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Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different by Philip Ball
bigs2021's review against another edition
5.0
I have long wished for a book that could take a deep dive into the concepts of quantum physics but in a conversational/philosophical way rather than a mathematical one. Even if my math skills were up to snuff—they are not, I assure you!—it would still be useful to have a broader, more sophisticated interpretation. This book does exactly that. And, while fairly short, it is not THAT short, and really does a masterful job in pulling this off. It also showcases just how difficult this is to do!
taurustorus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
paulfwatts's review against another edition
5.0
I have had a keen but layman’s interest in the Quantum World for as long as I can remember, since first discovering the topic as a child in my set of children’s encyclopaedias.
While I don’t have the brain power, or the mathematical ability, to fully understand everything explained in this book there nevertheless have been some truly profound moments reading this book that have immensely enlarged my understanding of this topic.
In particular I have always been puzzled on how the quantum world can seemingly operate in such a radically different way to the “classical” view of the world we see around us and how the two can co-exist at the same time with such fundamentally different “views”.
The section on “decoherence” in this book was the lightbulb moment that built on everything before it and fully answered this question for me based on observable experiments (the scientific method).
This is one of those books that you need to keep reading, even if you don’t fully understand all that you have read. The nice thing is you are not alone on this as some of the greatest minds, including Einstein, have been at a loss to explain it.
This book opens the mind to so many possibilities and areas of exploration, in a scientific way, that transcends the physical science into the very nature of “reality” and the structure of space-time itself.
I’m truly in awe of some of the physical experiments that have been devised to demonstrate and prove these quantum concepts and the genius of the minds behind them as written about in this book.
If you are even remotely interested in this topic then I highly recommend reading this book.
While I don’t have the brain power, or the mathematical ability, to fully understand everything explained in this book there nevertheless have been some truly profound moments reading this book that have immensely enlarged my understanding of this topic.
In particular I have always been puzzled on how the quantum world can seemingly operate in such a radically different way to the “classical” view of the world we see around us and how the two can co-exist at the same time with such fundamentally different “views”.
The section on “decoherence” in this book was the lightbulb moment that built on everything before it and fully answered this question for me based on observable experiments (the scientific method).
This is one of those books that you need to keep reading, even if you don’t fully understand all that you have read. The nice thing is you are not alone on this as some of the greatest minds, including Einstein, have been at a loss to explain it.
This book opens the mind to so many possibilities and areas of exploration, in a scientific way, that transcends the physical science into the very nature of “reality” and the structure of space-time itself.
I’m truly in awe of some of the physical experiments that have been devised to demonstrate and prove these quantum concepts and the genius of the minds behind them as written about in this book.
If you are even remotely interested in this topic then I highly recommend reading this book.
heyehs's review against another edition
3.0
This was more accessible to me than Quantum Universe because it is more philosophical than equations. However, that is also what is wrong with this book. The philosophical thoughts are so winding that I lost interest along the way.
It does show Quantum Physics from a different angle and it took recent developments into account.
Quantum Universe is for understanding the basic math of quantum physics. Beyond Weird is showing a much more nuanced view where the scholars themselves don’t agree.
It does show Quantum Physics from a different angle and it took recent developments into account.
Quantum Universe is for understanding the basic math of quantum physics. Beyond Weird is showing a much more nuanced view where the scholars themselves don’t agree.
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
‘Beyond Weird’ is a popular introduction to Quantum Mechanics that is fairly accessible. It covers, among other things, uncertainty, entanglement, superposition, non- locality, measurement, and contextuality. It also explores the major different interpretations and the issues presently being discussed in the field. The whole thing is presented in broad strokes, which actually suited the lacking in a science background me down to the ground. Worth reading if you are interested in the subject.
jeffspurlock's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I thought it was great, and did a great job of illustrating what we can and cannot know about quantum systems via the schroedinger equation, and a means of thinking about why we can and cannot know these things. Also, one of the best explanations of quantum decoherence I've ever read. Ball makes it very clear where and why classical behavior emerges from quantum systems in a way that I have previously never been able to grasp as clearly. I knocked off one star because late in the book Ball makes a valiant effort to strike down the Everettians, and while I don't disagree with him, I don't think he did a good enough job making the case. I wasn't convinced by his argument, and I'm not even an ardent Everettian.
heydebigale's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Overall, I thought this book did a decent job describing some of the main concepts of quantum mechanics to a general audience.
I especially appreciated the discussion about the disconnect between the language we have available, language that was developed for trading of goods, and describing the macroscopic world around us… breaks down when trying to describe the principles of quantum mechanics.
“In quantum mechanics, the concepts defy the language we have to describe them.”
I also thought there were some nice analogies in this book that I hadn’t read or heard before—particularly the order of adding milk and tea yielding different results.
I wasn’t sure about Ball’s discussion about quantum mechanics being a theory about information. Ball wrote about quantum mechanics as if it is a empirical formula, but the Schrödinger equation can be broken down into first principles. At least specifically for the hydrogen atom.
The book primarily focused on the controversy around the Copenhagen interpretation… I was hoping to read more about applications of quantum mechanics.
One major issue I had was the glorification of known abuser Richard Feynman. Like I get it, he won the Nobel prize for this contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. But I just don’t really want to read about his “genius” without some critical reflection of the horrible person he was.
I also really disliked his whole passage about the old axiom of not being an expert unless you’re able to explain quantum mechanics to your grandmother. Like yeah, Ball said it was outdated, but maybe don’t mention it at all? It made me roll my eyes.
This book is a pretty accessible description of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. But, YMMV with the way certain principles were framed.
I especially appreciated the discussion about the disconnect between the language we have available, language that was developed for trading of goods, and describing the macroscopic world around us… breaks down when trying to describe the principles of quantum mechanics.
“In quantum mechanics, the concepts defy the language we have to describe them.”
I also thought there were some nice analogies in this book that I hadn’t read or heard before—particularly the order of adding milk and tea yielding different results.
I wasn’t sure about Ball’s discussion about quantum mechanics being a theory about information. Ball wrote about quantum mechanics as if it is a empirical formula, but the Schrödinger equation can be broken down into first principles. At least specifically for the hydrogen atom.
The book primarily focused on the controversy around the Copenhagen interpretation… I was hoping to read more about applications of quantum mechanics.
One major issue I had was the glorification of known abuser Richard Feynman. Like I get it, he won the Nobel prize for this contributions to the field of quantum mechanics. But I just don’t really want to read about his “genius” without some critical reflection of the horrible person he was.
I also really disliked his whole passage about the old axiom of not being an expert unless you’re able to explain quantum mechanics to your grandmother. Like yeah, Ball said it was outdated, but maybe don’t mention it at all? It made me roll my eyes.
This book is a pretty accessible description of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. But, YMMV with the way certain principles were framed.
gothwin's review against another edition
5.0
I was a bit hesitant about reading this book initially as I thought who needs yet another popular science book about quantum mechanics or the history of quantum mechanics. I decided to pick up a copy as Jim Al-Khalili gave it a glowing review.
The good news is that this isn't just another history of quantum mechanics, but a great up to date account of where quantum theory is today. There is a lot of focus on the interpretation of QM from Many Worlds, Copenhagen Interpretation etc. through to modern ideas around quantum information and quantum computing.
This is a really interesting read, but it isn't necessarily an easy read (coming from someone who did two quantum mechanics courses at degree level and two quantum field theory courses at masters level). It should appeal to mathematicians and physicists, but I would recommend the layperson reads the excellent [b: In Search of Schrodingers Cat|513367|In Search of Schrödinger's Cat Quantum Physics and Reality|John Gribbin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440464162s/513367.jpg|96418] first.
The good news is that this isn't just another history of quantum mechanics, but a great up to date account of where quantum theory is today. There is a lot of focus on the interpretation of QM from Many Worlds, Copenhagen Interpretation etc. through to modern ideas around quantum information and quantum computing.
This is a really interesting read, but it isn't necessarily an easy read (coming from someone who did two quantum mechanics courses at degree level and two quantum field theory courses at masters level). It should appeal to mathematicians and physicists, but I would recommend the layperson reads the excellent [b: In Search of Schrodingers Cat|513367|In Search of Schrödinger's Cat Quantum Physics and Reality|John Gribbin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440464162s/513367.jpg|96418] first.
slimikin's review against another edition
4.0
This is, I think, the book on quantum mechanics I've been wanting to read for 15 years—though my ability to embrace it may be due to my experience with the less-comprehensive titles I've read in the meantime. Superb, even if I did get snarled once or twice in Ball's explanations of experiments.
Interesting, though, how many shades of Kant and Wittgenstein I kept encountering. I'm not sure if that's because they've greatly influenced quantum physicists, Ball, or if I just saw them because I love them so much (in true what-I-measure-affects-what-I-see quantum style).
I also had the thought whilst reading that instead of us measuring the universe, perhaps the universe is measuring us...and trying all the time to tell us what it sees in ways we can comprehend.
Interesting, though, how many shades of Kant and Wittgenstein I kept encountering. I'm not sure if that's because they've greatly influenced quantum physicists, Ball, or if I just saw them because I love them so much (in true what-I-measure-affects-what-I-see quantum style).
I also had the thought whilst reading that instead of us measuring the universe, perhaps the universe is measuring us...and trying all the time to tell us what it sees in ways we can comprehend.
ybm's review against another edition
5.0
As someone with basically no science background, I understood probably about 20% of this book, but somehow still found it to be fascinating and thought provoking. If you're mathematically inept like me, Ball somehow manages to keep the math to the minimum and the difficult stuff interesting enough to want to make you figure it out.
A really engaging, if also challenging (albeit pleasantly so) introduction into quantum physics that I'm looking forward to diving in again once I find a better grasp of basic physics.
A really engaging, if also challenging (albeit pleasantly so) introduction into quantum physics that I'm looking forward to diving in again once I find a better grasp of basic physics.