On the Inside of a Marble: From Quantum Mechanics to the Big Bang (Astronomers’ Universe) by Gavin Bascom (PDF)

Description

Keeping in mind that we can only see the universe from the comfort of our home galaxy, Bascom begins his text by meticulously laying the necessary groundwork to understand the Big Bang’s mathematics without using any equations. He then paints a freeze-frame picture of our universe as if we had taken a three-dimensional picture with a giant camera. Within this picture, he traces forces beginning with the smallest (a single atom) to the biggest (the cosmos), keeping in mind that in this frozen moment everything further away from the observer spatially is also further away from the observer in time; that is, older. Soon a very real and very vivid image of the Big Bang appears (especially in things that are loud or hot), echoing down through time and into our everyday lives, reflected in every atom during every measurement. Then, slowly but deliberately, Bascom unfreezes this picture, ratcheting each moment from one to the next, showing us how and why quantum particles are constantly in contact with the Big Bang and why that allows the particles to pop in and out of existence from moment to moment, what a photon is, and what exactly we mean when we say that free space has energy.Whether you’re interested in the Big Bang, the weirdness of quantum mechanics, or simply enjoy thinking about the biggest, loudest, and oldest things in our universe, this book will help you question your deepest notions about time and space, while staying firmly rooted in empirical observation. Throughout the text, Bascom sidesteps traditional non-fiction modes, using colorful explanations and vivid imagery to place the reader in simultaneous contact with both the Big Bang and fundamental particles. As a result, Bascom provides the tools and language necessary to contemplate the strangeness of our universe.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From the Back Cover Keeping in mind that we can only see the universe from the comfort of our home galaxy, Bascom begins his text by meticulously laying the necessary groundwork to understand the Big Bang’s mathematics without using any equations. He then paints a freeze-frame picture of our universe as if we had taken a three-dimensional picture with a giant camera. Within this picture, he traces forces beginning with the smallest (a single atom) to the biggest (the cosmos), keeping in mind that in this frozen moment everything further away from the observer spatially is also further away from the observer in time; that is, older. Soon a very real and very vivid image of the Big Bang appears (especially in things that are loud or hot), echoing down through time and into our everyday lives, reflected in every atom during every measurement. Then, slowly but deliberately, Bascom unfreezes this picture, ratcheting each moment from one to the next, showing us how and why quantum particles are constantly in contact with the Big Bang and why that allows the particles to pop in and out of existence from moment to moment, what a photon is, and what exactly we mean when we say that free space has energy.Whether you’re interested in the Big Bang, the weirdness of quantum mechanics, or simply enjoy thinking about the biggest, loudest, and oldest things in our universe, this book will help you question your deepest notions about time and space, while staying firmly rooted in empirical observation. Throughout the text, Bascom sidesteps traditional non-fiction modes, using colorful explanations and vivid imagery to place the reader in simultaneous contact with both the Big Bang and fundamental particles. As a result, Bascom provides the tools and language necessary to contemplate the strangeness of our universe. About the Author Dr. Gavin Bascom received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, where he used quantum and Newtonian mechanics to model nucleic acids by computer simulation. He has since gone on to continue refining his skills in the arena of DNA simulation and statistical mechanics as a researcher at New York University. He has been an avid fan of the Big Bang and quantum mechanics since his teenage years, and many of the ideas presented in this book have been in development since then, honed and refined by his time working with simulation and quantum mechanics.

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

⭐The best guide to our quantum reality that a casual lover of philosophy, astrophysics, and all things in the universe from biggest to small could ever hope for. Eloquent to the max, and easily accessible to the untrained eye/ear/mind. Dr. Bascom untangles the mysteries of the universe in clear, illuminating language that is as much a visceral pleasure to read as it is to mull over the ideas and imagery contained within, as you inevitably will find yourself doing long after you put these pages down. A triumph of a debut. Looking forward to seeing what comes next from this talented author.

⭐Brilliant, and accessible to the lay reader. It will encourage you to find out more on your own. Bascom uses a light touch on a subject that could be unbearably heavy, and by doing so reveals a fundamental truth about Quantum Mechanics’ innate unpredictability. It’s no accident that Einstein was always suspicious of QM, saying, “God does not play dice with the universe”. Maybe so, but the dicey behavior of quantum particles is a rule unto itself, and a very revealing one about the sub-atomic universe.

⭐If you’re looking to have your intellectual bondaries pushed in a way they’ve never been before this book is for you.

⭐great read, interesting and provides a unique but clear description of quantum mechanics

⭐Great! Heavy, but good.

⭐Too wordy and not getting to the point………..somewhat boring for me and not a good read.

⭐I was never able to get into the narrative.

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