Audiobook2 hours
Six Impossible Things: The Mystery of the Quantum World
Written by John Gribbin
Narrated by Matthew Waterson
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this audiobook
Rules of the quantum world seem to say that a cat can be both alive and dead at the same time and a particle can be in two places at once. And that particle is also a wave; everything in the quantum world can described in terms of waves-or entirely in terms of particles. These interpretations were all established by the end of the 1920s, by Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac, and others. But no one has yet come up with a common sense explanation of what is going on. In this concise and engaging book, astrophysicist John Gribbin offers an overview of six of the leading interpretations of quantum mechanics.
Gribbin calls his account "agnostic," explaining that none of these interpretations is any better-or any worse-than any of the others. Gribbin presents the Copenhagen Interpretation, promoted by Niels Bohr and named by Heisenberg; the Pilot-Wave Interpretation, developed by Louis de Broglie; the Many Worlds Interpretation (termed "excess baggage" by Gribbin); the Decoherence Interpretation ("incoherent"); the Ensemble "Non-Interpretation"; and the Timeless Transactional Interpretation (which theorized waves going both forward and backward in time). All of these interpretations are crazy, Gribbin warns, and some are more crazy than others-but in the quantum world, being more crazy does not necessarily mean more wrong.
Gribbin calls his account "agnostic," explaining that none of these interpretations is any better-or any worse-than any of the others. Gribbin presents the Copenhagen Interpretation, promoted by Niels Bohr and named by Heisenberg; the Pilot-Wave Interpretation, developed by Louis de Broglie; the Many Worlds Interpretation (termed "excess baggage" by Gribbin); the Decoherence Interpretation ("incoherent"); the Ensemble "Non-Interpretation"; and the Timeless Transactional Interpretation (which theorized waves going both forward and backward in time). All of these interpretations are crazy, Gribbin warns, and some are more crazy than others-but in the quantum world, being more crazy does not necessarily mean more wrong.
Author
John Gribbin
John Gribbin's numerous bestselling books include In Search of Schrödinger's Cat and Six Impossible Things, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Royal Society Science Book Prize. He has been described as 'one of the finest and most prolific writers of popular science around' by the Spectator. In 2021, he was made Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.
Related to Six Impossible Things
Related audiobooks
Beyond Weird Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of Everyday Objects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Origins of the Universe: The Cosmic Microwave Background and the Search for Quantum Gravity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5About Time: Cosmology, Time and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Significant Figures: The Lives and Work of Great Mathematicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Accelerating Universe: Infinite Expansion, the Cosmological Constant, and the Beauty of the Cosmos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magick of Physics: Uncovering the Fantastical Phenomena in Everyday Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Universe in the Rearview Mirror: How Hidden Symmetries Shape Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lightness Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Infinity Puzzle: Quantum Field Theory and the Hunt for an Orderly Universe Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Roads to Quantum Gravity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden In Plain Sight: The Simple Link Between Relativity and Quantum Mechanics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Higgs: The Invention and Discovery of the 'God Particle' Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conjuring the Universe: The Origins of the Laws of Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday's Tomorrow Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark Matter & Dark Energy: The Hidden 95% of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quantum Entanglement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Physics For You
Quantum Physics: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Layman's Guide To Quantum Reality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holographic Universe: The Revolutionary Theory of Reality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quantum Spirituality: Science, Gnostic Mysticism, and Connecting with Source Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The World According to Physics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Midnight in Chernobyl: The Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Physics of Star Wars: The Science Behind a Galaxy Far, Far Away Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relativity of Einstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Six Impossible Things
Rating: 4.875 out of 5 stars
5/5
8 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a good summary of Quantum information. It’s a little dense but still good if you have the basic concepts down.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Most kool but needs use of of 3D volumetric time