101 Quantum Questions: What You Need to Know About the World You Can’t See by Kenneth W. Ford (PDF)

Description

Ken Ford’s mission is to help us understand the “great ideas” of quantum physics―ideas such as wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, superposition, and conservation. These fundamental concepts provide the structure for 101 Quantum Questions, an authoritative yet engaging book for the general reader in which every question and answer brings out one or more basic features of the mysterious world of the quantum―the physics of the very small.Nuclear researcher and master teacher, Ford covers everything from quarks, quantum jumps, and what causes stars to shine, to practical applications ranging from lasers and superconductors to light-emitting diodes. Ford’s lively answers are enriched by Paul Hewitt’s drawings, numerous photos of physicists, and anecdotes, many from Ford’s own experience. Organized for cover-to-cover reading, 101 Quantum Questions also is great for browsing.Some books focus on a single subject such as the standard model of particles, or string theory, or fusion energy. This book touches all those topics and more, showing us that disparate natural phenomena, as well as a host of manmade inventions, can be understood in terms of a few key ideas. Yet Ford does not give us simplistic explanations. He assumes a serious reader wanting to gain real understanding of the essentials of quantum physics.Ken Ford’s other books include The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone (Harvard 2004), which Esquire magazine recommended as the best way to gain an understanding of quantum physics. Ford’s new book, a sequel to the earlier one, makes the quantum world even more accessible.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “In this entertaining and comprehensive overview, Ford, former director of the American Institute of Physics, manages to encapsulate modern physics while illuminating rather than befuddling the lay reader…By using humor and straight talk to answer questions that often bedevil the non-scientist who attempts to grasp this knotty subject, Ford has created an entertaining read and an excellent companion piece to more detailed popular treatments of modern physics.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Kenneth Ford’s question-and-answer-style guide to the weirdness of the quantum realm is a clear and handy reference. Ford’s easy-going prose will help you feel right at home at nature’s tiniest and most counterintuitive scale.”―Amanda Gefter, New Scientist“Among the slew of books published in the last several decades aiming to explain modern physics to the public, this work is surely one of the best.”―Jack W. Weigel, Library Journal (starred review)“This work provides the means for a lay reader to gain a basic understanding of much of the technical language and jargon that filters into popular accounts of quantum physics.”―D. B. Moss, Choice About the Author Kenneth W. Ford, retired director of the American Institute of Physics, has taught at university and high-school levels. His books include The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone and a memoir, In Love with Flying.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Perfect for those who want to delve deeper into the subatomic realm where quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics play – especially if you don’t want to deal with the hairy math that goes with a formal, college-level physics education. It is especially relevant those interested in the building blocks of matter. If you enjoy the Wormhole series with Morgan Freeman, you’ll find Quantum Questions worthwhile reading.This book was written before the Higgs boson was confirmed at CERN, but is otherwise current. The presentation is organized as a question-answer format where each succeeding question builds on the foundation of prior answers. In this format, the reader also picks up on the trajectory of discoveries in the physical sciences and gets a history lesson along the way. I’ve always been amazed at how much we were able to discover and understand before we had the benefit of modern technology. I also took away a glimpse of the factions that exist in theoretical physics while we await confirmation or repudiation of competing theories by the experimental physicists.If you have an engineering background or a kid majoring in physics at college, you should read this book. Dr. Ford has done a remarkable job bringing the subatomic world to life for we non-physicists. Dr Ford’s Quantum Questions book and the Quantum Enigma book by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner are the two best books this layman has read on the subject of the subatomic world.If your scientific curiosity runs in the direction of trying to reconcile biological sciences and medicine with subatomic and macro scale physics, you may be interested in another book I’ve found compelling reading. Biocentrism by Robert Lanza and Bob Berman.What wonderful times we live in.

⭐I wish this book had been published back in 1962-3 when I was an undergraduate physics major. It also would have been quite valuable if I could have read it in 1963-8 when I was in graduate school working on my Ph.D. in astrophysics. The 101 Questions remind me of the kind you get on a Master’s or Ph.D. oral exam. Ford does a fantastic job in managing to answer his questions without any fancy mathematics. He gives one of the few descriptions of the Bell inequalities that I have ever been able to appreciate. However, if you aren’t willing to really read and think, then the book is probably not for you. But then you probably don’t like physics anyway!

⭐As a little background, I have now read five books on the subject of quantum mechanics. This is the second book by Ford that I have read, the first being “The Quantum World”. By far, Ford is the best author I have come across. Other authors have often left me wondering what they were talking about. In “101 Questions” Ford covers much of the same real estate as “The Quantum World”, but there is enough that is different to make it very worthwhile to read both books. What is special about this author is that he doesn’t shy away from explaining, mostly with success, the intricacies of quantum theory. He achieves a great balance between giving too little information and overwhelming the layman (me) with intricacies. To be sure, when I was done with this book, I’ve probably only gotten about 80% of the intended understanding, maybe less. Other authors left me at a much lower percentage. I do agree with the reviewer who said this book isn’t for the total novice. If that’s you, do yourself a favor and as another reviewer suggested read a “QM for dummies” book first.The one con I have is that his explanation on the entanglement issue isn’t better than what I have read elsewhere. Yes I know we’re not supposed to understand it, but I’m not quite sure what it is I’m not supposed to understand. If you know where a good article on entanglement is, please respond to this review with that information.

⭐But were afraid you wouldn’t understand the answers if you asked.If you have questions about quantum physics but have been looking for a book that will actually explain the subject, than look no farther. Kenneth W. Ford answers 101 questions about questions about the strange world of the very small. As a former director of the American Institute of Physics and one who has worked with many of the giants of twentieth and twenty-first physics, Ford has the knowledge and ability to explain the often difficult to understand and even seemingly nonsensical aspects of quantum physics.The only fault with this book is that in the kindle edition, several of the illustrations are missing. These are largely photographs of scientists and for the most part, illustrations necessary for explanations. Other than this lack, 101 Quantum Questions is worth reading.

⭐This is the best introductory text on quantum physics for lay readers. The text goes from ‘soup to nuts’ explaining quantum questions by analogy, examples and figures. The author introduces difficult concepts and then returns to them later to give a more detailed explanation (ex. superposition). The book ends with useful tables that summarize the properties of sub atomic particles.Short bios with photos are given of some discoverers of quantum advances. Others are referenced in extensive footnotes.Diligent reading of the book pays off in the last three chapters with explanations of technological applications using quantum techniques, reviewing some strange findings such as superconductivity and finally covering recent developments such as quantum computing and John Stewart Bell’s contradiction of Einstein’s EPR paper.

⭐Ah jeeze. As Einstein probably said “Quantum Mechanics is hard”. And it is, but this book is helpful. I am an engineer, a technically trained person, and understand a calculus equation even if I may not be able to work all of them. I love physics. But quantum theory makes no sense, unlike classical physics. I’ve decided I want to understand quantum theory. If that’s possible. This little book goes down that road quite a bit. I recommend it. But, if you are trying to understand quantum theory you have my condolences.

⭐This is just so fascinating, I can’t put it down. I have only a basic knowledge of physics, but find it fascinating. This book is a brilliant gift to anyone like me, interested but not mathematical. Absolutely love it! What a fantastic writer.

⭐Great book, first half is harder to understand than the second half, defo feels like they should have switched those halves around.

⭐Well organized and clearly written.

⭐翻訳本と合わせて購入しました。先端理論を原文で読むことができて嬉しいです。

⭐

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