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Product: Book
ISBN-10: 0-553-34253-3
ISBN-13: 9780553342536
Publisher: Bantam Books
Country:
Year: August 1, 1984
Size: 13.46 x 20.95 x 2.44cm
Number of pages: 302
Weight: 277gr
Binding: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0-553-34253-3
ISBN-13: 9780553342536
Publisher: Bantam Books
Country:
Year: August 1, 1984
Size: 13.46 x 20.95 x 2.44cm
Number of pages: 302
Weight: 277gr
Binding: Paperback
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Amazon.com Review
Part history book and part remedial physics text for those who lost interest when the equations started getting unintuitive, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat explains quantum physics in a way that's not only clear, but also enjoyable.
Part history book and part remedial physics text for those who lost interest when the equations started getting unintuitive, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat explains quantum physics in a way that's not only clear, but also enjoyable.
Gribbin opens with the subjects that most physics professors have just started to examine at the end of the semester: The mysterious character of light, the valence concept in Nils Bohr's atomic model, radioactive decay, and the physics of life-defining DNA all get clear, comprehensive, and witty coverage. This book reveals the beauty and mystery that underlies everything in the universe.
Does this book claim to explain quantum physics without math? No. Math is too central to physics to be bypassed. But if you can do basic algebra, you can understand the equations in In Search of Schrödinger's Cat. Gribbin is the physics teacher everyone should have in high school or college: kind without being a pushover, knowledgeable without being condescending, and clearly expressive without being boring. Gribbin's book belongs on the shelf of every pre-calculus student. It also deserves a place in the library of everyone who was scared away from advanced physics prematurely.
reviews
It set the Standard for Future Books on Quantum Physics! 
In Search of Schrödinger's Cat was one of the few books for the layman on Quantum Physics in the early 1980s. It set the standard for future books on the subject. I read In Search of Schrödinger's Cat in 1984 and it knocked my socks off! Like many engineers I have been intrigued by quantum physics for some time. This book was one of my first exposures to that amazing world and it is still one of my all time favorites. Many days I would only read several pages (like sipping a fine wine) and then contemplate the amazing world of Quantum Physics that John Gribbin so eloquently explained. From Einstein's special theory of relativity to the big bang and parallel universes this book is a treasure of well written thoughts and ideas. He also covers Paradoxes and Possibilities, Beyond Einstein, Superconductors, Collapsing waves and much more. It is a great read! The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
In Search of Schrödinger's Cat was one of the few books for the layman on Quantum Physics in the early 1980s. It set the standard for future books on the subject. I read In Search of Schrödinger's Cat in 1984 and it knocked my socks off! Like many engineers I have been intrigued by quantum physics for some time. This book was one of my first exposures to that amazing world and it is still one of my all time favorites. Many days I would only read several pages (like sipping a fine wine) and then contemplate the amazing world of Quantum Physics that John Gribbin so eloquently explained. From Einstein's special theory of relativity to the big bang and parallel universes this book is a treasure of well written thoughts and ideas. He also covers Paradoxes and Possibilities, Beyond Einstein, Superconductors, Collapsing waves and much more. It is a great read! The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
Big Bang 
I bought this book because of something that was said on »Big Bang Theory«, the TV show. I was curious to find out what the differences might be between quantum mechanics and quantum physics. This book gives you a brief history of both and was worth reading. It was not so technical that it was beyond the understanding of someone NOT versed in calculus. If you are looking for some insight into either, I would recommend it.
I bought this book because of something that was said on »Big Bang Theory«, the TV show. I was curious to find out what the differences might be between quantum mechanics and quantum physics. This book gives you a brief history of both and was worth reading. It was not so technical that it was beyond the understanding of someone NOT versed in calculus. If you are looking for some insight into either, I would recommend it.
Terrible paper 
The quality of the paper just made imposible to finish the book. I think books will be around for ever, even with Kindle, PDF's, ebooks, etc. I love to make notes, arrows, use post-it's, underline … I'm a book fan, I like the feeling of a good quality book in my hands. This book, for the person who enjoys the »paper experience«, is hell. I couldn't even finish it. Have you left a book inside a car for days, during very sunny days? That's the feeling I get when trying to go through the pages. I've even decided I'm going to finish it. Ripping out every page and reading it separately. About the information inside the book: Have you seen a good movie with a neighbor's music incredibly high, your kids jumping around, the phone ringing, and a headache? The movie may be good, as this book may be good. But under those conditions (the paper quality or the situation presented before) there is no way you can enjoy it.
The quality of the paper just made imposible to finish the book. I think books will be around for ever, even with Kindle, PDF's, ebooks, etc. I love to make notes, arrows, use post-it's, underline … I'm a book fan, I like the feeling of a good quality book in my hands. This book, for the person who enjoys the »paper experience«, is hell. I couldn't even finish it. Have you left a book inside a car for days, during very sunny days? That's the feeling I get when trying to go through the pages. I've even decided I'm going to finish it. Ripping out every page and reading it separately. About the information inside the book: Have you seen a good movie with a neighbor's music incredibly high, your kids jumping around, the phone ringing, and a headache? The movie may be good, as this book may be good. But under those conditions (the paper quality or the situation presented before) there is no way you can enjoy it.
Confusing, verbose, and over-stuffed 
Gribbin's account of the Copenhagen interpretation is disjointed and unclear, and he tries to explain too many items of quantum exotica in too few pages. On the plus side, there are clear accounts of the »Many World's« interpretation, and the early history of Quantum Mechanics. His latest book devoted to Quantum Mechanics is »Q is for Quantum«, which is a great improvement on this book.
Gribbin's account of the Copenhagen interpretation is disjointed and unclear, and he tries to explain too many items of quantum exotica in too few pages. On the plus side, there are clear accounts of the »Many World's« interpretation, and the early history of Quantum Mechanics. His latest book devoted to Quantum Mechanics is »Q is for Quantum«, which is a great improvement on this book.
An easy, non-mathematical introduction to quantum mechanics
Since my freshman days at the University of Sarajevo, where I was studying Metallurgical Engineering, I have been quite a bit intrigued and extremely fascinated by the whole world of quantum mechanics. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat was one of very few popular science books published in the early 1980s on the subject of quantum mechanics. The title of the book refers to a famous thought experiment (paradox) devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger. The thought experiment presents a hypothetical cat that apparently can be simultaneously dead and alive (or neither dead nor alive), depending on an earlier random event, and assuming that the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics can be applied to everyday objects. For those of us who are not physicists, the book covers, in a rather accessible manner (especially in its first half), a number of key theories, ideas, and paradoxes such as the dual nature of light, the double-slit experiment, the structure and the inner workings of atoms, Plank's constant and its history and significance, the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics and its possible far-reaching philosophical implications, the Compton effect, the Copenhagen interpretation, etc. Often incorrectly depicted as just an experimental limitation, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (the central idea of quantum mechanics), is explained quite nicely (and I believe correctly) in this book. The author also gives a couple of great examples of the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics (e.g., Dirac's mathematical prediction of the existence of positrons, the electron's antiparticle). The author's style of writing is engaging and pleasant to read. The book is filled with relevant historic references, which I personally always find useful, as they help with putting everything in a right prospective and context. Even though it is thought provoking, the second half of the book, which deals with more speculative questions related to quantum mechanics (e.g., the many-worlds theory), is less satisfactory and less focused. I recommend this book as an easy, non-mathematical introduction to the basic concepts of quantum mechanics, arguably the most fascinating scientific theory ever formulated by human mind. To fully understand and truly appreciate quantum mechanics, however, one has to sharpen one's mathematical pencil and dig deep into vector algebra with all its eigenvectors and eigenvalues. There are no shortcuts. Thus, my caveat lector: advanced students will almost certainly learn nothing new of importance in this book.
Since my freshman days at the University of Sarajevo, where I was studying Metallurgical Engineering, I have been quite a bit intrigued and extremely fascinated by the whole world of quantum mechanics. In Search of Schrodinger's Cat was one of very few popular science books published in the early 1980s on the subject of quantum mechanics. The title of the book refers to a famous thought experiment (paradox) devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger. The thought experiment presents a hypothetical cat that apparently can be simultaneously dead and alive (or neither dead nor alive), depending on an earlier random event, and assuming that the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics can be applied to everyday objects. For those of us who are not physicists, the book covers, in a rather accessible manner (especially in its first half), a number of key theories, ideas, and paradoxes such as the dual nature of light, the double-slit experiment, the structure and the inner workings of atoms, Plank's constant and its history and significance, the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics and its possible far-reaching philosophical implications, the Compton effect, the Copenhagen interpretation, etc. Often incorrectly depicted as just an experimental limitation, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (the central idea of quantum mechanics), is explained quite nicely (and I believe correctly) in this book. The author also gives a couple of great examples of the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics (e.g., Dirac's mathematical prediction of the existence of positrons, the electron's antiparticle). The author's style of writing is engaging and pleasant to read. The book is filled with relevant historic references, which I personally always find useful, as they help with putting everything in a right prospective and context. Even though it is thought provoking, the second half of the book, which deals with more speculative questions related to quantum mechanics (e.g., the many-worlds theory), is less satisfactory and less focused. I recommend this book as an easy, non-mathematical introduction to the basic concepts of quantum mechanics, arguably the most fascinating scientific theory ever formulated by human mind. To fully understand and truly appreciate quantum mechanics, however, one has to sharpen one's mathematical pencil and dig deep into vector algebra with all its eigenvectors and eigenvalues. There are no shortcuts. Thus, my caveat lector: advanced students will almost certainly learn nothing new of importance in this book.
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last update: 3/21/2010
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