Q is for Quantum

This is an excellent book written by a top-flight physicist with a flair for making evocative and playful descriptions. It begins at a level suitable for nine-year olds (the author’s son, he says) and progresses to a level suitable for professional scientists and philosophers. Rudolf explains the essence of quantum theory and its “weirdness” without using any standard physics jargon by inventing his own self-contained “laboratory” consisting of devices (which he calls boxes) that take in colored balls and put out changed-color balls. He uses these as an analogy for physical processes that occur both in nature and in quantum “machines,” which physicists are now trying to use to create a new generation of computers.This book is one of the very best among the dozens that attempt to explain quantum theory to lay persons. It is very different from Brian Greene’s writings on the subject, but to me just as engaging. It takes a far narrower path through the subject than Green does, having the goal of actually having the reader understand something, not just read about it. Rudolf’s book presents a diagrammatic way for a dogged reader to construct theoretical understanding. A less dogged reader can skip over the brain-challenging theory bits and still get an excellent feel for how the theory is supposed to work. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to ponder the counterintuitive world of quantum physics and how quantum laws are changing possibilities in technology.

There are so many popular books trying to tell you what quantum mechanics is. If you are not a physicist (and sometimes even if you are), you end up with a vague grasp of weird things, you know how to pronounce many buzz words, you start believing physicists must be very smart and that you can never be one, and that's where it usually ends. Terry Rudolph wrote a very different book. In a very entertaining way , he actually solves quantum mechanical problems accurately, almost as physicists do when they write fancy scientific papers, but he does that in a way anyone with a bit of curiosity and who can add and subtract simple integers can easily follow! sounds impossible? go ahead and check for yourself, maybe those physicists are not so smart as they pretend to be!Not only you will clearly understand why physicists scratch their heads violently trying to figure out the quantum world for so many year now, you will also learn something very recent on a very hot research topic: you will learn how even without understanding why quantum nature is doing what she does, physicists believe we can use it to build computers that we hope soon can do things we just can't imagine doing with even our best supercomputers.Now honestly, I am a professional physicist, quantum mechanics is what I do for living (or at least I pretend to), yet not only I laughed a lot reading in this book on things I kinda know, I also found out I learnt a surprisingly large number things I didn't know, or perhaps I should say I learnt things I thought I knew...So, if you are a boy of 15, as Terry Rudolph tells us he was when he started wandering about all this Q-stuff, or a professional Q-guy, I strongly recommend you give it a shot. If you end up still not knowing what quantum mechanics is, well...at least you'd smile a lot along the way!

"Q is for Quantum" is the most unusual book I've read so far on the topic of quantum computing. Author Terry Rudolph makes his subject accessible using a humorous, informal style that eschews standard, highfalutin quantum terminology (e.g., quantum superposition, Toffoli gate, Hadamard gate, respectively) in favor of his own down-to-earth amusing and descriptive terminology (e.g. misty state, CCNOT box, PETE box, respectively). Rudolph's explanation of various quantum algorithms in terms of colored ball computers built from his various "boxes" and designed to support, for example, a Keystone Cops bank robbery scheme gave me a visceral understanding of at least a few slivers of quantum computing—an understanding I lacked previously and was glad to attain.I am deducting one star, though, for Part III of the book, which attempted to address the philosophical issues surrounding quantum mechanics. Rudolph's informal, humorous style there did not hit the mark for me. I found his imagined conversations between Winnie-the-Pooh and Albert Einstein difficult to follow. I think a more formal approach would have worked better for me in addressing these philosophical questions.On balance, though, this book is well worth reading.

The first two parts of the book are fun. They explain entanglement and the role of the observer via Pete boxes and Bella mists. Drawing out the examples helped me "get it" as I'm someone who learns by doing. Then we got to part III, and rocky states, and basically it felt like that's what state my brain was in. I think the first 2 sections are suitable for anyone who wants to understand how the observer interacts with entangled particles, but (imho) for part 3, you need to have at least some exposure to advanced concepts in QM already. I'd still recommend giving this book a try. It is engagingly written. Plus, where else will you find an imaginary conversation between Pooh Bear and Einstein about lunchboxes with sweet and healthy options?

I've spent more than thirty years thinking and writing about what's puzzling in quantum mechanics and Terry Rudolph's book has been a pleasure to read. Nobody could resist the magic of his PETE box and using quantum computing as an intro to the mysteries of QM which is accessible to a bright teenager is a great idea. What's questionable is what could be read as a summary dismissal of the Everett interpretation at the bottom of page 112; to be treated with caution.

This book would be worth buying even if it only contained the brilliant description of the PETE box, which provided me with one of the most memorable Aha! moments ever. And every other chapter is just as good and in a different style. Outstanding. Should be taught to children so thy don't have to wait as long as I did.

I'm a theoretical physicist working at the interface between quantum and thermodynamics, and I'm passionate about the inner workings of great ideas. This is a magnificent work, completely different from any other popularization book in the field. In fact, this one is not at all about making science "pop": it is about making science, full stop. It goes straight to the heart of the problem, giving actual tools to work out the physics by oneself, without indulging into all those metaphors and anecdotes served by most divulgation - and never getting to the point. It's not an easy read, but it does manage to immensely reduce the difficulty of Quantum Mechanics. In fact, despite the very colloquial tone, which makes it a pleasant reading anyway, the book is very rigorous and the logical development sound and consistent. Anyone who is REALLY interested into getting to the core of QM as fast as possible, and not only to fill his mouth of Schroedinger's cats, should definitely roll his sleeves and go for this one.

If you want a simple guide to the math involved, this is a good book. If you are interested in the whys and wherefores, not so much. It talks about 'what is an observer' but comes to no conclusions. More recent stuff, such as the quantum eraser experiment, is not dealt with.

A very unusual take on quantum mechanics which introduces the subject in a completely novel way. There are many interpretations of quantum physics, and Terry Rudolph has come up with an appealing version. Not to be confused with John Gribbin's encyclopaedia, which has the same title but nothing else in common.

Unlike any book that I have seen on quantum theory for the non-specialist. Highly recommend it. Although it is thin, it will take a long time to read because it will really make you think, but that is the point!

Splendid Book!