Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction

by Polkinghorne, John

• ISBN13: 9780192802521
• ISBN10: 0192802526
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-08-29
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Quantum Theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation thatstill remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. The main text makes no use of equations, but there is a Mathematical Appendix for those desiring stronger fare. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among themany topics discussed.

Author Biography

John Polkinghorne was from 1968 to 1979 Professor of Mathematical Physics in the University of Cambridge, and later president of Queen's College. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and was knighted in 1997. His many books include The Quantum World (1986), The Faith of a Physicist (1994), and Science and Theology (1998).

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
List of illustrations	xiii
Classical cracks	1	(14)
The light dawns	15	(24)
Darkening perplexities	39	(19)
Further developments	58	(19)
Togetherness	77	(5)
Lessons and meanings	82	(11)
Further reading	93	(2)
Glossary	95	(4)
Mathematical appendix	99	(12)
Index	111