The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics

The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics PDF Author: Daniel F. Styer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316101878
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
This is an exceptionally accessible, accurate, and non-technical introduction to quantum mechanics. After briefly summarizing the differences between classical and quantum behaviour, this engaging account considers the Stern-Gerlach experiment and its implications, treats the concepts of probability, and then discusses the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and Bell's theorem. Quantal interference and the concept of amplitudes are introduced and the link revealed between probabilities and the interference of amplitudes. Quantal amplitude is employed to describe interference effects. Final chapters explore exciting new developments in quantum computation and cryptography, discover the unexpected behaviour of a quantal bouncing-ball, and tackle the challenge of describing a particle with no position. Thought-provoking problems and suggestions for further reading are included. Suitable for use as a course text, The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics enables students to develop a genuine understanding of the domain of the very small. It will also appeal to general readers seeking intellectual adventure.

The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics

The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics PDF Author: Daniel F. Styer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316101878
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is an exceptionally accessible, accurate, and non-technical introduction to quantum mechanics. After briefly summarizing the differences between classical and quantum behaviour, this engaging account considers the Stern-Gerlach experiment and its implications, treats the concepts of probability, and then discusses the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and Bell's theorem. Quantal interference and the concept of amplitudes are introduced and the link revealed between probabilities and the interference of amplitudes. Quantal amplitude is employed to describe interference effects. Final chapters explore exciting new developments in quantum computation and cryptography, discover the unexpected behaviour of a quantal bouncing-ball, and tackle the challenge of describing a particle with no position. Thought-provoking problems and suggestions for further reading are included. Suitable for use as a course text, The Strange World of Quantum Mechanics enables students to develop a genuine understanding of the domain of the very small. It will also appeal to general readers seeking intellectual adventure.

The Heroic Age

The Heroic Age PDF Author: Robert D. Purrington
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190655178
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 425

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Book Description
Presents a detailed look at the period between 1925 and leading up to WWII, in which quantum theory was created and then quickly applied to nuclear, atomic, molecular, and solid state physics. The book includes a heavy emphasis on the scientific literature rather than a breezy overview of this period focusing on personalities or personal stories of the scientists involved.

The Discovery of Quantum Mechanics, 1925

The Discovery of Quantum Mechanics, 1925 PDF Author: Jagdish Mehra
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780387951768
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Quantum Theory, together with the principles of special and general relativity, constitute a scientific revolution that has profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is a definitive historical study of that scientific work and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning. Drawing upon such materials as the resources of the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics, the Niels Bohr Archives, and the archives and scientific correspondence of the principal quantum physicists, as well as Jagdish Mehra's personal discussions over many years with most of the architects of quantum theory, the authors have written a rigorous scientific history of quantum theory in a deeply human context. This multivolume work presents a rich account of an intellectual triumph: a unique analysis of the creative scientific process. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is science, history, and biography, all wrapped in the story of a great human enterprise. Its lessons will be an aid to those working in the sciences and humanities alike.

The Historical Development of Quantum Theory

The Historical Development of Quantum Theory PDF Author: Jagdish Mehra
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9780387951744
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
Quantum Theory, together with the principles of special and general relativity, constitute a scientific revolution that has profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is a definitive historical study of that scientific work and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning. Drawing upon such materials as the resources of the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics, the Niels Bohr Archives, and the archives and scientific correspondence of the principal quantum physicists, as well as Jagdish Mehra's personal discussions over many years with most of the architects of quantum theory, the authors have written a rigorous scientific history of quantum theory in a deeply human context. This multivolume work presents a rich account of an intellectual triumph: a unique analysis of the creative scientific process. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is science, history, and biography, all wrapped in the story of a great human enterprise. Its lessons will be an aid to those working in the sciences and humanities alike.

Niels Bohr and the Quantum Atom

Niels Bohr and the Quantum Atom PDF Author: Helge Kragh
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191630462
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
Niels Bohr and the Quantum Atom is the first book that focuses in detail on the birth and development of Bohr's atomic theory and gives a comprehensive picture of it. At the same time it offers new insight into Bohr's peculiar way of thinking, what Einstein once called his 'unique instinct and tact'. Contrary to most other accounts of the Bohr atom, the book presents it in a broader perspective which includes the reception among other scientists and the criticism launched against it by scientists of a more conservative inclination. Moreover, it discusses the theory as Bohr originally conceived it, namely, as an ambitious theory covering the structure of atoms as well as molecules. By discussing the theory in its entirety it becomes possible to understand why it developed as it did and thereby to use it as an example of the dynamics of scientific theories.

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum Mechanics PDF Author: Hendrik F. Hameka
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471654795
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
A unique introductory text on quantum mechanics, from basic principles to historical perspective. * Includes description of the historical developments that led to the discovery of QM, often left out of other textbooks. * Emphasizes basic concepts that were essential in this discovery, placing them in context and making them more understandable to students. * Written in an easy-to-understand style and assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, this book provides a solid foundation for future study of quantum chemistry. * Includes problem sets for student use.

The Development of Elementary Quantum Theory

The Development of Elementary Quantum Theory PDF Author: Herbert Capellmann
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319618849
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 98

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Book Description
This book traces the evolution of the ideas that eventually resulted in the elementary quantum theory in 1925/26. Further, it discusses the essential differences between the fundamental equations of Quantum Theory derived by Born and Jordan, logically comprising Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Optics, and the traditional view of the development of Quantum Mechanics. Drawing on original publications and letters written by the main protagonists of that time, it shows that Einstein’s contributions from 1905 to 1924 laid the essential foundations for the development of Quantum Theory. Einstein introduced quantization of the radiation field; Born added quantized mechanical behavior. In addition, Born recognized that Quantum Mechanics necessarily required Quantum Optics; his radical concept of truly discontinuous and statistical quantum transitions (“quantum leaps”) was directly based on Einstein’s physical concepts.

Einstein and the Quantum

Einstein and the Quantum PDF Author: A. Douglas Stone
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691168563
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
The untold story of Albert Einstein's role as the father of quantum theory Einstein and the Quantum reveals for the first time the full significance of Albert Einstein's contributions to quantum theory. Einstein famously rejected quantum mechanics, observing that God does not play dice. But, in fact, he thought more about the nature of atoms, molecules, and the emission and absorption of light—the core of what we now know as quantum theory—than he did about relativity. A compelling blend of physics, biography, and the history of science, Einstein and the Quantum shares the untold story of how Einstein—not Max Planck or Niels Bohr—was the driving force behind early quantum theory. It paints a vivid portrait of the iconic physicist as he grappled with the apparently contradictory nature of the atomic world, in which its invisible constituents defy the categories of classical physics, behaving simultaneously as both particle and wave. And it demonstrates how Einstein's later work on the emission and absorption of light, and on atomic gases, led directly to Erwin Schrödinger's breakthrough to the modern form of quantum mechanics. The book sheds light on why Einstein ultimately renounced his own brilliant work on quantum theory, due to his deep belief in science as something objective and eternal.

Schrödinger’s Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics

Schrödinger’s Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics PDF Author: Michael Bitbol
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400917724
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
This book is the final outcome of two projects. My first project was to publish a set of texts written by Schrodinger at the beginning of the 1950's for his seminars and lectures at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. These almost completely forgotten texts contained important insights into the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and they provided several ideas which were missing or elusively expressed in SchrOdinger's published papers and books of the same period. However, they were likely to be misinterpreted out of their context. The problem was that current scholarship could not help very much the reader of these writings to figure out their significance. The few available studies about SchrOdinger's interpretation of quantum mechanics are generally excellent, but almost entirely restricted to the initial period 1925-1927. Very little work has been done on Schrodinger's late views on the theory he contributed to create and develop. The generally accepted view is that he never really recovered from his interpretative failure of 1926-1927, and that his late reflections (during the 1950's) are little more than an expression of his rising nostalgia for the lost ideal of picturing the world, not to say for some favourite traditional picture. But the content and style of Schrodinger's texts of the 1950's do not agree at all with this melancholic appraisal; they rather set the stage for a thorough renewal of accepted representations. In order to elucidate this paradox, I adopted several strategies.

Physics and Beyond

Physics and Beyond PDF Author: Werner Heisenberg
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description