Quantum

Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality

By: Manjit Kumar

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Quantum theory is weird. As Niels Bohr said, if you aren’t shocked by quantum theory, you don’t really understand it. For most people, quantum theory is synonymous with mysterious, impenetrable science. And in fact for many years it was equally baffling for scientists themselves.

In this tour de force of science history, Manjit Kumar gives a dramatic and superbly written account of this fundamental scientific revolution, focusing on the central conflict between Einstein and Bohr over the nature of reality and the soul of science. This revelatory book takes a close look at the golden age of physics, the brilliant young minds at its core, and how an idea ignited the greatest intellectual debate of the 20th century.

Manjit Kumar was the founding editor of Prometheus, an arts-and-sciences journal. He has written and reviewed for various publications, including the Guardian, and is a consulting science editor at Wired UK. He lives in London.

©2008 Manjit Kumar (P)2010 Blackstone Audio

Critic reviews

“Lively…A wide-ranging account, written for readers who are curious about the theory but want to sidestep its mathematical complexities….Fascinating.” ( The New York Times Book Review)

“With vigor and elegance, Kumar…recounts this meaty, dense, exciting story, filled with vivid characters and sharp insights. With physics undergoing another revolution today, Kumar reminds us of a time when science turned the universe upside down.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Interesting History of Modern Physics

Good quality audio and well written. Interesting if you enjoy this topic. You don't need to be a physics major to understand it although it can get technical.

Fantastic story with a peek behind the physics curtain

I am not a physicist or a mathematician. I do find the subject of the inner workings of our existence intriguing, though. As a person outside this realm, I often read or hear about the works of these historical greats and their achievements. It was fantastic to hear the story of their humanity mixed with their contributions to humanity. This book provides a very informative insight into how the state of affairs regarding quantum mechanics got to where it is today. I dare say I understand the big picture a little better, despite being untrained in the math an theories. I would recommend this story to anyone who wants to feel more connected to a time in history that has had a profound impact on the course of humanity and the fascinating people who made it happen.

One of the best physics books I’ve ever read

I’ve read a lot about quantum mechanics and I was already familiar with the concepts and problems, but this book did an amazing job of weaving the controversies and problems with the people and their social and political environment in a way that was incredibly engaging from start to end. I plan to listen to this again. It was thorough and extremely well-written.

Quantum this!

I agree with other reviewers who said this is not a lecture on Quantum mechanics -- thank God! It is a fascinating biographical story of things that happened, for the most part, almost a hundred years ago (or more) and are still very poorly understand and agreed upon by the brightest minds of our time. There is, in my opinion, just about the right amount of science to mix with the story. These people were amazing at the turn of the last century. There was one relatively small character in the book who had ELEVEN of his students later win a Nobel prize. You can't make this stuff up. A good read especially if you really like the history of science even more than the science itself.

Great book to the lovers of science

If you could sum up Quantum in three words, what would they be?

Reading this book allow you an broad overview about the history of physics in its golden age. This is a really worth reading book even if you don't have advanced previous background knowledge on physics.

Mind Expanding

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Fantastic book on Quantum Theory from 30,000 feet. Mostly big picture science with a touch of philosophy and fascinating biography. Really enjoyed the

Who was your favorite character and why?

Einstein, because I still can't accept a world that requires observation to be real and deterministic.

Which character – as performed by Ray Porter – was your favorite?

Bohr, because I didn't realize the enormous contribution he made to 20th century science until reading this book.

Brilliant

this is by far the best book I've ever listened to about quantum and how all the physicists of the 19th and 20th centuries work together or against each other. It was great to understand The timeline of the discoveries and how all the physicists existed on that timeline and with each other.

súper interesting

Súper interesting book on the history of quantum physics and the unfolding to modern day of the current theories. really enjoyed it.

Fantastico

Es largo, pero logra transportar al lector al periodo histórico -y su contexto- en el que pasamos de la física clásica a la relatividad y luego a la mecánica cuántica a través de un puñado de hombres fantásticos y apasionados pero entregando las no iones básicas híper simplificadas para que el lector pueda entender las implicancias en nuestra civilización

This is one of my best reads of the decade

I have listened to this book no less than 10 times. The way the author weaves in and out of the stories of the lives of these great men and women of the quantum era, all the while educating you on quantum theory is magnificent. I could have read it for the history lesson alone.