Erwin Schrodinger and the Quantum Revolution 1st Edition by John Gribbin (PDF)

Description

A lively, fascinating biography of the father of quantum mechanics by the bestselling author of the science classic, In Search of SchrÖdinger’s CatErwin SchrÖdinger, best known for his famous “SchrÖdinger’s Cat” paradox, is one of the most famous physicists of the early twentieth century and a member of a new generation of quantum physicists, including Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac, and Niels Bohr. Yet SchrÖdinger’s scientific discoveries only scratch the surface of what makes him so fascinating. More rumpled than Einstein, a devotee of eastern religion and philosophy, and infamous for his alternative lifestyle, his major contribution to physics—and the work for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1933—was to some extent a disappointment to him. Regardless, SchrÖdinger’s masterpiece became an important part of the new physics of his time. This book tells the story of SchrÖdinger’s surprisingly colorful life during one of the most fertile and creative moments in the history of science.The first accessible, in-depth biography of the Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist Erwin SchrÖdingerTakes you into the heart of the quantum revolution and explains the captivating world of quantum mechanics, which underpins all of modern scienceWritten by bestselling author John Gribbin, one of today’s greatest popular science writers whose other books include In Search of SchrÖdinger’s Cat , In Search of the Multiverse, and Alone in the Universe

User’s Reviews

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

⭐Anyone familiar with John Gribbin’s earlier books knows what a terrific science writer he is. This 2013 biography of Schrödinger is no exception. The writing is clear and extremely well-organized, especially given the complexity of the material. The book is hard to put down.All of Schrödinger’s genius as well as his personal life are spelled out. Gribbin points out that the milieu of Germany and Austria in the late 1920’s and early 30’s made the idea of an “open marriage” much more acceptable. This is certainly true and Schrödinger and his wife took full advantage of that. His wife had a long-term open affair with Hermann Weyl and Schrödinger had multiple affairs with married women, even, much to the horror of Oxford, going out publicly with his “second” wife (who was also married to someone else). What is disconcerting about Schrödinger’s personal life wasn’t his relationship with other adult women but his penchant for teenage girls, especially young ones. In one case, starting when the girl was 14 with consummation at 17, the girl became pregnant and had an abortion and Gribbin says it is likely that her later miscarriages and inability to have children were related to that. In another case, his best friend’s niece was 12 and Schrödinger had to be warned off by her uncle. Yet the uncle and Schrödinger remained best friends! Schrödinger was an incredible mix of scientific genius, social charm, superb teacher and lecturer, devotee of Eastern religions, and a man who never ceased “falling in love” with other girls and women. What is surprising (and disturbing) given Schrödinger’s other great strengths in human relationships is the lack of empathy or understanding on his part of the power relationship that existed between the famous physicist and young teenagers and his lack of concern about the potential negative effect on their lives. I know this is an analysis of morals done from a different time and place. But I found it disturbing nonetheless, especially given Schrödinger’s many positive traits.The above does not at all imply that this book is some sort of personal exposé of Schrödinger. The vast majority of it is about his invaluable contributions to the quantum revolution. Schrödinger had a fundamentally different view than the “Copenhagen interpretation.” Schrodinger’s wave equation has proven to be one of the foundations of the discipline. One of the strengths of the book is Gribbin’s explanation of how Schrödinger’s interpretation has come to be more accepted and how it relates to ideas like multiple universes and the strange fact of nonlocality in quantum physics. As with everything Gribbin writes, his explanations are exceptionally good. He uses analogies and examples to clarify points. He is able to take the reader along with him, never talking down to the reader and always respecting the reader’s intelligence. The book covers the key ideas of quantum physics discussed in his previous books but here they are set into historical context. This is first-rate science writing.We’ve had Gribbin’s In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat and Schrödinger’s Kittens and the Search for Reality. Here we just have Schrödinger with all his strengths and flaws. I recommend this book in the strongest terms for anyone interested in the history of 20th century science. It is both a scientific and biographical tour de force that any educated reader will find compelling.

⭐Decent amount of popular physics and a fascinating subject. Manageable at only 300 pages. But covers the whole story.

⭐Erwin Schrodinger and the Quantum Revolution serves a few purposes for the interested reader. It details his personal history starting with family background as well as gives a history of quantum theory’s evolution, both its physics and philosophy. The biography is fairly detailed and specific and goes into issues that would be considered very personal and is the stronger part of the book. The physics and philosophy is not particularly strong on a relative basis for those interested in a description for the non physicist.The book starts by giving the family history of Erwin’s parents and their history and details of the family tree. It gives his history as a boy and describes his academic excellence in the sciences. The book then moves onto classical physics and in particular Newtons classical mechanics and Maxwell’s electricity and magnetism. The book alternates between the biography of Schrodinger and the evolution of quantum physics. The author jumps back into Schrodingers life and his part in the army during the first world war and then his subsequent journey back into academics. The first discoveries in quantum physics are then discussed, in particular Bohr, Planck and Einstein’s early critical discoveries. Schrodingers academic career in Switzerland is then reviewed and the early romances of Erwin are detailed. Back to the physics the author describes the Heisenberg discoveries of matrix mechanics. We then go back and discuss Schrodinger’s wave equation and the philosophy of the Copenhagen consensus which involves the collapsing wave function. The inheritance of Planck’s chair in Berlin by Schrodinger is given to the reader and the author details Erwin’s professional progress and growing eminence. The details of the politics of the Nobel prize are given as well as Schrodinger’s journeys around the continents in varied academic institutions. The thought experiment of Schrodinger’s cat is introduced and the seeming absurdity of it is discussed. His later years are included with the same focus as the younger and the evolving debate on the philosophy of quantum physics continues to be present throughout all the way until his final years when biology and genetic theories were being floated by Schrodinger. Finally the author spends some time on hidden variables quantum theories and quantum computing.Schrodinger is scene to be an extremely colorful character with an incredible propensity for infidelity. His personal, romantic side is truly shocking in how cavalier he was throughout his life but it is interesting to read about. The physics is there but not well detailed and the author refers to his other books for reference too often which feels a bit like advertising. This is easy to read and informative for the biography but comparing this to the recent biography of Dirac for example, the quality of this is severely lacking. I dont regret reading it but i felt it was lacking in completeness in the physics which the author chose to focus on. Had it been purely biographical then i would be less judgemental.

⭐This is a biography both about Schrödinger and not about him at the same time. It is a jaunty re-reexamination of quantum physics from its inception in 1900 to the modern threshold of entanglement and quantum computing. What it is not is a comprehensive examination of Erwin Schrödinger, who, for large portions of the book, is forgotten. In fairness, the title is Erwin Schrödinger and the Quantum Revolution, so the decision to use Schrödinger as an accent rather than the focus of a true biography was so stated. Still, I felt Schrödinger deserves better. The fact that he was a conscientious diarist his entire life suggests there is an abundance of materials for the 900 page biography of his scientific accomplishments, philosophical outlook, diverse commentary, experiences, and futuristic speculation deserve. While Erwin’s personal side is not entirely ignored (sordid a bit at times as it may have been), this is not at the level of an Einstein or Oppenheimer biography, for example. I’m a great admirer of Gribbin, having enjoyed many of his books, especially those dealing with the founding of physics, the Royal Society and so on, but I feel he should have shifted gears here and approached this as biography and not as yet another summation of events oft told. He is the right author to do it. Not without merit, but a bit too much of a recycled effort. Photos would have been nice.

⭐This book was an absolute pleasure to read! For a biography, John Gribbins gets the narrative just right between the fascinating and colourful life of Schroedinger, combined with that of his academic achievements. I found the description of the relationships between the great physists of the time particularly interesting. John skilfully brings the book to a close with accounts of the legacy that Schroedinger has left behind……. with an unexpected twist in the tale at the end…..very satisfying.

⭐This book is more than all about Erwin Schrodinger but also of his contemporaries plus the history of how quantum mechanics had evolved. As usual, John Gribbin delivered this book in his unique style of writing. Very enjoyable to read!

⭐Well written and entertaining. John Gribbin successfully portrays Shrodinger’s enthusiasm, energy and zest for life, and successfully describes his role in the early development of quantum mechanics. A really good read.

⭐This book is more a biography of Scrodinger and his companions with a some quantum explanations tacked on. It has a few interesting observations but doesn’t offer any great insights into the obscurities of the quantum world (but what does?).

⭐This book is very well written, being easy to read and to understand- particularly if you have a basic knowledge of atomic particles.

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