Product Description

Could ′Beam me up, Scotty′ soon become a reality?
The lines between ′science′ and ′science fiction′ have become increasingly blurred. Now, quantum mechanics promises that some of humanity′s wildest dreams may be realized. Serious scientists, working from Einstein′s theories, have been investigating the phenomenon known as ′entanglement′ one of the strangest aspects of our strange universe.
According to Einstein, quantum mechanics required entanglement, the idea that subatomic particles could become linked and that a change to one such particle would instantly be reflected in its counterpart, even if separated by a universe. Einstein felt that if quantum theory could produce such bizarre effects, then it had to be invalid. But new experiments show not only that it does happen, but that it may lead to unbreakable codes and even teleportation, perhaps in our lifetimes.
This is a highly accessible yet technically well researched introduction to the bizarre phenomenon of entanglement and the scientists who have helped to discover it. The book provides an excellent introduction to a complex but exciting branch of science that could have significant implications for our understanding of the world and the way we live.
∗ Amir D. Aczel is an internationally known author and speaker who attracts large crowds
∗ We have all seen teleportation in science fiction. This book shows how it could become a reality.
∗ The first book to explain the theory of entanglement and to make recent developments in quantum mechanics widely available.
∗ Gives an insight into the lives and thinking of some of the leading physicists of the past century.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #391489 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 302 pages

Review
"…I am altogether happy that there is now a book on entanglement, almost 70 years after its discovery, and recommend it to people interested in the historical background and practical implications of quantum mechanics…" (Nature, 21 November 2002)

"…a book that’s perhaps the best lay description of the evolution and current state of quantum physics available today…" (Focus, February 2003)

"…Amir D. Aczel′s short biographies of these quantum pioneers are lively and entertaining..." (The Times Literary Supplement, 11 September 2003)

Focus, February 2003
"..a book that's perhaps the best lay description of the evolution and current state of quantum physics available today.."

The Times Literary Supplement, 11 September 2003
"..Amir D. Aczel's short biographies of these quantum pioneers are lively and entertaining..."

Customer Reviews

A good read but let down by several factors
This book is by far not the best science book I've ever read, but it still makes a good read.
One of the aspects that lets it down is the highly-detailed historical context. In my opinion, such a kind of book should concentrate on effectively explaining complicated physics rather than brood over the lives of famous scientists.
In some places, the physics suddenly get quite complex and high concentration is required. Unfortunately, the author does not use a enough examples to illustrate his point.
Some of the diagrams are not easy to comprehend either. Most of them are not even supported by explanations underneath.
Overall, despite the criticism, I can say that the book is still a good introduction to quantum mechanics and the concept of entanglement.

If you can stay awake reading this, you will like it
I think the only thing that slowed my reading of this book was the fact that towards the beginning it is a little dull. Being nothing more than a few tales of famous scientists of the early 20th century. Later on it does actually get down to talking about the topic it is meant to be on about, and does so quite well. But I would not recommend this to people who are looking for a light read on the topic. As I said, if you are having trouble keeping your eyes open, shut the book!

For The Inquisitive Layperson
Mr. Aczel writes books about concepts that at times border on those barely understood, and in this case, still are being debated, by some of the greatest minds in their associated fields of study. This does not mean the same issues are completely off limits to the non expert. There are several writers of science and its history that are able to share enough of a topic or field of study to share the wonder of it without requiring the decades of study that those who are the experts have invested in their quests. At the same time I would imagine those with an above average understanding of these topics would be better served by reading advanced texts and the papers that are issued by scientific journals.

"ENtanglement", is a book that is full of concise biographies of dozens of men and women who have pursued this realm of Science that has been deemed everything from strange to weird to magic. Einstein spent a good deal of his time attempting to disprove many of his colleagues as he always felt, "God does not play dice", and the world of the Quantum would require that He did. As the author explains he used this format to continually reinforce complex ideas so the reader would have a path. He also explains that while he has included formulas that are famous in the scientific world, they are not likely to be understood by the more casual reader, but keeping to the text will not penalize the reader either.

Some of the traditional ideas anyone who has taken a Physics course and has accepted as fact gets tossed in the world of the Quantum. In this world Light is a wave and a particle, and if a single photon is offered the alternative of traveling through one of two slits in a barrier, choice no longer is an option, it is not either this opening or that one, rather both. Mr. Aczel takes the reader from the world of here or there to the world of here and there, to a world where action taken on a given particle will affect another particle no matter how far apart they may be. He even takes you to a lab where they have teleported a photon. Now if this brings to mind a certain science fiction program, you are on the correct path as the author refers to the same program several times during the book. Science is in no manner approaching the teleportation of a human. But just as what was a Science Fiction a decade or a Century ago, may once again be science fact again in 10 or 50 or 100 years.

I can understand how this book may be too much for some and too little for others. I enjoyed the book as it gives the non-expert a glimpse at the "magic" that scientists all around the world are exploring and discovering in their labs.