The Odd Quantum by Sam Treiman (PDF)

Description

This is a rare and much-needed book: a concise but comprehensive account of quantum mechanics for popular science readers written by a respected physicist. Sam Treiman–internationally renowned for his work in particle physics–makes quantum mechanics accessible to nonspecialists. Combining mastery of the material with clear, elegant prose and infectious enthusiasm, he conveys the substance, methods, and profound oddities of the field. Treiman begins with an overview of quantum mechanics. He sketches the early development of the field by Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and others, and he makes clear how the quantum outlook flies in the face of common sense. As he explains, the quantum world is intrinsically probabilistic. For example, a particle is not in general in some particular place at a given instant, nor does it have a definite momentum. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, there is a limit to how well both location and momentum can be specified simultaneously. In addition, particles can move through barriers and otherwise move in regions of space that are forbidden by classical mechanics. If a particle has a choice of different paths, it pursues all of them at once. Particles display wave-like characteristics and waves show particle-like characteristics. Treiman pays special attention to the more fundamental wave outlook and its expression in quantum field theory. He deals here with the remarkable fact that all the particles of a given species are strictly identical, and with the unnerving fact that particles can be created and destroyed. As Treiman introduces us to these and other wonders, he also touches–without resolution–on some of the deep philosophical problems of quantum mechanics, notably how probabilities become facts. Weaving together impeccable and up-to-date science, engaging writing, and a talent for clear explanation honed over Treiman’s distinguished career as a physicist and teacher, The Odd Quantum is a remarkable survey of a field that changed the course of modern scientific and philosophical thought.

User’s Reviews

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

⭐After reading about quantum physics in other popular books (How to Teach Physics to your Dog, Deep Down Things), I was looking for a book with a little more math, because a formula says more than a thousand words, right? Well, I have a masters degree in (computer) science, but unfortunately, my math skills are way too feeble to understand this book. Unfortunately, the author often doesn’t explain in words what the formulas mean, so if you don’t understand them, this book is pretty much pointless (save for the first two chapters). The author lost me even before delving into the quantum chapters!So avoid this book if you don’t have a solid math background, i.e. you don’t have an intuitive understanding of calculus, differential equations, complex numbers, etc.

⭐I have read many quantum mechanics (QM) books for “popular science readers” that explain QM in very general terms, with little or no mathematics. The “Odd Quantum” promised a bit more, science for the “popular science reader”, but with some of the mathematical underpinnings (although not anywhere to the level in even an elementary quantum mechanics text), which was something that I was looking for. This review tries to answer the question of how well did the book achieve this goal. As a point of reference, I did take elementary quantum mechanics about 45 years ago and have some general familiarity with the mathematics used in the book, so I do not consider myself a popular science reader with little or no technical background.In my opinion half of the book definitely meets the criteria of suitability for someone without a technical background, but the other half does not. The book begins with a review of classical physics and the earliest version of QM. I found this part of the book to be well written, informative and should be appreciated by someone interested in general popular science. Some of the latter part of the book, which deals with particle physics, also fits into this category. Unfortunately, from my perspective at least, a general reader will find the rest of the book well beyond their comfort zone. This “difficult” part of the book begins with the foundations of the “new” QM, the solution to some elementary problems, such as an electron in a box, and finally a discussion of quantum field theories, how they introduce the idea of particles, and the interaction between fields/particles. These discussions use second order differential equations, eigenfunctions/eigenstates/eigenvectors and Hamiltonian energy expressions and operators. If the previous sentence makes no sense to you, then it is my opinion that you will find this half of the book rather indecipherable. I feel that the book would have been greatly improved by a 20-page appendix describing the mathematics of eignenfunctions and Hamiltonian operators (I found a nice two page discussion of this on the internet, so it can be done). The book would also have benefited from the addition of about 30 more pages of discussions of the mathematics of QM and the problems being discussed. I found far too many “it can easily be shown that” comments for my taste. This is fine for a textbook where the teacher can easily show the solution, but not for a book to be read without the benefit of a teacher.In my opinion, Professor Treiman did not succeed in bring clarity to QM by including the outline of the mathematics, but not the meat of it. In much of the book I got the feeling that I was reading a chapter summary, without the benefit of having read the chapter. Such a summary is great for those who are familiar with the subject and want a comprehensive review, written by an expert. For those readers this is a 5-star book. For someone without a sufficient mathematical or physics background the book is a mixture of 5-star and 1-star material, so for them it would be a 3-star book. I put myself somewhere in the middle, so I am giving it 4-stars. I liked the book, but was disappointed because it was not as useful as I had hoped it would be.

⭐Book assumes a fair understanding of math.Doubt if the average reader would possess it. Otherwise its OK. The author is/was an expert in his field

⭐Finally a book for people who want to understand QM, but don’t want to go down to full blown QM-math.Finally a book which does not just skim over the surface, trying to make QM look like a magic that only QM wizards can understand.I got tired of books and movies that try to make QM look like a animation show which we can’t understand.But also as some other mentioned after the Schrodinger equation is introduced the explanations of the math got a bit “murky”, much harder to grasp. The author expect the reader to know much more than he expected him to know in the previous chapters.

⭐It starts easy, you feel good until you hit the foundations. Author dives into Schroedinger’s equation and even worse he starts to use a lot “Eigen.****” in the form of value, function, state etc so that you really have to slow down to comprehend clearly. Subject gets deeper and deeper and he himself says similaer to saying “just take it from me as it is correct”. Than provides simple problems and solutions. Although the examples are standard that you find in any introductory course textbooks, the thechincal language he uses makes them difficult to follow. I think this book is not as easy as advertised to be. I do not blame anybody remember after all there is phrase that only few people knows what Quantum Mechanics is. You may want to read this book after reading few more introductory books especially with some formulas and calculations. If you do not know what Eigenvalue is,which author does not even define it, than you better read some calculus before you read this book.

⭐Physics is beautiful. To understand beauty is rewarding. But beauty has its language. Mathematics is the language of physics. Most popular science books avoid mathematics. They focus on long and boring prose that never seem to get to the point. This book is crystal clear, filled with insights and brilliant explanations. The mathematics is here to help. Fear not. This book will surprise you greatly.

⭐I’ll just add that there’s definitely a problem with an inconsistent level of sophistication in the mathematics. I remember freshman calculus pretty well but am hazy on differential equations, and *The Odd Quantum* lost me starting with Schroedinger’s equation – just when it’s getting to the good stuff! (By contrast there isn’t any calculus in the first three chapters.) I’m still looking for something beyond popular science books that’s not too technical.

Keywords

Free Download The Odd Quantum in PDF format
The Odd Quantum PDF Free Download
Download The Odd Quantum 1999 PDF Free
The Odd Quantum 1999 PDF Free Download
Download The Odd Quantum PDF
Free Download Ebook The Odd Quantum