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CERN

Published Jan 1, 1965• 0 citations

Abstract

The strange story of the quantum, by Banesh Hoffmann (Harmondsworth, Penguin Books Ltd., 1965; 4s.6d.), tells in a lively, readable way the story of the rise of the quantum theory, from its first unseen stirrings in the photoelectric experiments of Hertz in 1887 to its final acceptance as a basic philosophy of science some fifty years later.Unlike most 'popular science' books, this one does not set out primarily to explain one of the current topics, such as nuclear fission and its uses, but selects instead a history

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The Strange Story of the Quantum

Alfred Brian Pippard

By Banesh Hoffmann Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. 1963. Pp. 238. Price 4s. 6d. It is hard to understand why this book has been republished. The subject matter is difficult to the degree that an author might reasonably expect to hold the attention only of such readers as are willing to make a serious intellectual effort.

Physics BulletinApr 1, 19630 citations

Publications reçues

CERN

The strange story of the quantum (L'étrange histoire du quantum), par Banesh Hoffmann (Harmondsworth, Penguin Books Ltd., 1965; 4s.6d) raconte, de façon vivante et facile à lire, l'histoire du développement de la théorie quantique, depuis les toutes premières données fournies par les expériences photoélectriques de Hertz, en 1887, jusqu'à son adoption finale comme théorie fondamentale de la physique, quelque cinquante ans plus tard.A la différence de la plupart des livres de «vulgarisation scientifique», celui-ci ne prétend pas expliquer l'un des sujets habituels, tels que la fission nucléaire et ses utilisations, mais fait au contraire l'historique des idées.Au cours du développement, les explications se succèdent de façon à faire comprendre au lecteur les idées de base de la théorie à peu près dans l'ordre dans lequel elles se sont présentées aux physiciens qui l'ont élaborée.Ce livre est aussi original par sa manière de mettre en avant les personnages et d'insister sur le côté personnel des diverses théories en cause, ce qui rend l'ouvrage très vivant.Comme dans un bon roman policier, le lecteur suit les péripéties de page en page, impatient d'en connaître le dénouement.Du fait que l'auteur est un mathématicien, ancien collaborateur d'Einstein et d'Infeld, son récit a l'accent de la vérité.Sa présentation pourrait étonner certains lecteurs versés dans la question, mais elle plaira à tous ceux à qui les sujets tels que la mécanique quantique paraîtraient inabordables sous une autre forme.L'un des avantages d'un livre traité de façon historique est de ne pas se démoder aussi facilement que ceux qui s'efforcent d'expliquer les derniers progrès technologiques.Le présent ouvrage a été écrit en 1947 et revu en 1959, et cependant il ne semble pas dater.Certes, il s'achève sur le «tumulte» de la non-conservation de la parité et constate que le spin isotopique «semble destiné à jouer un rôle important à l'avenir»; certes, on n'y parle pas des neutrinos muons, de résonances, de SU 3 ou de désintégrations K°2 inexplicables, mais il ne s'agit là que de nouvelles découvertes dans le domaine où la mécanique quantique est valable; elles n'ont pas changé sa nature fondamentale, du moins pas encore.La conception et le style de cet ouvrage sont bien illustrés par les extraits suivants tirés de la préface:

Jan 1, 19650 citations

Quantum Concepts in Physics

Malcolm S. Longair

Written for advanced undergraduates, physicists, and historians and philosophers of physics, this book tells the story of the development of our understanding of quantum phenomena through the extraordinary years of the first three decades of the twentieth century. Rather than following the standard axiomatic approach, this book adopts a historical perspective, explaining clearly and authoritatively how pioneers such as Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Pauli and Dirac developed the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and merged them into a coherent theory, and why the mathematical infrastructure of quantum mechanics has to be as complex as it is. The author creates a compelling narrative, providing a remarkable example of how physics and mathematics work in practice. The book encourages an enhanced appreciation of the interaction between mathematics, theory and experiment, helping the reader gain a deeper understanding of the development and content of quantum mechanics than any other text at this level.

Cambridge University Press eBooksJan 31, 201353 citations

Strange world at a simple level

Colin Jack

David Lindley's book on interpretations of quantum theory won wide acclaim when it was first published in the US last year. Infuriatingly, the original Basic Books hardback remained almost unobtainable in Europe. I know of at least one major UK bookshop that has been trying to reorder it since last May, so this paperback edition is most welcome. Lindley does an excellent job of describing the conceptual problems of quantum mechanics in a way that is accessible to the layperson. He sets out to tell the tale in a logical rather than a historical order, yet we get a good flavour of the way in which the scientific consensus has progressed. We are also reminded how the prejudices of some of the main contributors, notably Einstein, Bohr and David Bohm, may have been just as influential as their scientific contributions.

Physics WorldApr 1, 19970 citations

The Copenhagen Conspiracy

David K. Ferry

At the close of the nineteenth century, we stood on the threshold of one of the greatest periods of science, in which the entire world and understanding of science would be shaken to the core and greatly modified. This explosion of knowledge led ultimately to that same information revolution that we live in today. Planck and Einstein showed that light was not continuous but made of small corpuscles that today we call photons. Einstein changed the understanding of mechanics with his theory of relativity: airplanes became conceivable; radio and television blossomed; and the microelectronics industry, which drives most of modern technology, came into being. New areas of science were greatly expanded and developed, and one of these was quantum mechanics, which is the story to be told here. Yet, the development of quantum mechanics and the leadership of Niels Bohr have distorted the understanding of quantum mechanics in a strange way. There are some who would say that Bohr set back the real understanding of quantum mechanics by half a century. I believe they underestimate his role, and it may be something more like a full century. Whether we call it the Copenhagen interpretation, or the Copenhagen orthodoxy, it is the how for the continuing mysticism provided by Mach that is still remaining in quantum mechanics. It is not the why. Why it perseveres and why it was forced on the field in the first place is an important perception to be studied. In this book, I want to trace the development of quantum mechanics and try to uncover the why.

Jan 2, 20195 citations

The story of the quantum

Cormac O’Raifeartaigh

The emergence of quantum theory is one of the great stories of modern science. One reason is that the theory represents a genuine scientific revolution, on a par with the theory of evolution by natural selection or the general theory of relativity. Another is that it emerged gradually over a number of decades, with distinct contributions from many great scientists. Lastly, while quantum theory underpins much of today's technology, at its dark heart lie problems of interpretation unprecedented in science, bringing into question our most basic assumptions about the nature of reality.

Physics WorldMay 1, 20090 citations