WHEN THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE GOES UP TO 11 : or how to explain quantum physics with heavy metal

There are deep and fascinating links between heavy metal and quantum physics. No, there are. Really. While teaching at the University of Nottingham, physicist Philip Moriarty noticed something odd—a surprising number of his students were heavily into metal music. Colleagues, too: a Venn diagram of physicists and metal fans would show a shocking amount of overlap. What’s more, it turns out that heavy metal music is uniquely well-suited to explaining quantum principles. In When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to Eleven, Moriarty explains the mysteries of the universe’s inner workings via drum beats and feedback: You’ll discover how the Heisenberg uncertainty principle comes into play with every chugging guitar riff, what wave interference has to do with Iron Maiden, and why metalheads in mosh pits behave just like molecules in a gas. If you’re a metal fan trying to grasp the complexities of quantum physics, a quantum physicist baffled by heavy metal, or just someone who’d like to know how the fundamental science underpinning our world connects to rock music, this book will take you, in the words of a pioneering Texas thrash band, to A New Level. For those who think quantum physics is too mind-bendingly complex to grasp, or too focused on the invisibly small to be relevant to our full-sized lives, this funny, fascinating book will show you that physics is all around us . . . and it rocks. CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Permanent Waves CHAPTER 2 Banging a Different Drum CHAPTER 3 From Fourier to Fear Factory CHAPTER 4 Running to Stand Still CHAPTER 5 A Quantum Leap: Thinking Inside the Box CHAPTER 6 Giants of the Infinitesimal CHAPTER 7 Uncertainty Blurs the Vision CHAPTER 8 Into Another Dimension CHAPTER 9 Into the Void CHAPTER 10 In and Out of Phase CHAPTER 11 Caught in a Mosh CONCLUSION And the Bands Played On . . . Appendix: The Maths of Metal Acknowledgments Index There are deep and fascinating links between heavy metal and quantum physics. No, really! While teaching at the University of Nottingham, physicist Philip Moriarty noticed something odd, a surprising number of his students were heavily into metal music. Colleagues, too: a Venn diagram of physicists and metal fans would show a shocking amount of overlap. What's more, it turns out that heavy metal music is uniquely well-suited to explaining quantum principles. In When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to Eleven , Moriarty explains the mysteries of the universe's inner workings via drum beats and feedback: You'll discover how the Heisenberg uncertainty principle comes into play with every chugging guitar riff, what wave interference has to do with Iron Maiden, and why metalheads in mosh pits behave just like molecules in a gas. If you're a metal fan trying to grasp the complexities of quantum physics, a quantum physicist baffled by heavy metal, or just someone who'd like to know how the fundamental science underpinning our world connects to rock music, this book will take you, in the words of Pantera, to "A New Level." For those who think quantum physics is too mind-bendingly complex to grasp, or too focused on the invisibly small to be relevant to our full-sized lives, this funny, fascinating book will show you that physics is all around us . . . and it rocks . Title Page......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 8 CHAPTER 1 Permanent Waves......Page 10 CHAPTER 2 Banging a Different Drum......Page 25 CHAPTER 3 From Fourier to Fear Factory......Page 45 CHAPTER 4 Running to Stand Still......Page 62 CHAPTER 5 A Quantum Leap: Thinking Inside the Box......Page 84 CHAPTER 6 Giants of the Infinitesimal......Page 109 CHAPTER 7 Uncertainty Blurs the Vision......Page 145 CHAPTER 8 Into Another Dimension......Page 181 CHAPTER 9 Into the Void......Page 209 CHAPTER 10 In and Out of Phase......Page 231 CHAPTER 11 Caught in a Mosh......Page 262 CONCLUSION And the Bands Played On . . .......Page 289 Appendix: The Maths of Metal......Page 296 Acknowledgments......Page 312 Index......Page 315 About the Author......Page 339 Popular physicist uses principles of heavy metal music to explain concepts in quantum physics in both a fun and informative way.