Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World
(OverDrive MP3 Audiobook, OverDrive Listen)
But enter the world of the tiniest particles on earth-the motion of electrons, the shapes of molecules-and everything we think we know about the world radically changes. To understand what's really happening in the world around us, to comprehend the mysterious, counterintuitive science of the small, we must take a quantum theory view of nature.
Like no other book before it, Absolutely Small makes the inherently challenging field of quantum theory understandable to nonscientists, without oversimplifying and without bogging down in complicated math. Written by an award-winning professor at Stanford University, the book uses clear explanations and real-world examples instead of dense equations to help you understand:
In the tradition of Stephen Hawking and Lewis Thomas, but without the rigorous mathematical requirements, Absolutely Small demystifies the fascinating realm of quantum physics and chemistry, complete with compelling accounts of the scientists and experiments that helped form our current understanding of quantum matter. Challenging without being intimidating, accessible but not condescending, Absolutely Small develops your intuition for the nature of things at their smallest and most intriguing level.
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Michael D Fayer. (2010). Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World. Unabridged Ascent Audio.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Michael D Fayer. 2010. Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World. Ascent Audio.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Michael D Fayer, Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World. Ascent Audio, 2010.
MLA Citation (style guide)Michael D Fayer. Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World. Unabridged Ascent Audio, 2010.
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- Our intuition about how things should behave is usually right in the everyday world. We see the baseball soar in the air, arc, drop, and lie stationary on the ground. Through data gathered by our senses and basic knowledge of the laws of classical mechanics, the motion of a ball makes perfect sense.
But enter the world of the tiniest particles on earth-the motion of electrons, the shapes of molecules-and everything we think we know about the world radically changes. To understand what's really happening in the world around us, to comprehend the mysterious, counterintuitive science of the small, we must take a quantum theory view of nature.
Like no other book before it, Absolutely Small makes the inherently challenging field of quantum theory understandable to nonscientists, without oversimplifying and without bogging down in complicated math. Written by an award-winning professor at Stanford University, the book uses clear explanations and real-world examples instead of dense equations to help you understand:
- Why strawberries are red and blueberries are blue
- How particles can change from "mixed states" to "pure states" based solely on observation
- How a single photon can be in two places at the same time
- Why quantum matter sometimes acts like particles, and other times like waves
- Why a piece of metal will glow red when it is hot, and turn blue when it's even hotter
- What makes salt dissolve in water, while oil does not, and much more In the tradition of Stephen Hawking and Lewis Thomas, but without the rigorous mathematical requirements, Absolutely Small demystifies the fascinating realm of quantum physics and chemistry, complete with compelling accounts of the scientists and experiments that helped form our current understanding of quantum matter. Challenging without being intimidating, accessible but not condescending, Absolutely Small develops your intuition for the nature of things at their smallest and most intriguing level.
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- source: — Leonard Susskind, Professor of Physics, Stanford University; author of The Black Hole War: My Battle With Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics (Professor Susskind is widely regarded as one of the fathers of string theory.)
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"There are a few books that I always keep near at hand, and constantly come back to. The Feynman Lectures on Physics and Dirac's classic textbook on quantum mechanics are among them. Michael Fayer's wonderful new book, Absolutely Small, is about to join them. Whether you are a scientist or just curious about how the world works, this is the book for you."
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July 19, 2010
How a photon can be in two places at once is just one of the conundrums of quantum physics that Fayer (Elements of Quantum Mechanics) helps to unravel. The Stanford University Professor of Chemistry provides a roadmap for non-scientific readers who wish to understand the subject but lack advanced mathematical training. Fayer's belief that our everyday experiences "teach us to think in terms of classical physics" helps him easily breach the leap from playing ball to understanding how the earth orbits the sun. But because what we learn as children "prepares us to view nature in a manner that is fundamentally wrong," most people are at a loss when probing seemingly simple questions: "Why are cherries red and blueberries blue?" While the large objects treated in classical physics can be measured without appreciable disturbance, the same is not true at the quantum level. We may take the color and size of fruit for granted, but Fayer illustrates the ways in which "the natural world is driven by quantum phenomena" with a serious, accessible treatment of a complex and fascinating subject.
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- Our intuition about how things should behave is usually right in the everyday world. We see the baseball soar in the air, arc, drop, and lie stationary on the ground. Through data gathered by our senses and basic knowledge of the laws of classical mechanics, the motion of a ball makes perfect sense. But enter the world of the tiniest particles on earth-the motion of electrons, the shapes of molecules-and everything we think we know about the world radically changes. To understand what's really happening in the world around us, to comprehend the mysterious, counterintuitive science of the small, we must take a quantum theory view of nature. Like no other book before it, Absolutely Small makes the inherently challenging field of quantum theory understandable to nonscientists, without oversimplifying and without bogging down in complicated math. Written by an award-winning professor at Stanford University, the book uses clear explanations and real-world examples instead of dense...
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