5 comments about Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity: Metaphysical Intimations of Modern Physics (Aristotelian Society Monographs).

1. It's no coincidence that those writing the clearest books in the philosophy of physics are also those doing the best work in the field. Maudlin's book is a perfect example of this. It is also remarkably self-sufficient, providing a review of special relativity, and a brief and lucid presentation of the foundations of quantum mechanics in the appendix. As a result, it should be readable by anyone with a high school education. Those already familiar with the physics and/or the issues may want to skip parts, though I should note that I found a couple hidden gems regarding things I was unfamiliar with or mistaken about even in the introductory sections.

   The bulk of the book examines whether and to what extent quantum mechanics entails four superluminal phenomena often taken to be ruled out by relativity: superluminal matter transport, superluminal signaling, superluminal causation and superluminal information transfer. Maudlin convincingly argues that only the latter two of these are entailed by quantum phenomena. The book ends with an critical examination of the various theories put forward to circumvent these difficulties, and provides a brief discussion of how these issues hold up when we move to General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory.




2. There are many books which discuss the issue of quantum non-locality and discuss its connections to relativity theory. The vast majority of them, however, are either un-serious popular pap, or serious tomes written by professional philosophers who are at least as confused as the authors of the pap.
   
   Maudlin's book stands out like a beacon of light in this fog of confusion and muddle-headedness. It is accessible to anyone with a basic high-school education in math and physics, yet surpasses the vast majority of technical papers on this subject in depth, clarity, and (most importantly) correctness. If you want to understand the issue of non-locality that makes some people worry so much about quantum theory and its consistency with relativity, read this book -- study this book -- and this holds whether you are a Joe Schmoe off the street or a famous Professor from (say) Boston University.



3. In this delightful read, Maudlin goes through an array of topics revolving around non-locality, relativity, and the mathematics involved. However, although I didn't find any "new" ideas in the text, I was amazed at how quickly & clearly he explained the said topics. Without exaggerating, in 80 pages of this book I attained what had taken me an entire stack of now useless books on quantum physics (particularly Bell's theorem), relativity, linear algebra, and philosophy(don't read Philosophy of Physics by Lange, you'll get it all out of this)
   
   Anyone who has a prior introduction to Quantum theory will love this. I'd suggest Quantum Reality by Herbert, But there are lots of good ones out there.



4. This is a great book - captivating, a bit technical in places (but you can easily avoid the technical details and still understand the theses), and ultimately somewhat disturbing in the best sense of that word (it will knock away a lot of your presuppositions). Quantum non-locality (QNL) has been experimentally verified and there is no question that it exists. Particles too far apart to "communicate" at speeds less than the speed of light nonetheless do somehow "communicate". Lorentz invariance, a cornerstone of relativity, has also been well verified experimentally. Yet Einstein's philosophical underpinning of special relativity, the democracy of all reference frames, seem to be radically called into question by QNL. The author goes through every theory put forward so far to reconcile special relativity (with its philosophical underpinning intact) with QNL, and shows that none can cut the mustard. Trying to reconcile QNL with general relativity leads to even worse conundrums. Science is in a deep quandary! This book will blow your mind if you let it.



5. This contains the clearest presentation of the evidence for non-locality that I've seen. The other chapters on the implications of this are a little more challenging but worth it.

5 comments about Three Roads to Quantum Gravity.

1. Lee Smolin's promise of a full theory of quantum gravity by 2015 concludes this book.
   
   Along the way to that conclusion Smolin takes the reader on a comprehensible and lucid tour the current state of the search for a unified theory of quantum gravity. In this way, Smolin introduces the reader to his "three roads to quantum gravity" being:
   
   1) The road from relativity or those classical principles originally established by Albert Einstein in his general theory of relativity back in 1916;
   
   2) The road from quantum mechanics or that standard model developed within twenty years of Einstein's relativity dealing with the forces that operate at the subatomic level and finally;
   
   3) The road from both and the various ways in which researchers from both areas have tried to the meld the two approaches.
   
   Though admittedly (and particularly at the time this book was written) the theory favored by most theorists is so called string theory, Smolin also discusses other contenders like loop gravity (which Smolin worked with) as well as Oxford's Roger Penrose's twistor theory and others.
   
   Long story short, the three roads are still being travelled. However, Smolin's salutory comments about a solution being in the offing by 2015 are optimistic.
   
   Hopefully, they're also right!
   
   Good book, good background, highly recommended.



2. Wow, I'm not going to go into any details or dicussions about this book, or any other matter, but i have to say this. This book is beyond GOOD, it will rock your mind so hard that you will be hooked on Physics for the rest of your life. Lee Smolin is the Man.



3. Lee Smolin has again created an excellent non-mathematical book that has his distinctive style and clearly that explains his view point on how we get to a theory of everything. Lee presents a partial history of the different approaches used by the Physics community to solve solve the problems of creating a theory of everything. His approach is heavly vested in the Quantun Gravity history and development. This is only natural in that his life has been spent primarly in this area of development. However, he does a very adaquite job of explaining the history and issues with string theory. Lee does a excellent job in this book to present a possible direction for the science community to persue. I only hope that our science community will take Lee's approaces seriously.



4. For me, the most useful reviews are those that tell me something about the book, along with some of the reviewers' opinions. I hope that the reader finds this one to be in that category. Some of the reviews of this book were less than completely positive and so is this present one. I wish that I had paid more attention to those reviews. If I had, I might never have invested the time that I did on this book. For the reasons listed below, I am forced to give this book a strongly qualified, only slightly positive, review.
   
   First a little about the book and its good features:
   1. Quantum gravity is the merger of general relativity and quantum mechanics. It is being applied to describe nature at the smallest of size scales, the behavior of black holes and the origin of the universe.
   2. More than gravity per se, this book is about the quantum nature of space and time. It addresses the question as to whether space and time are continuous and can be divided into infinitely smaller pieces, or whether they are discreet, with minimum possible sizes (the Planck distance and Planck time). The book supports this discreet view of space and time.
   3. The quantum of space is discussed in terms of quantum loops and atomic structure is described in terms of the spin networks, developed by Roger Penrose, that are made up of these quantum loops.
   4. This book discusses the entropy of black holes and how this relates to quantum gravity.
   5. There is a brief explanation of what string theory is about and how it relates to quantum gravity. It is postulated that these strings may themselves be made from spin networks.
   6. There is a brief section of supersymmetry and its impact on string theory and quantum gravity.
   7. There is a brief chapter discussing theological implications of this work.
   8. This book focuses on the questions raised by modern physics. If you read it you will definitely get an idea about these questions and about quantum gravity, string theory and the entropy of black holes. These are all good reasons to read this book, but before you invest the time and effort to do so you should consider the reservations listed below.
   
   Now why the above features were not enough for me to give this book 5 stars:
   1) You definitely need some physics background to get much from this book. You need to know about entropy, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics and general relativity. This is not good a book for high school students or those who have no background in the required prerequisites. This would be a good book for people in the field, for interested scientists and for laymen who are well read in the required prerequisites. To be fair, the author does mention the need for some previous knowledge, but this is not stated on the book cover or where it might warn prospective readers. I therefore feel the need to do so here.
   2) There is no attempt to define some of the important things being discussed. For instance, conical figures depicting photons in space-time are shown with little or no discussion. World lines are shown in one figure, but not defined. (Under W in the index are Warhol, Andy and Wittgenstein, Ludwig, but no world line.)
   3) The features mentioned above are given in only general terms. Without more specificity and more background information the text is rather murky in places. After about 50 pages I was ready to stop and go on to other things, but I decided to read a bit further. Fortunately, I enjoyed some of the subsequent chapters a bit more and finished the book. No math is included, which is probably a very good thing since the math is daunting even for theoretical physicists.
   4) There is a lot of personal anecdotal information in this book, which in my opinion only adds to its length, but does not provide any insights into the physics being discussed. According to the author (see item #9 below) this was included to show "science in the making", but I personally do see how this is done by recounting how the author had two flat tires while driving a colleague to the airport, or that he was rear ended by a Maserati. This information may great for those who know the author, but I felt that it just slowed down the flow of the text. I would have preferred replacing this anecdotal information with a better discussion of quantum gravity. Most of the book is about quantum loops and in my opinion there is insufficient discussion of how this relates to gravity, quantum or otherwise.
   5) One of my main concerns is that at present there is no way to experimentally determine the validity of any of the theories presented in the book and much of what is being presented will likely be shown to be wrong. Without experimental verification, physics tends to degenerate into metaphysics. While it is a somewhat invidious comparison, at times reading this book reminded me of the medieval preoccupation with trying to count the number of angels that could dance on the head of a pin.
   6) To use the author's own analogy, this book is like reading about the work of Galileo and Kepler, without the unifying principles developed by Newton. Perhaps, one should wait until someone makes sense of all of this and then spend the time to read a book that discusses this synthesis. (See #9, below, for Smolin's reason for publishing this book before all the evidence was in.)
   7) Quantum gravity is clearly in competition with string theory for graduate students and funding dollars, and Smolin clearly favors QG. He feels that it is more fundamental than String Theory since he views strings as perhaps ultimately being made from spin networks of quantum loops. I would have liked to have seen more of the String Theory side of this debate. Compared to String Theory, QG is a minority view of physics on the smallest size and time scales. I am sure that there are many string theorists who could have contributed some balance to Smolin's views. As it stands, the picture that is presented is very one sided. (I am not a String Theorist or even a physicist, just a retired scientist from another field who has the time to write lengthy reviews.)
   8) In the epilogue, Smolin predicts, "We shall have the basic framework of the quantum theory of gravity by 2010, 2015 at the outside.". This view is supported by the postscript to the 2001 paperback edition, in which Smolin cites recent experimental work that may provide the experimental evidence to validate one or more of the theories that he presents. All the more reason, in my opinion, to wait as little as 3 years (8 years at the outside) until some of the theories have been winnowed down by experimental evidence and Smolin can write a new book, or update this one, that gives a more definitive view of quantum gravity.
   9) At the very end of the book, Smolin questions the wisdom of presenting science "in the making" to a general audience, but decided that it was best for the public to see how science goes about seeking the truth. I have no trouble with this, so long as this is clearly stated on the book cover and in the literature provided by the publisher. I for one would have preferred to wait until all this was sorted out before I expended the energy required to follow the discussion.
   
   In summary, this book is OK if you want to know about some of the important questions being raised in modern physics and if you want to get a glimpse of science "in the making", but this book (and the science being described) is short on verified answers. (Not that anyone else has them to give.)



5. This book addresses some extremely interesting topics, including string theory, quantum loop gravity, and halographic models of the universe. Unfortunately, it does not do so successfully. The author merely glosses over these topics and many deep subtopics as the disorganization of them and muddled writing ruin what otherwise might have been an interesting exercise in the comparison and contrast of approaches to developing a model of quantum gravity. The writing is so poor that I often gave up reading this book in frustration, only to return to it due to the interest in the subject matter, however ill-rendered. I recommend seeking a better treatment or treatments of the subject matter.

No comments about A Relativist's Toolkit: The Mathematics of Black-Hole Mechanics.

No comments about E = Einstein: His Life, His Thought, and His Influence on Our Culture.

2 comments about Tibaldo and the Hole in the Calendar.

1. This book is really quite charming. It beautifully blends science, philosophy, history, and fiction into a format that is accessible to children and entertaining for adults. Highly recommended



2. Tibaldo and the Hole in the Calendar is a fictional story with a historically and scientifically correct setting. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII proclaimed a reform of the calendar, including the omission of ten days--Oct. 5 through Oct. 14 of 1582-- to correct the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar. Tibaldo Bondi's twelfth birthday, on Oct. 10, 1582, would be omitted, to his distress. He imaginatively and courageously fought to recover his birthday, by asking help from his teachers and the governor of Bologna, and eventually from the Pope himself. The Pope was so amused (laughing for the first time in eight years!) by Tibaldo's daring and clever arguments that he issued a special decree restoring the celebration that would have been lost in 1582. This fictional decree is printed here in authentic papal Latin, but a translation is given. Tibaldo goes on to become a famous physician, pioneering in the use of the microscope and in preventive measures against the spread of infections. He also pioneers in the education of women, marrying a woman astronomer and ensuring that one of his daughters becomes a midwife, one a physician, and one an astronomer. As the background for the story much information is given about astronomy, medicine, midwifery, the history of the calendar, and the religious and political history of Italy. The book is printed in a Renaissance format and the beautiful etchings by Jonathan Shimony are in the style of Renaissance book illustration. The story and the factual background are accessible to children of age ten years or more but are also fascinating reading for adults. It is a particularly instructive and amusing book for a parent to read with a child. Tibaldo has been translated into French, Italian, German, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, and Greek, and is due to be translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew. Tentative plans are underway to make a movie of it, to be set in Bologna, Italy.

1 comments about Relativity: An Introduction to Special and General Relativity.

1. I bought this because my copy of Misner Thorne & Wheeler was in a box 1400 miles away, and i wanted to toy around with some ideas in GTR. I needed a good text on GTR, not a watered-down no-math pop-level book, not a specialized research monograph omitting the basics, not a math formulas reference with no more content than an average cheat sheet, but something for those who already are familiar with GTR but lacking any of the usual academic works in their personal library. This book served my purpose perfectly. It comes with some bonuses - a better explanation of Petrov classification than i had seen anywhere else, more on electromagnetics and stress-energy tensors than i was shopping for, and conveniently sized to carry easily about town along with other stuff, something i can't say for the classic MT&W.
   
   I imagine this would be an okay book for someone who doesn't know GTR but has already studied special relativity and is comfortable with senior undergraduate level physics. GTR is by nature a mind-bending subject, and a total newbie may want to get a taste of the main ideas elsewhere. MT&W, in contrast, is full of illustrations, exercises, and other goodies that make it an excellent choice for GTR beginners. Wald's book on General Relativity is another good choice, but my copy of this too is 1400 miles away...
   
   Good features of this book are that it does not loose the physics behind a forest of math, and that it touches on many important areas - gravitational waves, the Kerr metric, tensor maths, cosmology. None in too much depth - but enough to understand the key concepts and see how different areas of general relativity are related. The bibliography seems shortish but appears sufficient for further pursuits. Some areas not covered include alternatives to GTR, string theory, quantization of GTR. Spinors are mentioned briefly; if one is interested in this important topic, Penrose & Rindler should be your destination.
   
   There is no mention of the weak or strong energy conditions in the index. Perhaps these are mentioned somewhere, but the reader wanting to study this vital topic is better off with the book by Wald.
   
   One area that could stand improvement are the exercises. There are exercised, but it would be nice to have more. A student relying on this book alone might end up feeling underexercised, wanting to pump more mental iron elsewhere. More numerical/quantitative exercises to give a feel for how much, how strong are special relativistic and GTR effects in everday and astrophysical applications, would be especially beneficial to this book's usefulness in an undergraduate course context. When used as a reference text, though, such exercises are not important; given my purpose, i am not disappointed.

2 comments about Einstein: Visionary Scientist.

1. john severance is a good nonfiction writer besides this book he has wroght books like gandhi:great soul,artist and thomas jeforson.Most people in the world know the name albert einstein and the famous E=MC2, but the theory of relativity and his life in general is on known of but with this book will help you under stand it a bit better,did you know he won the nobel prize well he did for physics.



2. I chose this book because one day I had nothing to do so I went to the library and saw this book. The book was about Albert Einstein. I thought about some things about him, but didn't really find something important about him so that made me want to read this book. I wanted to know how his life was and how did he become so smart. I learned many new things in the book about Albert Einstein. The book was really easy to understand and had some pictures of him doing things.
   I recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn more about Albert Einstein. There are many surprising things in this book. One thing was that when Albert was taking his first violin lessons he flung a chair at his teacher. His parents quickly hired another teacher. When Albert was little his parents complained that he was too heavy and also that his head was too large and square shaped. They worried that their son was going to become retarded, but they were wrong. At the age of twelve Albert was really interested in math so he asked a medical student named Max Tameley to lend him some books on math. By the age of thirteen Albert was already past the level of Tameley's.
   My favorite part of the story was when Albert Einstein was about at the age of six and taking his first violin lesson. He got mad and all of a sudden through a chair at the chair. I never knew that Albert had a really bad temper when he was a little kid. I always thought that he was a nice little young boy who liked to study and work. The book also says that whenever his sister, Maja, saw that Albert's face was pale she would run away and find cover because she knew that he would throw things. Once Albert almost hit her with a bowling ball and once he did hit her with the handle bar of a hose.

No comments about Introduction to 3+1 Numerical Relativity (International Series of Monographs on Physics).

No comments about Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement.

No comments about From Paradox to Reality: Our Basic Concepts of the Physical World.