Where does the weirdness go? : why quantum mechanics is strange, but not as strange as you think

Few revolutions in science have been more far-reaching -- but less understood -- than the quantum revolution in physics. Everyday experience cannot prepare us for the sub-atomic world, where quantum effects become all-important. Here, particles can look like waves, and vice versa; electrons seem to lose their identity and instead take on a shifting, unpredictable appearance that depends on how they are being observed; and a single photon may sometimes behave as if it could be in two places at once. In the world of quantum mechanics, uncertainty and ambiguity become not just unavoidable, but essential ingredients of science -- a development so disturbing that to Einstein "it was as if God were playing dice with the universe." And there is no one better able to explain the quantum revolution as it approaches the century mark than David Lindley. He brings the quantum revolution full circle, showing how the familiar and trustworthy reality of the world around us is actually a consequence of the ineffable uncertainty of the subatomic quantum world -- the world we can't see. Few Revolutions In Science Have Been More Far-reaching - But Less Understood - Than The Quantum Revolution In Physics. Everyday Experience Cannot Prepare Us For The Strange Phenomena Of The Subatomic World, Where Quantum Effects Become All Important. Here, Particles Can Look Like Waves, And Vice Versa; Electrons Seem To Lose Their Identity And Instead Take On A Shifting, Unpredictable Appearance That Depends On How They Are Being Observed; And A Single Photon May Sometimes Behave As If It Could Be In Two Places At Once. In The World Of Quantum Mechanics, Uncertainty And Ambiguity Become Not Just Unavoidable, But Essential Ingredients Of Science. But Then Comes An Even More Disturbing Thought: When We Look At The World Around Us, Why Do We Not See The Quantum Weirdness That Pervades Its Most Fundamental Structure? If The Familiar World Of Everyday Experience Is Built From Ambiguous And Unreliable Subatomic Ingredients, How Can It Be As Solid, Dependable, And Predictable As We Know It To Be? David Lindley Explains How Physicists Are Finally Beginning To Find An Answer To The Most Perplexing Question Of All: How Does Our Newtonian World Arise From Its Quantum Foundations? With That Understanding, Lindley Brings The Quantum Revolution Full Circle, Showing How The Familiar And Trustworthy Reality Of The World Around Us Is Actually A Consequence Of The Ineffable Uncertainty Of The Subatomic Quantum World - The World We Can't See. Not Just Electrons. -enter The Photon. -particle Or Wave? -learning To Live With Uncertainty. -whose Reality Is The Real Reality? -what Does Determinism Mean, Anyway? -the Possibility Of Simultaneity. -the One True Paradox. -can A Quantum Superposition Be Seen? -a Brief Digression About Time. David Lindley. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 227-240) And Index. Few revolutions in science have been more far-reaching—but less understood—than the quantum revolution in physics. Everyday experience cannot prepare us for the sub-atomic world, where quantum effects become all-important. Here, particles can look like waves, and vice versa; electrons seem to lose their identity and instead take on a shifting, unpredictable appearance that depends on how they are being observed; and a single photon may sometimes behave as if it could be in two places at once. In the world of quantum mechanics, uncertainty and ambiguity become not just unavoidable, but essential ingredients of science—a development so disturbing that to Einstein ”it was as if God were playing dice with the universe.” And there is no one better able to explain the quantum revolution as it approaches the century mark than David Lindley. He brings the quantum revolution full circle, showing how the familiar and trustworthy reality of the world around us is actually a consequence of the ineffable uncertainty of the subatomic quantum world—the world we can’t see.

The author of The End of Physics--with over 20,000 copies sold in hardcover and paperback--now presents a short, intelligently written, and fun guide to quantum physics that fully explains the strange and seemingly spooky effects that manifest themselves at the subatomic level.

Demystifies the aspects of quantum physics that seem to defy common sense, demonstrating how quantum mechanics reliably and accurately predicts the behavior of particles and explaining why subatomic effects are never seen From the days of Newton and Descartes up until the end of the nineteenth century, physicists had constructed an increasingly elaborate but basically mechanical view of the world.