Quantum Sense and Nonsense by Jean Bricmont (PDF)

Description

Permeated by the author’s delightful humor, this little book explains, with nearly no mathematics, the main conceptual issues associated with quantum mechanics: The issue of determinism. Does quantum mechanics signify the end of a deterministic word-view? The role of the human subject or of the “observer” in science. Since Copernicus, science has increasingly tended to dethrone Man from his formerly held special position in the Universe. But quantum mechanics, with its emphasis on the notion of observation, may once more have given a central role to the human subject. The issue of locality. Does quantum mechanics imply that instantaneous actions at a distance exist in Nature?In these pages the author offers a variety of views and answers – bad as well as good – to these questions. The reader will be both entertained and enlightened by Jean Bricmont’s clear and incisive arguments.

User’s Reviews

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

⭐In the conclusion to Appendix 5.A the book says,’This means that the time evolution of the initial wave function of the pointer and the particle [PSI0] has to be: [psi-up X PSI1 + psi-down X PSI2] … and this means that, as far as the pointer is concerned, it will be associated to a superposed wave function of “the pointer being up” and “the pointer being down”.’No, it does not mean that! The superposed wave-function [psi-up X PSI1 + psi-down X PSI2] is a wave function of the entangled system. It does not allow for the separation of the pointer state out of the system and does not make it “associated to a superposed wave function” [psi-up + psi-down].The stated conclusion is mistaken!

⭐This is an outstanding book. It covers the relevant history, philosophy, and physics to enable you to make sense of quantum mechanics, while keeping the math to a high school level. As the title implies, it also discusses much nonsense that has been said about quantum mechanics, and explains clearly why it is nonsense. The discussion of the history is very helpful in understanding why there is such confusion to this day.Besides being very readable, the book also features an excellent bibliography, a glossary of important concepts, and short biographies of prominent scientists.If you only want to read one book on the foundations of quantum mechanics, this would be an excellent choice. If after reading this book, you want a more technical discussion, you could read the author’s “Making Sense of Quantum Mechanics” and John Bell’s “Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics”.One reviewer on Amazon says Appendix 5.A is wrong. It appears that the reviewer does not understand that the point of Appendix 5.A is to show that in ordinary quantum mechanics, you can’t dispense with the measurement postulates.Another reviewer on Amazon said that there is no experimental evidence in favor of the de Broglie-Bohm theory. All of the experimental evidence for ordinary quantum mechanics is evidence in favor of the de Broglie-Bohm theory. The book rightly points out that the fact that the de Broglie-Bohm theory makes the same predictions as ordinary quantum mechanics is “excellent news”. See Section 8.7 for more on this.

⭐This is a less technical version of the author’s earlier “Making Sense of Quantum Mechanics”. Bricmont surveys the various aspects of Quantum Weirdness (wave-particle duality, superposition, Measurement problem and entanglement) and makes a strong case for Bohmian Mechanics (aka Pilot-wave theory), which is a non-local, hidden-variable (deterministic) alternative to standard QM. Bricmont argues that sheer dogma and misconception have kept PWT from becoming mainstream. E.g., numerous experiments based on John Bell’s famous Theorem have ruled out local, hidden-variable theories – and yet, many physicists are unaware that John Bell himself was a strong supporter of PWT. Since non-locality (entanglement) is at the heart of quantum theory, Bricmont contends it’s actually a strength of PWT that non-locality, which Einstein hated, is central to it.Even so, PWT will likely remain a fringe theory since there’s currently no experimental evidence in favor of it (or against it) and the relativistic version(s) of it can not yet replicate the success of the Standard Model.

⭐Good discussion of some aspects of the foundations of quantum physics.Notable for an extended treatment of the de Broglie-Bohm theory.

⭐all OK

⭐This is a great book. The author fully understands the subject, and gets it across clearly and as simply as possible.

⭐I read this book from cover-to-cover but, unfortunately for Amazon, returned it… Well it is a pretty good book though, with one exception: The author(s) don’t still seem to realize that it is definitely and positively a ‘quantum hoax’ not a “theory” in any sense of the word. But then, you would say, what about Einstein who finally relented. Well he was a “weary old man” out a true fight!!

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