The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone

Front Cover
Harvard University Press, Jul 1, 2009 - Science - 304 pages
As Kenneth W. Ford shows us in The Quantum World, the laws governing the very small and the very swift defy common sense and stretch our minds to the limit. Drawing on a deep familiarity with the discoveries of the twentieth century, Ford gives an appealing account of quantum physics that will help the serious reader make sense of a science that, for all its successes, remains mysterious. In order to make the book even more suitable for classroom use, the author, assisted by Diane Goldstein, has included a new section of Quantum Questions at the back of the book. A separate answer manual to these 300+ questions is available; visit The Quantum World website for ordering information. There is also a cloth edition of this book, which does not include the Quantum Questions included in this paperback edition.
 

Contents

Beneath the Surface of Things
1
How Small Is Small? How Fast Is Fast?
2
Meet the Leptons
29
The Rest of the Extended Family
67
Quantum Lumps
92
Quantum Jumps
112
Social and Antisocial Particles
131
Clinging to Constancy
153
Waves and Particles
184
Pushing the Limits
220
Measurements and Magnitudes
249
The Particles
252
Going for the Gold
257
Quantum Questions
259
Index
283
Copyright

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About the author (2009)

Kenneth W. Ford, retired director of the American Institute of Physics, has taught at university and high-school levels. His books include The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone and a memoir, In Love with Flying.

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