Theory of Quantum Physics: Scientific Concepts, #5

By Barry Bingham

This book provides a beginner’s guide to this difficult and rarely understood topic.

Quantum Physics is not generally easily understood and is a mystery to most people. Along with the theory of relativity, is one of the two major revolutionary ideas that shook the world of physics to the core in the early 20th century.

The author takes a complex subject and breaks it down into easy to understand chapters that will provide anyone with a fantastic insight into the amazing world of quantum physics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shaharm Publications
• Release date: Jun 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524286910

Barry Bingham

Barry Bingham is a lifelong lover and student of physics. After many years spent teaching, Barry has decided to turn his hand to sharing his wealth of knowledge in the written form. From quantum physics and probability to relativity and natural selection, Barry's books provide a great entry point to these topics but they also share concepts and details for those already familiar with the basics. His passion for the subjects really shines in his writing and make these somewhat difficult concepts fun and easy to understand.

Book preview

1. Introduction

Quantum physics, along with the theory of relativity, is one of the two major revolutionary ideas that shook the world of physics to the core in the early 20th century. In fact, physics has still not fully recovered from the discoveries of quantum physics. While the models have been experimentally confirmed over and over again, physicists and philosophers still argue about exactly what these results mean for our view of reality.

Before quantum physics, the physical world seemed fairly neat and tidy. Yes, there were a few loose ends here and there that needed to be straightened out, but for the most part, physicists felt that they had a good handle on how the world worked. It was a world of forces and particles, acting against a fixed, unchanging backdrop of space and time.

Quantum physics broke this world view and it has never been reassembled. The discoveries and theories of such giants as Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Albert Einstein showed us that reality was far stranger than we could have ever imagined. Instead of a world where simple particles move against a fixed backdrop, we have a world where particles can be in more than one place at once.

The story of quantum physics can be told through the lives of the men who brought it into being. These include some of the most honored names in 20th century physics. Virtually all of the major figures in the development of this field were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics at some point during their lives. Some of these men were eager to overturn the existing paradigms in science, while others were only reluctant revolutionaries.

Today, quantum physics stands as one of the crowning achievements of modern science, and yet it is still unclear exactly what it means. How can we reconcile this theory with our commonsense view of the world? Is there any way to do so, or must we accept that our ordinary beliefs are simply naive and illusory? These questions have troubled physicists and philosophers for decades, and seem likely to continue to do so for many years to come.

2. Quantum Physics: A Brief Overview

In essence, quantum physics is the theory that governs the behavior of matter and energy on very small scales. In our ordinary lives and on a human scale, the classical theories of Newtonian physics still work perfectly well. After all, we are able to land men on the Moon and send probes to Mars without having to take quantum effects into account.

However, classical physics, it is now clear, is essentially a very good approximation that only holds true for certain scales. Just as the behavior of matter at very high speeds or in very great quantities must be calculated using the rules of general relativity, so the behavior of matter at very small scales must be calculated according to the principles of quantum physics.

One of the most significant differences between classical and quantum physics is that the first is deterministic, while the latter is apparently probabilistic. In classical physics, what happens in the future is completely determined by the past. A