejszy, a całość stanie się dzięki temu bardziej zrozumiała i czytelna. Jednak się przeliczyłam. Autor co prawda silił się na humor i żarty, żeby dodać swojej książce trochę lekkości, ale pojawiły się one jedynie w kilku przypisach. Sama treść pozostała raczej sucha i naukowa, a niewielka liczba wykresów i schematów dodatkowo obniżała jej przystępność (serio, obrazki naprawdę dużo dają!).

Bardzo podobały mi si�� natomiast różne ciekawostki i wstawki historyczne, opisy tego, w jaki sposób naukowe podejście i wiedza rozwijały się na przestrzeni lat. Te momenty były naprawdę ciekawe, tym bardziej, że autor pozwalał nam prześledzić, jak niesamowicie, a czasem wręcz komicznie, zmieniała się dana teoria (np. budowa atomu) przez wieki badań, eksperymentów i nowych modeli.

W moim odczuciu "Śniadanie z Einsteinem", mimo najlepszych intencji autora, nie jest książką przystępną dla kogoś, kto nie ma zbyt dużego pojęcia o fizyce kwantowej, a chciałby się o niej dowiedzieć czegoś w ciekawy, ale w miarę zrozumiały sposób. Natomiast jeśli ktoś już co nieco wie, to może poznać trochę interesujących ciekawostek na temat rozwoju naszej technologii i funkcjonowania czujników dymu. Sama męczyłam tę książkę chyba przez miesiąc, bo niestety większość tekstu, w którym autor opisywał i tłumaczył samą teorię kwantową, była po prostu niezbyt zajmująca.

[Lucy Faria · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's an old joke in science circles about a dairy farmer, who- applying the sort of logic that only makes sense in jokes -consults a theoretical physicist about how to get more milk from his cows. After a few days, the physicist announces that he has the solution, and the excited farmer asks to hear it, only to have the physicist begin with "First, we assume a spherical cow…”

Like most old jokes, this is funny because it captures something true - in this case, about the way physicists operate. The first step a physics approach to any problem is to reduce it to the simplest case imaginable, even when this means treating complicated objects like cows as smooth spheres. At its best, this approach allows physicists to develop simple universal principles that illuminate the deep workings of nature. Of course, such exceedingly simple models often miss some details such as the fact that cows are manifestly not spheres-and require later refinements to capture the complexity of the real world. The art of being a physicist consists of starting with spherical cows, and then adding as few additional complications as possible to produce the simplest model that satisfactorily describes the actual universe.
Bohr's quantum model of the hydrogen atom is a "spherical cow' in the finest tradition. It solves an outstanding problem by proposing a strikingly simple fundamental principle, but it considers only the simplest possible case: that of electron orbits that are perfectly circular.
This circular-orbit model was sufficient to let Bohr explain the pattern of spectral lines from hydrogen as resulting from transtions between a set of states whose energy was described by the value of a single "quit tum number": n. The original Bohr model couldn't capture all the complexity of real atoms, though, such as the “fine structure” of hydrogen (where some spectral lines turn out to be pairs of very closely spaced lines), or the way that single spectral lines split into multiple lines when atoms are placed in a magnetic field.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW ON MY BLOG ON THE 29th JANUARY (https://bookishr.wordpress.com)

What I liked the most about this book was the innovative concept behind it all — that quantum physics can be experienced in the most varied (and common) ways. Since each chapter begins with a short narration of the author's morning routine, you can really see how each quantum phenomenon connects with your own life. I thought this was a very strong aspect of the book, as it makes science seem a little less scary in the end!

At the same time, however, I wish the author had drawn a stronger connection between the every day and physics. Because some chapters were sort of longer and denser, it was easy for me to forget what everyday event had started the entire thing in the first place. This was by no means something that put me off reading Breakfast with Einstein — just something I thought could have been done better to pull readers in.

Another strong point of this book was its mix of scientific explanations and the history behind the quantum physics world. There isn't a single chapter that just explains to you how or why a certain thing happens. The author is sure to also throw you into the past so you can understand how these ideas were discovered. I thought this was a great addition to the book since it paints the science field as cooperative and not as an area of study where people are completely isolated from each other. It was so cool seeing the field and the ideas evolve...

If I had to point a fault at this book is that it can be quite dense... If you're like me and you haven't studied physics in a while, Breakfast with Einstein will be sort of hard to get through. You can tell that the author really did his best to make the subject matter interesting and less heavy and technical, as he throws in some funny sentences and facts in there. However, it still feels like this is a technical book — especially for people like me who are not in the science field. 

All in all... I think this is a great book for people who already have some knowledge of physics. While it's not the most accessible book for beginners, it's a great way to get more into reading popular science books!

[Tomislav · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author wakes up for breakfast, sees the sunlight and then immediately starts explaining what happens in the core of the star up to the point of quantum degeneracy halting the process which forms neutron stars. That’s his idea of everyday objects. A whole chapter is devoted to quantum entanglement because, uh, it is possible that one day it could be widely used in cryptography. At the point when he engages in a lengthy quantum explanation of the unusual reason why some exotic parrots have blue feathers you can only wonder if he is consciously joking with the title of the book. He lectures a lot on history of physics, careers of notable scientists and details of famous experiments. Everyday objects aren’t really explained but used as loosely defined starting points for lectures on different topics in physics.

Basically you get a standard book on physics which is very strangely organized because instead of following some logical structure if follows author waking up and looking randomly around his room. The text is not badly written, most of it is easy to understand and there are some interesting historical details and anecdotes, but you can find that in popular physics books which don’t include everyday objects in their titles. Also, there is really no good reason to have Einstein in the title since the author is a chemical physicist mostly focused on quantum theory. Finally, the breakfast also shouldn’t be there because the toast and the tea aren’t really much of a breakfast. In the end it is just an average physics book written and titled in an exotic way.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at physics in daily life but not quite as enjoyable as “The Physics of Everyday Things” by James Kakalios

I enjoyed this book. Its approach, explaining everyday events in terms of physics, is very similar to that of “The Physics of Everyday Things” by James Kakalios, but the books quickly diverge. The book by Chad Orzel just plays lip service to everyday life; his explanations are a lot more technical than those of Kakalios. And while I found the the Orzel book very well written, it didn’t have the warmth or humor of the Kakalios book. On the other hand, there was more in depth physics in the Orzel book, so it comes down to personal taste and I favored the Kakalios book. However they are both very good books and I recommend either one of them, depending on what the reader is looking for.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

[T.A.]

Okay I tried, I really did, but I feel like I got a click baited with this book.

Have you ever had a conversation where you are talking about something say the new Spider-Man movie and some says ‘talking about Spider-Man…..’ then proceeds to tell you the biological and historical facts about spiders. Yes technically they are linked but it’s not what you were expecting.

From the title of this book I was expecting a story, with some humour and some explanations. What I got was I make toast - here is a relevant lecture on light wave oscillation which is how we make heat (I may have completely wrong as to be honest I’m hungry and my brain is already forgetting what I read in favour of retaining all the theme tunes of cartoons I watched in the 80s and 90s -why brain? Why?)

So after realising that I was no longer reading it but skimming it, I’ve put it down and maybe one day when my brain is feeling more cooperative I’ll give it another go.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For most of us, Quantum Physics is not something we think about very often, and something about which we likely know every little. If we are lucky, we may have heard of Mr. Schrödinger's unfortunate (or fortunate) feline friend, or maybe Mr. Einstein's famous quote about God not playing dice. But the rest of this quirky science seems a bit esoteric, even for some scientists.

Orzel has done a wonderful job of explaining some of the more basic aspects of QP via the brilliant usage of a typical breakfast. It turns out, you and I rekey on the wonders and the marries of QP almost every hour of the day — from the devices that protect our homes to the ubiquitous smartphones and the computer on which I am typing these remarks.

Relatable and readable, I would recommend sitting done with some great breakfast with the professor. You just might get a whole new look at your day.

[Lois Merritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this one with an audiobook, and arguably actually reading the book is better with science related stuff because you can go back and forth when you want to revisit something. But, that's easier said than done given the reason why I listen to a lot of audiobooks (or a lot of music) is because I'm doing my science stuff at the microscope at work, so reading isn't all that easy.

Anyway, all that said, this was still pretty good. It's still a book explaining various things in physics, with hints of some of the history to find or discover those things, particularly quantum mechanics, but all in terms how just what the heck, if anything at all, does this mean for us - how it applies to us every day. Definitely liked the different take with it with all, and the narrator was pretty good too!

[Rasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do t waste your time and money !
Quite a disappointment.. the title is using Einstein’s name to attract public non scientist readers however it’s very misleading.
The book lacks contexts, narrative and storytelling.. it’s pure physics which isn’t what a non scientist reader gonna necessarily enjoy or understand.
It starts with a short paragraph about waking up seeing the sun shining and preparing breakfast with a bit of details to this activity and that’s all there is to a context and the rest is pure physics.

From the first chapter I realized I am not gonna enjoy it , but have it a go and read about 80 pages then dropped it..

if I am not gonna enjoy it, neither really understand it and have to read the same page couple of times before I turn it hence nothing will stick in my memory then what else is it but wasting time and money ?!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the playaway edition of this book. I had never listened to a physics book before. There is a first time for everything. Physics is still hard to understand even if you hear someone else read it.

I like the title Breakfast with Einstein. I wish I could remember more of what I heard. I don't remember much though. Even though I did not understand it it was fascinating to listen to.

I do remember in one chapter he talks about a transatlantic cable. In other chapters he also talks about computers, sense of smell, sense of vision. And all in about 7 and a half hours. How cool is that?

If you like learning about physics or trying to learn about physics I think you will enjoy listening to breakfast with Einstein.

[Mike Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of explanations of quantum theory and quantum physics. Most of them emphasize the weirdness, the counterintuitive nature of the quantum world. This is apt to make us think of the quantum realm as "something else out there," apart from our daily reality. But, of course, we are quantum objects ourselves. So "Breakfast With Einstein" takes the opposite tack. It shows how the most mundane and "normal" daily activities, as exemplified by the morning routine, all result from, and are totally dependent on, quantum forces. It is a very readable and enjoying discussion that gave me a fresh perspective on my place in the quantum universe. And I got some very enlightening explanations of all the weird stuff into the bargain.

[Obaya Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a highschooler with no background in physics, and took me reading the 1st chapter like 4 times to fully comprehend it. I resorted to basically studying 3-4 pages daily for a couple months, and it was the best thing ever! Orzel does a great job of bringing really counterintuitive concepts closer to comprehension, and he's really good at captivating the reader with his writing style. Using physics jargon is inevitable though, and that was the barrier I faced in understanding it. The final chapter on quantum computing is really interesting and relevant, I'm rereading that after seeing the new developments in the quantum computing sphere.