Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-371) and index.
Contents:
No one can say what quantum mechanics means (and this is a book about it) -- Quantum mechanics is not really about the quantum -- Quantum objects are neither wave nor particle (but sometimes they might as well be) -- Quantum particles aren't in two states at once (but sometimes they might as well be) -- What 'happens' depends on what we find out about it -- There are many ways of interpreting quantum theory (and none of them quite makes sense) -- Whatever the question, the answer is 'yes' (unless it's 'no') -- Not everything is knowable at once -- The properties of quantum objects don't have to be contained within the objects -- There is no 'spooky action at a distance' -- The everyday world is what quantum becomes at human scales -- Everything you experience is a (partial) copy of what causes it -- Schrödinger's cat has had kittens -- Quantum mechanics can be harnessed for technology -- Quantum computers don't necessarily perform 'many calculations at once' -- There is no other 'quantum' you -- Things could be even more 'quantum' than they are (so why aren't they)? -- The fundamental laws of quantum mechanics might be simpler than we imagine -- Can we ever get to the bottom of it?
Summary:
An exhilarating tour of the contemporary quantum landscape, Beyond Weird is a book about what quantum physics really means--and what it doesn't. Science writer Philip Ball offers an up-to-date, accessible account of the quest to come to grips with the most fundamental theory of physical reality, and to explain how its counterintuitive principles underpin the world we experience.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.