5 comments about Mr Tompkins in Paperback (Canto imprint) (containing Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland and Mr. Tompkins Explores the Atom).

1. A lovely reprinted edition of a peral from Gamow. The original edition has been out of print for a number of years. This 1993 edition has added commentary and a fascinating bio of Gamow. He was born in Odessa, in what was then Russia, --before the Soviet Union. The story of his escape to the West is straight out of a thriller. Only it is real! Gamow was referred to by a journalist, some time during the Cold War, as "the only scientist in America with a real sense of humor". He can take the most technical stuff and make it simple. Fun too! The book:--Intellectual treats, whimsy, but deep. Illustrated with lovely drawings by Gamow himself. Much of it can be understood by a child, and other parts might require a little concentration. All of it is great fun. Follow your imagination, and while you explore, you will learn about Einstein's theory of relativity. And in unexpected ways! You will see the wonders of physics thru the eyes of a child. With his unexpected thought experiments, Gamow has captured the imagination of generations of readers, and he has inspired a degree of curiosity that comes naturally to children.
   The author George Gamow started in nuclear physics, during the Golden Age of Physics, worked with Niels Bohr in Copenhagen, then later in the US, on the Manhattan Project during WWII; and after the War, he was professor in Boulder Colorado. He has a building on campus of The University of Colorado named after him! He is one of the few scientists who wrote popular books. They are precious pearls, and they have been equally popular with my parent's generation as with mine. For awhile they were out of print, but luckely some have now been reprinted in recent years!
   Other Gamow titles: Biography of Physics, Atomic Energy [dedicated to the hope of lasting peace], Physics of the Strapless Evning Gown,...We are lucky that Dover has reprinted some of them. Gamow's list of scientific accomplishments includes a 1948 landmark paper on the origin of chemical elements, the Big Bang model, and later work with F. Crick on DNA and genetic coding.-- Do more Gamow editions, Dover!
   Review by Palle Jorgensen, September 2003.



2. I'm a novice at this subject matter, and I've recently started reading introductory books on quantum physics for fun. I read, "The New Quantum Universe" prior to reading this. This easy to read book filled in some gaps that that I had. It helped me grasp some concepts that had otherwise passed over my head when reading the other book.

   I understand that this is a classic text and I can see why. It's fun to read, and provides a foundation for further understanding. It explains uncertaintity, radioactive decay, and electron shells especially well.

   I may not fully appreciate the concepts I was able to internalize from this book for quite some time. I can say that I strongly recommend it to the layman or anyone who's eager to understand some basics of this incredible field of study.




3. Here are Gamow's two 1940's Mr Tompkins books popularizing modern physics, in one tidy package. An earlier reviewer has suggested that this book be produced as an animated educational film, a good idea, but I picture it as being more of a computer enhanced live action video. The chapters on relativistic geometries and cosmological models could really be audio-visual treats, and it's hard to imagine a better basis for a script explaining the strange new world of physics to the interested lay public. The lions-share of what science now claims to know about the world was developed from a seemingly strange handful of theories thrashed out in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Gamow was both a party to this theoretical explosion and a gifted writer. Most of what has occurred in physics since these books were first published, has essentially been the refining of the ideas discussed here, so, for the most part, the science is still significant. But while Gamow had some important cosmological ideas -- he predicted the cosmic microwave background radiation, the discovery of which earned Wilson and Penzias a Noble Prize (in which Gamow should have shared, but did not) -- he also bet on the wrong horse when it came to cosmological models.
   Gamow cleverly and artfully presents the three basic cosmological models being argued from the 1930s through 1965.* The context is a night at the opera in which noted physicists sing the virtues of their respective theoretical opinions. First up is no other than the initial developer of the expanding universe ('big bang') model, the Belgian physicist and cleric, A. George Lemaitre. The Lemaitre universe is a majestically wondrous, one-off, elegant masterpiece. He sings, "Z' splendeur of z' origine. . . Worrk of Z' Lorrd!" Second is the oscillating or 'bouncing' model, and this piece is sung by Gamow, who at that time favored the concept of an eternally recycling universe (bang, expand, contract, re-bang, expand, contract, ->, etc). The third and last piece to be sung is of the Bondi-Gold self-maintaining or "steady state" universe, so famously preferred by Hoyle. Appropriately, this singer is generated mysteriously from intergalactic space, singing "Was never formed in time gone by. . . But is, has been. . .shall ever be. . ."
   Well, on this question we seem to have a winner, and no, it isn't Gamow's model. As Roger Penrose relates in the foreword, Gamow's bouncing universe and Hoyle's "steady state" model are both dead ducks these days. Seventy-five years of observation and mathematical fine-tuning have made something like Lemaitre's general understanding look like the only serious cosmological game in town. But don't hold that against this artful and thoroughly fun book. Gamow discounted the 'steady state', and most of the science here is still sound and relevant.
   *[File this under 'is there nothing new under the sun?': 1600 years ago, Augustine of Hippo recorded (City of God, Book XII) that classical cosmographies all distil into three basic models, the same three considered here by Gamow. (These same three models subsume the "innumerable universes" of Epicurus' speculation and of the recently famous so-called 'strong anthropic principle'.) Augustine bet on the right horse though, reasoning that the 'cycling' and 'eternal' models both seek finally to avoid rather than admit a true explanation. Only the universe-from-nothing (ex nihilo) model admits that the universe has an explanation -- albeit a grandly mysterious one.]
   This volume is classic science writing in a most entertaining package, it awaits some creative screenplay adaptor and video genius to make from it the best popular science audio-visual experience ever. Have at it.



4. It was a great transaction, Good prices, Great quality, and FAst delivery



5. I am nothing more than a humble interested amateur and my formal science education is limited to some advanced classes for my high school diploma many years ago. I picked up "Mr Tompkins" following a conversation with a physicist sitting next to me on a long flight. I found it to be an excellent introduction to modern physics in general and quantum mechanics in particular. I found it challenging and I wouldn't claim I understood every last detail, but it is definitely not necessary to have a profound knowledge of mathematical and physical concepts to read this book. The writing is witty, precise and thoroughly enjoyable. In fact I was so intrigued that I went and picked up two other books (Alice in Quantumland and Taking the Quantum Leap), both of which I found harder to read and not as suitable for the uninitiated as Mr Tompkins.

5 comments about Quantum Theology, Revised Edition: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics.

1. This is one of the most important books for Catholics and Christians to read. O'Murchu is a brilliant and wise writer, and his update with the most current information coming to us today about the Divine Mystery and how we can experience it in our own lives. He brings faith and much more,
   spirituality, into today's world.
   This is a must read.
   Barbara Mayer



2. Quantum Theology is a book that claims to be consistent with Christianity but is clearly at odds with it. The subtitle is "Spiritual Implications of the New Physics," but this is just marketing drivel. The author obviously knows nothing about physics, except for the fact that quantum theory introduces an element of uncertainty into physics. He uses this idea to cast doubt on centuries of Christian tradition, and replace it with his own vacuous speculations. There are some ideas in the book that are worthwhile, but these are carried to ridiculous extremes. For example:
   1. "Seek meaning in the journey rather than the destination." That's fine, but then the book goes on to say that the journey does not even have a destination. Enjoying the journey is fine, but just the same I would prefer to have a destination in mind.
   2. "God supercedes traditional theology." Of course God is bigger than theology, but then the book goes on to denigrate 2000 years of Christian tradition and hold itself up as the new paradigm.
   Some of the claims in the book that are at odds with the Bible are:
   1. The notion of "God" is a human construct "that may limit rather than enhance our understanding of life's ultimate source and meaning."
   2. "The dilemma of pantheism is resolved."
   3. The idea of "original sin" is a human construct.
   4. Quantum theology seeks to outgrow the quaint dualism of good vs. evil.
   5. The major sin of our time is speciesism. (I don't know about you, but I can think of plenty of sin in this world that is worse than speciesism!)
   6. "We live in a world without beginning or end." (This contradicts both the Bible and physics.)
   7. It is only systems, rather than individuals, that can be guilty of sin. (So much for individual responsibility.)
   8. "Resurrection and reincarnation are not facts." (I agree with half of that statement, but Christianity without resurrection is like a building without a foundation.)
   Having criticized the book, I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There's plenty of dirty bathwater in this book, but some ideas of value include:
   1. "No one source of knowledge ... can provide a complete description of reality." This emphasizes the Biblical concept of general revelation, which is ignored by too many evangelicals.
   2. "Redemption is not just about personal salvation; it also concerns ... planetary and universal life." This idea, which is typically missed by evangelicals, is clearly consistent with the Bible.
   In summary, this book provides some food for thought, but it contains far more junk food than nutrition.



3. admittedly a tough read, and i can see why the empircally linearly minded have great difficulty with it. It is after all theology which tends to be difficult to get through when scholarly. What O'Murchu offers is another lens to look at the world and the cosmos that every bit as valid as those more rigid sources. What i dont like about it is that for theology, it lacks foundation . . .is a bit wishy washy. But i gave it five stars because of its audacity and unique approach. We are living in a transitional time of paradigm shifting . . . many disciplines attest to that . . . we need the fresh insights that can be gleaned from those scholars who think and write outside the box. Thank you O'Murchu.



4. Very stimulating book but also hard to follow. Maybe that's because I don't have much of a background in quantum physics, but then again, he doesn't either. Not much new from his first edition. The best thing about the book to me was that it really made me think. It took me in different directions I think than the author intended, but gave me a lot to consider.
   From my philosophy and theology background I had to wonder how he connected the dots between naturalism and supernaturalism. His metaphors were particularly cumbersome. Just because a quark can't be divided doesn't necessarily mean it relates somehow to the Trinity. Correlations doesn't automatically mean causation or connection.
   Still I enjoyed the book very much and as I said, it really gives the reader a lot to think about. Terry Bell (The author of "The Love Ethic.")



5. An interesting topic, but a difficult read. Author seems to go around in circles

5 comments about Molecular Quantum Mechanics.

1. I have always had a reverence for quantum mechanics, but now I have dread. Dread that sometimes manifests in awe, but most of the times, grows from confusion, thanks to the heap of frustration from quantum mechanics.

   I gave the book 4 stars to avoid my biased review doing the injustice to the authors as a result of my own folly, but I must admit that I cannot understand the authors past the chapter on angular momentum (Chapter 4), albeit their breathless enthusiasm to impart the wonder of quantum mechanics to the reader. Probably a formalistic approach that Atkins and Friedman told us they took to present the book hampers my progress. A whole page of obscure subscripts wouldn't seem to help much either.

   The first three chapter took the familiar analytical route, giving way to the intuition to supply insight and inspire the heart during times of imminent failure, yet the introduction of the quantum mechanical concept of angular momentum by the supposedly clever arguments of subscript manipulation went over my head. And this marks the end of my struggle, for after that I am just a regular mechanic.

   The humor in this assumedly humorless subject seems to alleviate the pain a bit. (It should strongly be reminded that such humor should only be reserved for the geeky lot, for those college kids are probably too cool to appreciate a joke from, ugh, quantum mechanics.)

   The book is perhaps too inclined to chemistry (hence Molecular Quantum Mechanics). A considerable amount of mathematical maturity is needed (not necessarily mathematical knowledge), and a readiness to leave your intuition bewildered.




2. Okay, I'll admit that my background in quantum chemistry is pretty sketchy. However I feel much more lost than usual in this book when it comes to understanding the phenomena that they're trying to model. The problems at the back and the solutions that come with the 3rd edition of this book are even worse as he jumps around alot and don't teach you how to think about problems, just random ways of solving it. I guess this is an intermediate quantum course but I feel safer with Levine, which I used in undergrad physical chemistry. He/she (not sure if Ira is a guy) at least goes through the math so that you can follow it pretty easily. Atkins... Not my cup of tea!



3. This text is not for someone that is starting out in the subject, or even for someone looking to get more into quantum chemistry. This is a book for someone already fairly familiar with quantum and particularly quantum chemistry.
   My main issue with this book is that it's way too much information that is not covered in enough detail to give any insight into the methods that are presented. The examples that he uses to illustrate an idea rarely if ever can be generalized to other cases and for someone not already comfortable with this material it will be more than a challenge. I often found myself reaching for McQuarrie's Quantum Chemistry text as well as Griffiths's Quantum mechanics text to help clarify what was presented in this book.
   The questions at the end of the chapter often are confusing and any hint that is given only makes the problem more obscure. What makes it worse is that equations that are cited in the hints are often wrong and unless you know what you're doing you will have a hard time figuring out what they're hinting at. Many of the examples have mistakes and typos in them, and they're not trivial most of the time. For example, in Chapter six they attempt to walk you through group theory. In one of the examples showing you how to get an irreducible representation from a reducible one they mix up the last two rows using the little orthogonality theorem.
   Several of the character tables in the back of the book are wrong as well. This can make several of the problems at the end of chapters more than a little challenging.
   If you're looking for a good quantum chemistry textbook, this is not it. Even putting the typos aside there is too little information in the book for it to stand on its own as anything useful to learn from. I recommend McQaurrie (both undergraduate and graduate texts) or Levine. Griffiths's quantum mechanics text is a useful reference no matter which text you use.



4. I used this text after struggling for the first few weeks in my quantum chemistry course at Berkeley. Recommended by my professor, this text made sense of things that I believed impossible. And, it includes a lot of graphs to boot! I found this book coupled with Griffith's Quantum Mechanics to have been the best possible undergrad combo in my junior year as a chemistry undergrad. In fact, I sold my required text and passed the class with flying colors using just the Atkins book and the Griffith text. Where Atkins is too wordy, Griffith's concise explanations help greatly. And, vice versa, when you need more info, turn to Atkins. Bon chance!



5. This is a beautiful book and has some very clear mathematical introductions to the subject of QM but I fear that the subject matter is still quite formidable and is most useful as a reference to those who are already comfortable with the subject.
   
   John

3 comments about Condensed Matter Field Theory.

1. This book is a good introduction to Field Theory applied in condensed matter physics. In dealing with two difficult subjects the authors do it in a very simple language. This is very important either to beginners or experts. There are very good solved examples to illustrate each section. Besides, there are small boxes citing the people behind the development of the issue.



2. This is an extremely well-written book, which covers almost all the modern topics in condensed matter physics while keeps the physics and mathematics clear and simple.
   
   It is an invaluable reference or textbook for graduate students who are interested in theoretical condensed matter physics, esp. in strongly correlated systems.
   
   It is almost the best book I have seen for a graduate student to study the functional method, renormalization-group theory, etc., applied to condensed matter systems.



3. This book is really incredible. It is one of only a handful of really readable physics texts, and it carefully moves from very friendly explanations of basic concepts, such as a two page review of Gaussian integrals (things like this make it a great reference), to very advanced material. The last chapter on topology, for example, doesn't hold back from using the full machinery of differential geometry, but also provides a great tutorial on the subject.
   
   Also, a closer read reveals that this book's point of view is thoroughly modern, in the sense that it puts symmetry concepts and non-perturbative techniques front and center. The authors do readers a huge service by promoting the idea that one of the keys to understanding complex quantum systems is to correctly identify their fundamental excitations.

2 comments about Dr. Quantum Presents Do-It-Yourself Time Travel (Sounds True Audio Learning Course).

1. Since Fred Alan Wolf's book The Yoga of Time Travel: How the Mind Can Defeat Time is one of my all-time favorite books on the subject of time travel, I was understandably thrilled to discover that Wolf has recently created a new audio learning course on the subject of time travel. My next happy surprise is that DR. QUANTUM PRESENTS DO-IT-YOURSELF TIME TRAVEL feels very much like sitting down with Wolf and hearing him explain the physics and metaphysics of time travel in simple terms that any layperson can understand. Wolf has a delightful way of describing a seemingly complex subject in such simple terms that not only does time travel begin to make sense on an intuitive level, it also starts sounding quite doable even to those coming from a much more rational, down-to-Earth point of view. This audio course flows beautifully over six compact discs in such smooth fashion that the listener is drawn into contemplating the notion of how tachynauts might one day explore time in much the same way that astronauts explore space, after first having considered the nature of parallel universes and the interconnectivity between various possible and probable worlds... and some of the ancient yogic requirements considered necessary for traveling through time utilizing meditative yogic techniques. This audio workshop is so riveting that I found myself zipping through all six CDs in rapid succession, delighted to start each new segment in order to try the next exercise, hear more time travel stories, contemplate the next big ideas... and see where... and when... I might find myself next. Highly recommended!



2. Dr. Quantum Presents DO-It-Yourself Time Travel, Is very cool. The information was very complex, Yet easy to understand and grasp, Thanks to Dr. Quantum. A must have for anyone who has ever thought about time travel or who wants to experience a truely different mind expanding experience. 5 Stars over and over again. Very well done.

5 comments about Understanding Molecular Simulation (Computational Science Series, Vol 1).

1. This book is how I bootstrapped my way into being a molecular simulationist. Anyone who can program in some language can get started writing simple routines for the basic MD and MC simulations.

   I do Monte Carlo simulations at Princeton, and found this book to be the most helpful available for getting my research started. It is my most common reference, and is used extensively in writing background information for various research documents.

   However, after you have written your first few codes, you will pass the level of this book and need to move on. I use it less now than I did my first year.

   Every student in my group (Panagiotopoulos) has this book I think. And like me, they started with it, but moved on.




2. Its an excellent book for those who are just beginners in MC & MD simulations. everything is very clearly explained with lot of examples and some related unsolved problems. the text explores this topic indetails with advanced chapters in later sections. Good for anybody int hsi field be it in materials science, physics or related fields.



3. There is a very strong bias to MC methods in the book. What they have to say about Molecular Dynamics methods is not really new, most of it is virtually copied from the classic by Allan/Tildesley, and many MD techniques which they consider "advanced" (such as cell list methods, verlet tables, etc.) are shifted to one of the many appendices. They do not talk about ghostparticles for instance or give a detailed account of parallelized algorithms which is really state-of-the art today.
   The code examples for download for the exercises, contain subtle errors, are not optimized for performance (which is THE most important thing in simulation business) and worst of all, are written in Fortran. The fact that they publish Fortran code must reflect the fact that at the time they learned how to program a computer there was no C, C++, JAVA, etc. and no object orientation in sight. Nowadays, probably no expert in programming would start a scientific and readable code in fortran. Also their definition of an algorithm is simply technically wrong. The authors are very sloppy here, have obviously no training in theoretical computer science and are obviously no experts for writing optimal code.
   Scientifically, as far as physics is concerned, the book is sound, they give good arguments pro and against certain methods, but when you have already worked with Allan/Tildesley or Rappaport for many years you have the eery impression that they simply repeat many arguments from these books or from other research articles (They keep citing Allan/Tildesley a lot) Those things that are not more or less copied from other sources seems to reflect their own experience in this field which seems to be strongly limited to MC methods.
   Although this book is sometimes praised I cannot really recommend it. Allan/Tildesley, and in particular the book by Rappaport are superior in stlye and in particluar as code examples are concerned. With Rappaport you get working code right away in proper C (albeit in Fortran-Style C -- again, the reason for this being the fact, that all these authors of Simulation books learned programming probably in the late 70's when Fortran was state-of-the-art). I nevertheless would recommend Rappaports book instead. The authors even offer scientific workshops based on their book (and probably make a lot of money with that). One can only hope that those are better than the coding examples of the exercises. Therefore only 2 stars.



4. I was especially delighted about the Monte Carlo methods and the free energy calculation techniques.



5. This book is goof for studying molecular. For beginner, this book is easy to understand how to do.

5 comments about Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory.

1. George Gamow's "Thirty Years That Shook Physics" is an exceptional book, an entertaining look at the physicists (including himself) that participated in the unveiling of quantum theory.

   His book is enlivened by unique photos of the great physicists and mathematicians, their families and friends. We see Niels Bohr and his wife on a motorcycle, Wolfgang Pauli and George Gamow (in lederhosen) on a steamer on a Swiss Lake, Werner Heisenberg in swim trunks, Enrico Fermi playing tennis without a shirt, George Gamow and Leon Rosenfeld resting on a snow covered peak (supposedly discussing nuclear physics), and Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein chatting at a technical session in Brussels.

   Many contemporary books on physics for the layman, following publisher's dictates, scrupulously avoid all mathematics. Writing in the 1960's, Gamow assumed that algebraic equations, graphs, and diagrams of experimental setups would actually help clarify explanations and not send readers fleeing in panic. Algebra is necessary; more advanced math is not. Gamow is fun to read, but be prepared to think.

   It is amusing how many of the Amazon reviewers mention that they first encountered Gamow in their youth. I too read Gamow, reveling in the excitment of scientific work and discovery.

   Gamow adds a bit of fun and comedy to science. We all learn (but may have forgotten) about the Pauli Exclusion Principle that only two electrons with opposite spins can occupy the same quantum orbit. Gamow also introduces us to a lessor known observation, the Pauli Effect, which states that the mere presence of Wolfgang Pauli, a theoretical physicist, near a laboratory ensured that the experimental apparatus would break.

   Gamow concludes his history of quantum theory with a light-hearted play created by students of Niels Bohr and presented one evening during technical meetings in 1932 in Copenhagen. "The theme of this dramatic masterpiece has Pauli (Mephistopheles) trying to sell to the unbelieving Ehrenfest (Faust) the idea of a weightless neutrino (Gretchen)."

   Gamow has remained in print since the 1960's, due largely to his unique style and for his obvious enthusiasm for physics and for people that do physics. I heartily recommend this book for the layman, and for any student of science, high school or college.

   Recently, his popular "Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland" and "Mr. Tompkins Explores the Atom" have been released again, with some updates for recent discoveries. A typical review claims: "will vastly fascinate the whimsical, and is also scientific". Don't miss Gamow.




2. The first three decades of the twentieth century saw history's most concentrated burst of human knowledge of nature. The world described by the greatest of scientists, Isaac Newton, changed quickly to a very strange and startling world described notably by Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Pauli, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Dirac, Fermi, and a few others. George Gamow was one of these individuals. His lucent knowledge of the important ideas of the quantum theories and of the men who developed these ideas, makes for very interesting reading.
   In his "Thirty Years that Shook Physics," Gamow the physicist is also found to be Gamow the artist -- his excellent drawings augment the narrative -- and Gamow the light hearted humorist. Because of the author's close friendships with Bohr and Pauli (and to a lesser extent, Dirac) the reader will meet not only the thoughts of these characters, but the characters themselves. It seems that quantum physicists like to have fun too. The book concludes with an illustrated text of a play composed and performed at the 1932 Copenhagen conference, although it can be followed it is something of an 'inside joke', if you will.
   The book was written in 1965 and Gamow, noting difficulties with quantum theory, expected to see a new and equally radical revolution in physical theories before the end of the century. Although quantum theory has been hugely successful in its application, a new theory is still anticipated. [M-theory?] This book is an excellent account of the emergence of quantum theory, presented in the words of one of its principals.



3. A reprinted Dover edition of a lovely set of biographies of the physicists of the Golden Period, from the pen of George Gamow. The original 1966 edition has been out of print for a number of years. This 1985 edition is beautifully reproduced, and it includes fascinating pictures, sketches, and poems, done by Gamow himself. He was born in Odessa, in what was then Russia, --before the Soviet Union. The story of his escape to the West is straight out of a thriller. Only it is real! Later in the US, Gamow was referred to by a journalist,--- some time during the Cold War, as "the only scientist in America with a real sense of humor". With his lovely books, we have now all come to experience how Gamow can take the most technical stuff and make it simple. Fun too! The book:--Intellectual treats, whimsy, but deep. It contains penetrating and personal biographies of Niels Bohr, Paul Ehrenfest, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Albert Einstein, and recollections from the conferences in the 1930ties in Copenhagen, Brussels, and in the Solvay Institute. Illustrated with lovely drawings by Gamow himself. A book with pictures and conversations! Much of it can be understood by a child, and other parts might require a little concentration. All of it is great fun. The author Gamow started in nuclear physics, during the Golden Age of Physics, worked with Niels Bohr, then later in the US, on the Manhattan Project during WWII, and after the war, he was professor in Boulder Colorado. He has a building on campus named after him! The books he wrote are pearls, and they have been equally popular with my parent's generation as with mine. Luckely some have been reprinted! Other Gamow titles: Biography of Physics, Atomic Energy [dedicated to the hope of lasting peace], Physics of the Strapless Evning Gown,...We are lucky that Dover has reprinted some of them. Gamow's list of scientific accomplishments includes a 1948 landmark paper on the origin of chemical elements, the Big Bang model, and later work with F. Crick on DNA and genetic coding.-- Do more Gamow editions, Dover!



4. If one can't explain a concept to an educated layman it only means one doesnt understand it. This is a difficult task and not everyone can do it. Dr. Gamow gets across the essence & beauty of Quantum Mechanics so artfully that one is truly captured with awe. Only a master of the subject can accomplish such a job. This is also a good book for those wanting to read about the history of development of QM.



5. I came to this book looking for some basic explanations and summaries of quantum mechanics theories, having just read "Einstein: His Life and Universe" by Isaacson. Isaacson wonderfully explained both Einstein's theories and the theories of some of his contemporaries in ways that I could understand, and I was looking for more of the same. Reviews here praise Gamow as being wonderful for the lay reader. I must disagree.
   
   The value of this book is that it does beautifully bring together, in a good order and organization, the theories and personalities of the physicists involved in quantum theory. Some of it, written in the first person, is very entertaining, as Gamow relates stories told to him, or shares experiences he had with these men.
   
   But in terms of explaining to a -lay- reader the theories, he fails. The best example of this is when he relates Einstein's challenge to Bohr at the 6th Solvay Congress. It's a classic story of how Einstein, ever eager to challenge quantum theory, shook Bohr up with an apparently unanswerable objection. The next morning Bohr had the answer. But Bohr's answer, by Gamow's hand, is almost impossible to understand. Isaacson describes the same episode and makes both the challenge and the answer clear. If I hadn't already read Isaacson's explanation, I would have had no idea what Gamow was talking about. (This is somewhat ironic in that Gamow -does- explain some things that he might take for granted: complex numbers, matrix arithmetic, basic units like c and mg, et al.)
   
   In short, this volume is a most valuable book for the physics student. Much of it is interesting to the lay reader as well. But if you're looking for clear explications of the theories, look elsewhere. Yes, the theories are complicated, and some physics background is inevitably necessary, but Gamow makes them even less accessible than they need to be.

5 comments about Hacking Matter: Levitating Chairs, Quantum Mirages, and the Infinite Weirdness of Programmable Atoms.

1. I think the content of the book was so far out into the future that suddenly Star Trek movies make sence. The material is discussing theory so much with real practical applications many decades away, that one cannot help but think of Star Trek. It is with programmable matter that the future trekies can enable themselves to own cool toys like tricorders, replicators, cloaking devices, shape shifters etc. I think an alternative title of the book could have been, "Star Trek Explained" :-)

   Being a science fiction fan, I enjoyed it thoroughly, except for the technical details of wellstone which was a drag in the end...




2. I think the previous reviewers have not been keeping up with the leaps and bounds that technology has been making with quantum dots. They exist folks and they are being used as we speak. While the applications for this technology as discribed in this book are not possible at this point in time, they should no longer be considered impossible. Just type 'quantum dots' in your search engine or check out some of the popular science websites. This is real and it is utterly facinating. Definately a good book but you'll need to read up on some basic quantum mechanics first to really enjoy it (the reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5).



3. You can also download this book free at
   http://www.wilmccarthy.com/HackingMatterMultimediaEdition.pdf



4. Despite my intrinsic interest in such futuristic topics as programmable matter, the subject of Wil McCarthy's interesting journalistic account of research underway at laboratories around the world, I never know how much I should believe concerning these possibilities. More likely than not it will turn out to be just as real as speculations about flying cars in the 1930s or jet packs for everyone in the 1950s or...I could go on and on. In "Hacking Matter" McCarthy lays out a story as fantastic as any concocted by a master of science fiction. It has the attraction of ancient alchemy--of Midas turning anything to gold with his touch or Rumplestiltskin's spinning of straw into gold--and may be just about as real.
   
   But there is a serious side to this, and McCarthy does a service by discussing the research underway to manipulate matter at the level of the molecule. Scientists already understand the process, and the very real science of nanotechnology is built on this knowledge. The U.S. Department of Defense, other government agencies, and some corporations are investing in this future technology. Their reasons for doing so are obvious, if we can transform one type of matter into another with the click of a mouse button the potential is incredible. Materials precious and difficult to obtain may be acquired quickly, easily, and safely. The potential to completely change the physical existence of all humanity should be apparent. This is a fascinating story, one that is probably realizable perhaps centuries in the future, that is if it realizable at all. But it is a fascinating line of scientific inquiry nonetheless.



5. Quantum information encode on each photon; the race is too replace the transistor; quantum dot nanoparticles create entanglement, so that their relative positions determine their effect on another; when arranged in groups of eight, Quantum Celluar Automata (QCA) can carry out binary logic necessary fro today's computer operations.
   
   QCA requires low temperators and the replacement is nanomagnets, 100 nm that mirror the function of transistor-based logic gates and matrix handles the logic operations.
   MQCA envisons a all magnetic computer, operates at room temperature, fabricates easier, and advances magnetic storage industry. Wolfgang Porod created the process of magnetic patterning to produce a chip using arrays of separate magnetic domains.
   
   "For a quantum computer, whose bits can be in two quantum states at once, both on or off at the same time, many solutions can be explored simulataneously.
   Quantum dot system exhibits long-lasting coherence. QDOT arrays must be scaleable into large systems. Quantum machine requires large number of quantum switches working together as a group. When two elections occupy the same space, they must pair with oposite spin, one electron with up spin and the other with down. Eight converging wires or gates deposit the electrons in the dot one by one and electronically fine-tune the dot's properties so they would become entangled. The down-up, up-down configuration occurred simulataneously.
   
   1. When a N layer istraped between two P layers, it attracts electrons into the middle layer and doesn't let them out. If the N layer is really thin, 10 nanometers, the trap approaches a quantum-mechanical limit, the de Broglie wavelength, and wave-like behavior moves along the vertical axises. Quantum wires can be practically used in optical computers, fiber-optic networks, and lasers.
   2. Electrons will arrange themselves into orbitals around the positively charged nucleus; these orbitals and electrons determine the physical and chemical properties of an atom. When the electrons are trapped in quantum dots they will arrange themselves as though they were part of the atom, even though there's no atomic nucleus for them to surround. Which atom they resemble depends on the number of excess electrons trapped inside the dot. Electrons can be confinedelectrostatically, by electrodes, pumping electrons in out by varying the voltage of the fence. Kastner, in 1993 labeled the nanostructure an "artificial atom": single-electron transistor (SET), Coulomb Island, or zero dimensional electron gas, or colloidal nanoparticle or semiconductor nanocrystal. "One electron gets you hydrogen, two gets you helium, and so on. Each dot has its own unique periodic table, though; size and shape and composition of the device have a huge effect on how its electrons interact. We can easily call up an artificial, six carbon atom on the chip, buts its structure may or may not resemble that of a natural carbon atom." "Another prediction made by MIT theorist is that there should be quantum dot materials that behave as insulators when they contain an odd number of electrons, and as conductiors whey they contain an even number." "Large collections of quantum dots, along with metals and semiconductor substrate will be referred to as programmable materials."
   3. "Quantum scientist have also shown that an array of Single electron Transistor - SETs create a form of neural network." SETs construct computers that use individual electrons to carry information. SET biggest problem is operating at room temperature. Quantum tunneling means the can "interact capacitively rather than by current flow throught the wires." "When their interactions result from the quantum tunneling of electrons, quantum dots can collectively behave as a form of quantum cellular automaton, QCA. QCA computers may show associative memory. If Decoherence can be avoid a qbit can form with a 0 or 1 or superposition state of both at the same time. 5 qbits could handle 32 states (2^n), simulateously; a conventional computer would handle 32 sets of 5 bits, or 160 bits in all. 64 bit encryption could be processed with one 64 qubit operation, whereas, a conventional computer requiring 2^64, 1.84 x10^19 operations or 292.5 years, 18 billion billion times more powerful than a 64 bit binary computer.

5 comments about The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes and Its Implications.

1. This is a difficult book. Deutsch, a British theoretical physicist, asks scientists to face up to the reality implied by the present fundamental theories of quantum physics and computation. He weaves these strands together with the theory of evolution and a lengthy discussion of epistemology to demonstrate that an improved understanding of the real world is to recognize it as a set of parallel universes. This "multiverse" reality has baffled scientists, who find quantum physics necessary but shy away from the implications for reality. Deutsch probes deeply into how we know anything, how science moves forward, and the reinforcing strands of computer information theory and quantum physics. While the conclusions are certainly counter-intuitive, his evidence is serious. However, the final two chapters will need reworking, as they are based on the assumption in 1997 that our universe would ultimately contract again into a "big crunch." Evidence is now persuasive that continued expansion is our fate, so that his "infinite knowledge" scenario in the final moments of the contracting universe will not occur. Nevertheless, Deutsch's analysis is compatible with those who believe that knowledge (information) is the ultimate reality. On the way, he explores the theoretical possibility of time travel (Possibilities: one way trips into the future, and round trips into the past only back to the time at which time travel technology is first deployed). Personally, I find the parallel universe conclusion hard to envision, but as an explanation of quantum physics it is certainly more straightforward than the unsatisfactory and labored interpretation of the "Copenhagen school."



2. The book attempts to develop a theory of everything based on the synthesis of several diverse approaches in physics, genetics, philosophy and computation theory -- quantum mechanics, natural selection, Popper's epistemology and theory of complexity.
   
   Unfortunately, the central original idea in the book - that of parallel universes - is the least convincing of the four, and probably ultimately unnecessary for any practical purpose. The idea is introduced ( and not expanded beyond a simple example ) using a quantum interference effect: A beam of light if partially obscured by a screen with two slits produces a periodic interference pattern of bright and dark areas. Even if it is known that only one particle of light, a photon, is emitted by the light source, the same interference pattern results. Therefore the photon somehow goes through both slits, even though if measured right at the individual slits in the screen, it is observed only at one at a time. This paradoxical behavior created a lot of discussions in the physical circles in the first part of the century when quantum mechanics was actively developed.
   In the book, the offered interpretation of this experiment is that the universe, because of the photon, splits into two almost-independent copies, apart from being weakly connected by the photon in question.
   It has been earlier suggested that this interpretation, of multiple universes, is consistent with the equations of quantum mechanics. According to the author it provides a better insight into quantum phenomena and thus, bringing a bit of philosophy here, we are to conclude that to the best of our knowledge multiple universes must exist.
   It becomes immediately clear that this approach leads to an astronomical proliferation of universes, which, in my view, should be viewed as a severe drawback of the theory, and which needs to be at least discussed. Most of physical theories are based on symmetries, and the related notion of conservation of energy and other quantities - a sort of embedded frugality in nature. In a computer language, one would rather increase a "count" of the universes instead of making an unnecessary copy, and keep track of the photon probability - precisely what the "old" theory does.
   
   It also seems that this hypothesis of multiple universes is not needed to understand the idea of quantum computing, which is truly very interesting. As an aside, I think it would be interesting to see if a sort of a quantum computer is implemented in biological systems, which seem to operate at the exactly right molecular level where quantum effects are important.



3. David Deutsch's aim in writing The Fabric of Reality is to present a theory that does not relate to one particular subject, but to all subjects: a `Theory of Everything'. To do so, he interrelates quantum mechanics, computation and virtual reality, Popperian scientific method, and Darwinian evolution. One of the unifying themes of the book is his view that science is concerned not with prediction but with explanation.
   
   First, he discusses quantum physics and the existence, inferred from experiment and observation, of shadow photons. So far so good. But having done so, he goes on to deduce the existence of parallel universes - unobservable universes that are similar to but not the same as ours - in some ways connected to ours (how else would we guess their existence?) and yet in others not connected. These unobservable universes he refers to, collectively, as `the multiverse'. He then makes a speculation - unfounded apart from the inferred existence of unobservable shadow photons - that I find difficult to accept:
   
   `While I was writing that, hosts of shadow Davids were writing it too. They too drew a distinction between tangible and shadow photons; but the photons they called `shadow' include the ones I call 'tangible', and the photons they called 'tangible' are among those I call 'shadow' [...] Many of those Davids are at this moment writing these very words. Some are putting it better. Others have gone for a cup of tea.'
   
   Reading those words, I was reminded of Hume's assertion that while it is legitimate to infer a cause from an effect, it is not legitimate then to return and infer new effects from that same cause.
   
   Deutsch's assumption is vulnerable to reductio ad absurdam. By his own argument for the existence of counterfactual or `might-have-been' worlds, a parallel universe could exist - and, if we are to believe the metaphysics of the philosopher David Lewis, really does exist - in which David Deutsch is garbage operative and Mao Tse Tung is an evangelical Christian.
   
   Having brought into being the multiverse, Deutsch continues throughout the book to refer to it as if its existence were an indisputable fact. Much later in the book, he claims, with little foundation as far as I can see, that the multiverse did not come into being until some time `after' the big bang - ignoring his earlier (and to my mind, well justified) agreement with presentism - that the past, the present and the future are all one, and terms like `before' and `after' are meaningless.
   
   Having discussed problem-solving and criteria for reality, Deutsch goes on to discuss virtual reality with particular reference to the Turing Principle and logically possible experience. Here again, I feel that Deutsch makes an assumption that stretches the bounds of conceptual possibility to breaking point:
   
   `Since we cannot hope to render all logically possible environments, let us consider a weaker (but ultimately more interesting) sort of universality. Let us define a universal virtual reality generator as one whose repertoire contains that of every other physically possible virtual reality generator. Can such a machine exist? It can. Thinking about futuristic devices based on computer-controlled nerve stimulation makes this obvious - in fact, almost too obvious. Such a machine could be programmed to have the characteristics of any rival machine. It could calculate how that machine would respond, under any given program, to any behaviour by the user and so could render those responses with perfect accuracy (from the point of view of any given user) [...] given the appropriate program and enough time and storage media, it could calculate the output of any computation performed by any other computer, including the one in the rival virtual reality generator. Thus the feasibility of a universal virtual reality generator depends on the existence of a universal computer - a single machine that can calculate anything that can be calculated.'
   
   His reference to `perfect accuracy (from the point of view of any given user' I found particularly hard to swallow. Necessarily, accuracy cannot be perfect if it is from a point of view. That sort of accuracy is a relative. Besides, how can a given user testify to accuracy, even if they have experienced the environment? Perhaps Deutsch should read Wittgenstein's private language argument, in which the suggestion that it is possible to compare a pain I have today with a pain I had yesterday is reduced to absurdity.
   
   Hume's scepticism with regard to reason is relevant: he points out that if we wish to make a judgment about the reliability of any proposition, we should first assess the reliability of that kind of proposition in general as well as the reliability of the author of the proposition. But we can't stop there. We must also apply the same rule to ourselves and assess our own ability to make assessments as to the reliability of propositions, and that of the authors of those propositions. Then there emerge further questions concerning our ability to assess our own ability to assess prior probabilities and so on ad infinitum so that `all the rules of logic require a continual diminution and, at last, a total extinction of belief and evidence.' (Basic Flying Instruction, p.105)
   
   Deutsch is not only a physicist. He is a physicalist and a functionalist. Towards the end of the book he seems to get carried away by his functionalism, suggesting that human beings or their evolved descendants have the potential to control not only themselves, not only the planet, but the universe. I had the uncomfortable feeling, from time to time, that he was too ready to `pick and mix' worldviews to compile his explanation of reality. The universe is one, and then it is many. The multiverse is one, but it also could be many. Things are separate, but they could be joined. Time flows, then it doesn't.
   
   Deutsch refers to photons travelling through a vacuum, presumably an absolute vacuum. This assumption sounds very much to me like Newton's supposition of `action at a distance', which was so brilliantly deflated by Faraday's metaphysical speculations, discarded by Einstein as a stepping stone to STR and GTR, and is denied by quantum field theory. Even in string theory, there has to be a length of string between the blobs. As Parmenides warned 2500 years ago, when we speak of `what is not' we get into serious trouble.
   
   Deutsch relies heavily on the Cantor-Turing conjecture, which, following Roger Penrose, he states as the Turing principle:
   
   `For abstract computers simulating physical objects, there exists an abstract universal computer whose repertoire includes any computation that any physically possible object can perform.'
   
   From that principle, he concludes that it is possible to build a virtual reality generator whose repertoire includes every physically possible environment. In referring to `every physically possible environment' he assumes that that there are more than one physically possible environments, and that such environments are entirely separate. On page 291 he claims: `a virtual reality generator could [...] give one the experience of living in the age of the dinosaurs, or in the trenches of the First World War, and it could make the constellations, dates, newspapers or whatever appear correctly for those times.' My problem with this is that I believe that giving a `perfectly accurate' experience of the trenches in the First World War (or indeed any environment) is impossible, as every environment is joined to every other: there is only one environment.
   
   Deutsch frequently refers to physical reality, and I am left wondering whether he distinguishes between reality and physical reality. Personally, I side with Spinoza's view that there is only one reality, that it is infinite in infinite ways, or aspects, or attributes, and that we human beings, being limited creatures, have access to reality - can conceive of it - in only two ways: through physics, and through logic or mathematics. (Descartes'`thought and extension'.)
   
   Spinoza's view of energy as matter-in-motion and of Nature as one self-causing infinite reality conceived under infinite attributes, was influential on Einstein's development of space-time physics and his abandonment of the supposition of absolute simultaneity. Amazingly (to me, at any rate!), Spinoza's view seems to sit very well with David Deutsch's supposition of parallel universes, which seem to me to be nothing other than Spinoza's infinite aspects or attributes of reality, to which we have access only to thought and matter - maths and the physical sciences.
   
   In spite of the above criticisms, this is a brilliant, exciting and stimulating book. I am not a professor of anything, only a miserable graduate in philosophy from the University of Durham. But as the mathematician Dodgson said, a cat may look at a king.
   
   Basic Flying Instruction: A Comprehensive Introduction to Western Philosophy



4. Life is far to short to waste on this excrutiatingly pompous, self-congratulatory and tedious (supposed) account of the theory of everything. If you ever decide self-flagellation is absolutely unavoidable this is just the thing for you! I ran screaming, pretty damn quickly, back to the sanctuary of Michio Kaku!



5. I was hoping for something that related the discussed the implications of quantum mechanics on our on view of reality. IMO, the book was lacking.
   
   I found the writing style painful to read. As other reviewers have said, the author should have used a ghost writer.
   
   The author spends too much time pumping 'virtual reality' and too little time on quantum mechanics.
   
   The chapter on epistemology was interesting.. so perhaps the one positive take away is a new interest in the work of Karl Popper.

5 comments about Quantum Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory, Volume 3, Third Edition (Quantum Mechanics) (Quantum Mechanics).

1. It is really a shame to have such a classic text with a typesetting that makes much of the mathematics almost unreadable. For example, the authors often use either a tilde, hat (carat), and dot (period) on top of operators, sometimes in combination. These are so badly rendered that you have to derive their identities from the context of the surrounding discussion. Frequently parts of characters are missing as if an old typewriter with a worn ribbon were used. I have 2 other volumes in this series (Mechanics and Statistical Physics Part 1) which do not suffer these defects. My 2-star rating is in no way a reflection of the contents nor the authors, which get 5 stars (based on the prose and the equations I CAN read).



2. this is very great theoretical quantum book. Although you cannot start learning quantum mechanics from this book, But for extended theoretical studies, in the concept of quantum mechanics in general, and also in specific fields. I recommend this book. This book is number 5 of my quantum books, it is so far the most consistent, but I understand also this is because quantum is not a strange subject to me any more. I really recommended for graduate students, or undergraduates who have good understanding of the mathematical calculation for basic quantum.
   great book after all.



3. Great supplement to Griffith's book as well as Woodgate's book. Some of the other positive comments here say it all.



4. If one wants to understand Quantum Mechanics then she or he should read this book.



5. This is a great book to reference if you already have some mastery of Quantum Mechanics. Does not who any math, but has many illustrating and difficult examples.