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Editorial Review Product Description
Revealing recent developments in quantum theory that are radically transforming our reality, a scientist demystifies quantum physics and explains the fundamental riddle of quantum mechanics--why a single photon can be seen going in two directions at once. 30,000 first printing.Amazon.com Review
Astrophysicist John Gribbin first introduced the generalpublic to the world of quantum physics in 1984 with his book In Search ofSchrödinger's Cat. A dizzying, counterintuitive domain,the quantum world is so strange that Richard Feynman, the greatestphysicist of his time, admitted, "nobody understands quantumphysics." Science has not stood still in the years since In Search ofSchrödinger's Cat was written, and in this new book, Gribbinbrings us up to speed on the latest developments. New interpretivemodels have been put forth about the nature of particles and light;experimental evidence has turned over many of the basic precepts ofthe Copenhagen interpretation, which says that until it is observed,the subatomic world exists only as a probability wave, lacking anyobjective reality independent of observation. The new models offer notonly a paradigm independent of an observer, but also begin to unitequantum phenomena with relativity and Newtonian mechanics. This isnot to say that the quantum realm has become morecomprehensible. With particles existing simultaneously as particlesand waves, feedback loops, and waves that move forward and backward intime, the quantum world is still a strange, strange place; it's just alittle less solipsistic. As in his previous books, Gribbin deftly translates the abstrusemathematics of these new theories into a highly readable narrativethat informs as it entertains. Schrödinger's Kittens and theSearch for Reality is a book that can be enjoyed by expert andlayman alike. ... Read more Customer Reviews (33) 
We Found The Cat ... Now Where Is The Rest?
I found this book to be written well, easy to read, but hard to get into.Figuring out where the book is taking you, besides a description of relativity and quantum behaviors, was hard.I found the over all book to be interesting, if you were to not know anything about relativity, but having studied it ... well I would have thought that a bit of humor or something was in order.Great for the non-physicist out there.
An excellent review of quantum physics and reality
This is one of the best books I have read that reviews both classical and quantum physics to explain the nature of physical reality. Although somewhat outdated, it describes all major schools of thoughts (interpretations) of quantum reality in layman's terms with comparisons and numerous references to the work of other authors. Although this is written for a general reader; it requires some knowledge of undergraduate level physics.
The physics of reality revealed by the quantum physics centers on two facts; wave - particle duality of matter, and the results of Thomas Young's double slit experiments. Several schools of thought originated to interpret reality based on this observation; most notable is the Copenhagen interpretation. According to this interpretation, the particle wave spreads throughout the universe, and it could appear anywhere in the universe until it is observed. The very act of observing the wave make wave functions to collapse as a particle at the point of observation (detection), and it will be observed at that location with certainty. But as soon as we stop looking at the wave, then probability wave leaks from that location and spreads to the universe, hence we are unable to predict the path of the wave from one point of detection to the next moment in time. The particles know more about the world than just the immediate locality, which is strange in terms of human perception of day-to-day reality dictated by classical laws of physics. The main contention is the human observer determines if the particle behaves like wave or particle and it is impossible to determine the physical state (wave or particle) prior to the measurements. In essence, matter at the most fundamental level is unreal until it is observed by a human being. The Copenhagen school of thought offers a holistic view of quantum world. Another feature of the quantum world is that wave and particle states are complimentary properties; that is both states can not exist at the same time but matter could be either in one or the other state. This is due to the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle which states that the momentum of a quantum object and its position can not be measured at the same time. This is not measurement problem but due to quantum uncertainty because the position refers to the particle nature as it will have a definite existence, but the momentum is a measure of wave nature of the object moving in a certain direction at a definite speed. Thus complementarities results directly from this principle.
John Gribbin explores the absurdity of Copenhagen interpretation to explain the outcome of athought (Schrodinger's kittens) experiment to explain quantum entanglement, and whether a human observer is essential to crystallize quantum reality. Bell's inequality and Aspect's experiment show that entangled quantum entities behave as one system no matter which interpretation is used. The instantaneous nature of feedback in the entanglement of quantum particles is explained by Wheeler - Feynman model of electromagnetic radiation, which has two sets of solutions to Maxwell's equations. One set of solutions, the common sense solution describes waves moving outward from an accelerated charged particle and forward in time. The second set of waves describes waves travelling backwards in time and converging on to the charged particle. When proper allowance is made for both sets of waves interacting with all charged particles in the universe most of the complexity cancels out leaving only the familiar common sense (retarded) waves to carry electromagnetic influences from one particle to another. As a result of these interactions each individual charged particle is instantaneously aware of its position in relation to all other charged particles in the universe. The waves must also move backwards in time (advanced waves) so that they provide feedback at the source of wave production so that every particle in the universe is an integral part of the whole electromagnetic web. Wheeler - Feynman theory provides for particle here and now to know about the past and future states of the universe. John Cramer extended these equations to Schrodinger's wave equations. John Cramer's transactional interpretation states this; when an electron vibrates it attempts to radiate by producing a field which is a time-symmetric mixture of retarded wave propagating into the future, and advanced wave going into the past atemporally. In Cramer's words the emitter can be considered to produce an offer wave travelling to the absorber, this in turn returns a confirmation wave backwards to the emitter and the transaction is compete with a handshake. In reality this sequence of events is atemporal it all happens at once. In this, there is no need to assign a special status to the observer. The dramatic success in resolving the puzzles of quantum physics is at the expense of accepting just one idea that the quantum wave can travel backwards through time. On the positive note that it doesn't violate cause-effect reality because cause can not exist if there is no effect in the transactional interpretation. In addition, the freedom of will prevails in physical reality without being bogged down technicality of quantum laws.
1. In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
2. The Origins of the Future: Ten Questions for the Next Ten Years
3. The Matter Myth: Dramatic Discoveries that Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality
4. Quantum Reality: Beyond the New Physics
5. Quantum Physics: Illusion or Reality? (Canto)
6. Quantum Physics: A Beginner's Guide
7. Quantum Physics: A First Encounter: Interference, Entanglement, and Reality
8. Science and Ultimate Reality: Quantum Theory, Cosmology, and Complexity
9. The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes and Its Implications
10. Timeless Reality : Symmetry, Simplicity, and Multiple Universes
Inadequate presentation of the main interpretations of quantum mechanics
This book is all over the place. For instance, it contains a useful potted history of light from ancient Greeks times, an interesting discussion of whether physics provides us with direct knowledge of reality or just models of it, and a nice discussion on the use of analogies. But the title suggests it is going to give us useful insights into quantum reality, and in that it does not succeed. The quantum story is lost in the technicolor fog of the other material that Gribbin explores.
In this sequel to his equally foggy first book on quantum mechanics, Gribbin (mostly) dismisses the many World interpretation that he supported in his prequel. He now (kind of) pushes "Cramer's transactional interpretation".
Cramer's what? You might well ask. Cramer has hardly set the world of physics on fire. Gribbin himself seems half hearted about Cramer's interpretation. He sets up a nasty (thought!) experiment for the kittens to endure, and puts off explaining it for 150 pages This is a very clunky attempt to build suspense, and a quick and dirty way to insert the filler material. He gets back to the kitten experiment in the last few pages, produces a far too hurried explanation of it, and produces a real damp squib of a finish.
Throughout, Gribbin dismisses the Copenhagen interpretation without sufficient explanation. It's essential, in a book of this nature, to give the best account of your main opposition. Then you dismantle it using your best arguments against it. Gribbin doesn't do this, he just dismisses Copenhagen and gets on with the "gosh, wow" stuff. The lay reader deserves to be treated better.
Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh with two stars, the philosophical and historical stuff was quite good and well written. But the book fails to deliver on the promise of the title, the promise of explaining quantum mechanics properly so that the lay reader can see how it impacts on his or her vision of reality. Unforgivable.
My Head Spun Afterwards...but it was a Good Spin!
Schrödinger's Kittens picks up ten years later in 1994 from where John Gribbin's book from 1984: "In Search of Schrödinger's Cat" left off.
I had thoroughly enjoyed reading In Search of Schrödinger's Cat and had high expectations for Schrödinger's Kittens when I read it. My expectations were far exceeded!
John Gribbin states in the preface:"For the first time since quantum theory emerged in the 1920s, it is possible say with some confidence what quantum theory means.And if the isn't a good enough reason for writing a book, I don't know what is!"The remainder of the book does a great job of delivering on what quantum physics means.
The book covers such fascinating subjects as: Maxwell's amazing equations, The strange theory of light and matter, The man who taught Einstein to count electrons, An experiment with time and Shaking hands with the universe.
The last chapter (or should I say crescendo) of the book was my favorite.It is called:The Solution-A myth for our times. It gets very heavy, but absolutely fascinating when it explains what Einstein called: Spooky Action at a distance.This made my head spin for days afterwards...but it was a good spin!
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
OK, but Gribbin's In Search of Schrodingers Cat is Better.
This is an OK stand-alone book, but it is better if one has read its prequel, In search of Schrodinger's Cat. This book was written ten years after the previous book, but covers much the same ground.The first 100 pages or so of this present book cover classical physics and modern physics, almost all of which was developed before the first book was written.It is focused on light, whereas the first part of Schrodinger's Cat was focused on the history of the development of quantum mechanics. Schrodinger's Kittens then spends another 100 or so pages on experimental results (most of which were obtained before Schrodinger's Cat was written) and the attempts to explain the illogical nature of these results in terms of quantum theory.
I kept getting the feeling that much of Schrodinger's Kittens was composed of things that did not make it into Schrodinger's Cat, but could have.If I could only read one, I would choose the first book, as the history of the development of quantum mechanics provides an excellent base from which to study this subject in more detail and, as it is history, it will never go out of date.The later sections of both books are involved with the interpretations of the various theories of quantum mechanics, and as new theories are developed, and new interpretations developed for old theories, these sections of the book will go out of date.
I was prepared to give only three stars to this book, but raised it to four on the basis of the last 33 pages.The previous book and almost all the present book consider the distressing consequences of quantum theory, i.e., that there is no reality unless someone is looking, or there are an infinite number of universes coexisting, or that information can actually travel instantaneously to all parts of the universe at once.The final few pages of the book are devoted to the transactional interpretation, which gets around many of the troubling aspects of other theories, if you are willing to accept the concept of things going back in time. The transactional interpretation is not popular view of quantum mechanics and I do not know if it is correct.My point is not that it is correct, but only that it is at least one approach that overcomes some of the difficulties inherent in other approaches.
Gribbin denigrates those who choose to ignore all these various interpretations and just use these theories to solve problems, calling them quantum cooks.But, finally at the last minute he takes a more reasonable position, namely, that quantum theories use models based upon analogies to things that we experience, such as the collision of billiard balls.As such, they are useful to make understanding easier, but they should not be taken too seriously, lest in the words of Richard Feynman "you will go down the drain' into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped" if you keep asking, "How can it be like that?"In the end, again quoting Feynman, "Nobody knows how it can be like that."Thus, neither this book, nor its prequel explain (at least to everyone's satisfaction) how things can be like what quantum theory implies they are.The importance of both books lies in the questions that they raise, not necessarily in the answers, which are being continually changed.
I would also recommend Feynman's QED as a valuable source that puts the paradoxes discussed in Schrodinger's Kittens into a much better perspective.Feynman's QED provides general information about the path integral method, which avoids the paradoxes because it avoids assuming that light (and electrons) are waves as well as particles.Gribben references Feynman and discusses the development of Feynman diagrams, but I do not feel that he adequately highlights the fact that Feynman's approach (actually the Dirac-Feynman method) avoids the distressing paradoxes that are the subject of his book.
To recap - This book can be read "on its own", but it is better to have read Schrodinger's Cat first (and Feynman's QED afterwards). You will learn about how quantum mechanics was developed (primarily from Schrodinger's Cat) and about the experimental results that raise troubling questions about the nature of the universe and of reality itself.
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