Quantum Physics: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)

I read a review in which the reviewer said he reads 5 books a year and that makes him an authority. That made me chuckle. I think Einstein himself said, he was no Einstein.I've read about 3 dozen books on math and physics in the last 2 years and I'm not even close to being an authority, but this is another book I am happy to add to my list. Alastair Rae has the gift of not talking down to the reader. What I particularly like are the summaries and notes at the end of each chapter; it just seems to tie everything together. The book has mathematical boxes throughout, which can be skipped by the reader and still manage to get the over-all message.All in all, Rae offers a good introduction to quatum for those who are new to the field, as well as a refresher for anyone with experience.

I enjoyed this book. It is written in a style that is quite easily readable (if you already have some working knowledge and fluency in physics), and Alistair Rae provides some very amusing anecdotes about the physicists he speaks of. I felt that the author skipped around a lot, especially in his explanation of the standard model, and I had to repeatedly go back and review to make sense of some threads of thought. However, one big plus is the questions that Rae provides at the back of the book, which helped me check my understanding. Overall this book was well worth reading, but don't expect this single book to suffice as an overview of quantum physics.

As a beginner who is just starting to learn about quantum physics, this book is a great start, it is easy to read, explains things in detail, and is overall a great book!

I've read a number of beginners' books, most with mixed experiences. As an engineer, I'm not afraid of math, but am unable to do much of what is needed to quantum physics. I enjoyed this book very much. There are other books that provide deeper understanding for the layperson, but this is as advertised; a beginner's book. It covers all important aspects with enough explanation to follow along. It also provides good ties into the practical applications of each idea. It packs a lot of punch for a book its size. Money well spent!

Ok so I have zero background in physics or Math. I'm 40 and pretty high up in the technology field so I'm a pretty smart man. I wanted to learn more about Quantum Physics and decided to get this book. I'm still reading it but as of now I would say that anyone that doesn't have a general background into Classical Physics should start their first. For the most part this book isn't too terribly hard to follow but as with most subjects as diverse as this there's just too much information to cover in the short chapters. This book will give you a general overview of things but no real in-depth insight. The first chapter goes through the units of measure used frequently throughout the book and if you have a hard time grasping those concepts (as I did) you are going to feel lost quite a bit in the later chapters. I've found over the years that most people who do understand these subjects have no clue how to translate that knowledge to the average person. If you're like me and you want a more detailed understanding of things from the bottom up you'll want do a little more research. I give the book a great rating but I would strongly recommend that if you are truly a beginner in the world of physics that you start with classical physics first and then step into the realm of Quantum Physics. If you already have a good understanding of things like gravity, magnetism, and electricity and are looking for a good starting point for quantum physics then this isn't a bad starting point.

An excellent book for people who don't have a background in physics.Step by step in a simple way the author explains Quantum Physics.I recommend it to all the people who want a basic knowledge in the Quantum Theory.

I like how it breaks things down into subcategories, it's kind of like an overview of physics. If you want to know what quantum physics covers and not get into too much detail about the subject this is the book for you. In this sense it is a beginner's guide. It doesn't break things down into simpler ways of understanding but covers very basic ideas of quantum physics.

Of all the physical manifestations of quantum physics what jarred me the most were related to energy creation and global warming. The most important problem for us to solve is outlined in this book. This should be a must read for every high school chemistry student with the hope that a few will be encouraged enough to want to be part of the team to help turn our current course around.

very handy product

This book clarified many aspect of the physical nature of electricity and its works. Very good reading for those who lack knowledge in quantum physics..

Wer eine intellektuelle Herausforderung sucht und sich auch in Bezug auf die englische Sprache weiterbilden will, ist hier genau richtig.

"Beginners Guide" is about the relevance of quantum physics to everyday technology: semiconductors and transistors; energy sources and greenhouse gases; some not-so-everyday phenomena like superconductivity and SQUIDS; even the cutting edge stuff of quantum computing and quantum encryption. All are explained in terms of a few precisely stated properties of matter at the atomic scale or smaller. The weirdness of wave-particle duality and indeterminacy become accessible with minimal recourse to mathematics.In successive chapters an insight is given into how materials acquire their large-scale chemical, physical and electrical properties by reason of what is going on at the level of electron, photon or atom. The way these particles are able to act with a concerted weirdness then seems just as reasonable as their bizarre individual behaviour.The maths would be even easier to follow if more care had been taken with proofreading. Errors are confined mostly to the panels of mathematical details (where parameters annoyingly come and go like quantum particles) but there are also some in the main text (see posted comments).Historical background is sketchy. We read: "James Clerk Maxwell . . . around 1860 showed the aether postulate was unnecessary". Arguably, it was he who started this entire goose chase; Michelson and Morley were still on the trail in 1887 and famously drew a blank; a kludge was proposed in 1892 by Lorentz; Einstein cleared things up a bit in 1905 - but the hunt ran and ran.A brief analysis of how quantum indeterminacy might actually come about is presented in a well-argued short chapter at the end. If this stimulates further interest, then get the excellent companion volume Quantum Physics - Illusion or Reality. Both books are rewarding reads.

A great book for high school students to pick up some basics