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The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen by Brian Cox, Jeffrey R. Forshaw
panireads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
fast-paced
4.0
A bit hard to follow atvtimes, butva clear explanation og QED and QFT as currently viewed. The book is a little behind the latest science ( the Higgs boson finding) but the explanations are clear enough. Warning : Hard math in the final pages
edrumsey's review against another edition
3.0
Although an interesting read, the ways of explaining the mechanics of quantum were somewhat confusing and I felt that some chapters could have just been a paragraph long.
naomi_hyde's review against another edition
4.0
This was an incredibly fascinating yet baffling book. I am quite ashamed to admit that I was confused by Chapter 3! The concept of tiny clocks as a method of understanding quantum waves was so abstract and unusual that I frequently had to remind myself what the clocks were actually representing. Nevertheless, I was perpetually amazed and astonished by the insights into the quantum world that this book elucidated, and I thoroughly enjoyed being forced out of my comfort zone, and having my perspectives challenged continuously.
By the end of the book, I was mentally exhausted (and physically exhausted from concentrating so hard!) yet I learnt a lot of new concepts and I have become more open to new ideas and abstract ways of thinking.
The authors were brilliant. One of the best things about this book was how the authors fused humour and science so that the novel was not like reading a dull, monotonous textbook, but more like talking to a knowledgeable, comprehensible friend. This increased my understanding of certain concepts and held my attention avidly.
Lastly, I absolutely loved the epilogue; it brought together all the ideas learnt throughout the book to demonstrate how these quantum theories can contribute to the understanding of the universe. That, to me, is why science is so wonderful and beautiful.
By the end of the book, I was mentally exhausted (and physically exhausted from concentrating so hard!) yet I learnt a lot of new concepts and I have become more open to new ideas and abstract ways of thinking.
The authors were brilliant. One of the best things about this book was how the authors fused humour and science so that the novel was not like reading a dull, monotonous textbook, but more like talking to a knowledgeable, comprehensible friend. This increased my understanding of certain concepts and held my attention avidly.
Lastly, I absolutely loved the epilogue; it brought together all the ideas learnt throughout the book to demonstrate how these quantum theories can contribute to the understanding of the universe. That, to me, is why science is so wonderful and beautiful.
anthonyperrett's review against another edition
2.0
First, a disclaimer. I have a degree in Physics so have studied Quantum Mechanics (QM) at degree level. Therefore I didn't read this as a lay person (it's intended target audience), so YMMV.
I was hoping that if anyone could make QM accessible to the layman it would be Prof. Brain Cox. Sadly, in my opinion, this isn't the case.
The book starts with a brief history of the beginning of the subject (which I found interesting), but when the author starts to describe the actual theory things start to unravel. In what I assume is an attempt to reduce the amount of maths in the book, he uses a 'clock system' to try and explain the theory. To my mind trying to explain it this way made no sense - if you don't have a solid understanding of the basics of the subject then you stand no chance of understanding the harder stuff once you reach it, and to truly understand the basics you need to understand the maths.
Approximately half way through the clock system is retired and maths starts to assert itself. I could almost hear the author think 'hmmm, this clock thing isn't really working, I'm going to have to start using maths'. However by then I think it's too little too late.
It wasn't all bad though; I enjoyed the last chapter on the death of stars. However overall this book reinforced my opinion that it's not possible to understand QM without a suitable high level understanding of maths (despite how elitist that may sound!).
I was hoping that if anyone could make QM accessible to the layman it would be Prof. Brain Cox. Sadly, in my opinion, this isn't the case.
The book starts with a brief history of the beginning of the subject (which I found interesting), but when the author starts to describe the actual theory things start to unravel. In what I assume is an attempt to reduce the amount of maths in the book, he uses a 'clock system' to try and explain the theory. To my mind trying to explain it this way made no sense - if you don't have a solid understanding of the basics of the subject then you stand no chance of understanding the harder stuff once you reach it, and to truly understand the basics you need to understand the maths.
Approximately half way through the clock system is retired and maths starts to assert itself. I could almost hear the author think 'hmmm, this clock thing isn't really working, I'm going to have to start using maths'. However by then I think it's too little too late.
It wasn't all bad though; I enjoyed the last chapter on the death of stars. However overall this book reinforced my opinion that it's not possible to understand QM without a suitable high level understanding of maths (despite how elitist that may sound!).
srreid's review
3.0
A lot heavier on the maths, and frequently talking about clocks was a bit above my intelligence level to be able to follow. As such I didn't enjoy this as much as e=mc^2.
bethlovescake's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I've given this book a lower rating more because I don't believe I am the target demographic of the book and based off my enjoyment of the book, not at all regarding the quality.
It was incredibly detailed but unfortunately I don't feel this is suitable for the casual reader with little to no knowledge of Quantum Physics. A lot of the in-depth mathematics and explanations didn't really sink in.
With that being said it was very interesting and after a few more read throughs and reading similar books I'm sure I could pick up the finer details in time.
It was incredibly detailed but unfortunately I don't feel this is suitable for the casual reader with little to no knowledge of Quantum Physics. A lot of the in-depth mathematics and explanations didn't really sink in.
With that being said it was very interesting and after a few more read throughs and reading similar books I'm sure I could pick up the finer details in time.
mxd's review against another edition
3.0
This book. What a frustrating experience. Because some of the material in this was familiar from other places, like the BBC2 lecture thing Cox presented some weeks back, I could understand some of what was in this book, but unfortunately, it was just enough to be able to grasp that I was missing a lot! Ideas formed in my head, but very often they never quite came to fruition. The book became an increasingly difficult read as it went on, but I enjoyed it enough to glean what I could. And I enjoyed it enough to feel a terrible regret about my ability to understand not quite stretching as far as I wanted it to.
I'm not entirely sure if this is written for the science-literate or the layperson, all I know is it left me behind at some point, as well as leaving me feeling a little thick.
So, three stars of limited understanding for a probable five star read.
I'm not entirely sure if this is written for the science-literate or the layperson, all I know is it left me behind at some point, as well as leaving me feeling a little thick.
So, three stars of limited understanding for a probable five star read.