Book Review: The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene
This book has done the best job of any other I've read of breaking down complicated physics topics and making them somewhat understandable (although there were still times I got lost). The author is a Colombia University professor who spoke at BYU last year. The book would be enjoyable for anybody with something of an interest in cosmology; however, the section on quantum mechanics is a must-read for everybody. Previously, the premises of quantum mechanics didn't seem that far-fetched to me (the whole bit about not knowing the particle's position and velocity simultaneously didn't strike me as that odd), but after he described it in different terms it took me a day to get over having my view of reality radically jolted. Highly recommended.
4 comments:
Dennis Packard has explored (and even cotaught a class) on quantum mechanics and then the philosophical application of it. I've always wanted to get more into that. So thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to read it in my spare time. :--)
Sounds interesting, in a nerdy sort of way.
How was your view of reality radically jolted? Can you tell me so I don't need to read the book? That's what brother-in-laws are for, right?
I don't know if I could adequately explain it. Basically, if you shoot a photon (a subatomic particle) one at a time through two slits running parallel to each other, the photon will take go through either one slit or another and form a light image of two slits on the paper behind it. However, if you shoot the proton and don't trace its path, then it acts like a wave and forms four light bars on the paper beneath. The photon changes how it reacts depending on how you're observing it. I don't know if I did an adequate job of explaining it. The book can provide more detail, but that's the main gist of it.
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