Quantum Physics for Poets

A sparkling and articulate new account of how the quantum revolution changed 20th century science – and, as a further delight, how physics and poetry can speak the same language.

~Chicago Tribune

Lederman and Hill, two very-well known physicists, have written in a prose that speaks to the poet in all of us. A delightful and illuminating guide through the mysteries of the quantum world.

~Gino Segrè, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, and author of Faust in Copenhagen: A Struggle for the Soul of Physics

No doubt about it, the quantum world is the weirdest place known to the human mind. With unexcelled clarity and humor, Leon Lederman and CHristopher Hill provide the best guide to this bizarre place I've ever seen.

~James Trefil, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics, Goegre Mason University, and coauthor of Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

Lederman and Hill have provided a great gift to poets and all other mortals in search of an accessible yet authoritative guide to the mysterious and weird world of quantum physics. Your head will still spin, but your feet will be on solid ground.

~Tom Siegfried, Editor in Chief of Science News

Quantum Physics for Poets is like sitting down to dinner with two very enthusiastic, amusing, and down-to-earth physicists who can't wait to tell you about the strange ways of electrons, which are so puzzling that Einstein, Schrödinger, and Heisenberg devoted their lives to sorting out what these strange things do. They tell you about baseballs knocked out of the park and water waves hitting boats; they bring up black holes and string theory, an occasional transistor, and a bit of chemistry... all while scribbling little pictures on the tablecloth and even (as the title promises) reciting poetry. Lederman and Hill stay with you all the way through- and by the time dessert rolls around, quantum cryptography actually sounds pretty enticing.

~Peter Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor, Harvard University

Niels Bohr famously said that anyone who can think about quantum mechanics without getting giddy doesn't understand the first thing about it. This book changes all that. The wit and style with make you giddy, and you will understand a lot!

~Rocky Kolb, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago

Two well-known experts on quantum mechanics- Lederman and Hill- have done a wonderful job in communicating its essence and logical content to a general audience.

~Emmanuel Paschos, Professor of Physics at Dortmund University, Germany, and author of The Schemata of the Stars