Quantum Physics

By: Alistair Rae

Narrated by: David Thorn

From quarks to computing, this fascinating introduction covers every element of the quantum world in clear and accessible language. Drawing on a wealth of expertise to explain just what a fascinating field quantum physics is, Rae points out that it is not simply a maze of technical jargon and philosophical ideas, but a reality which affects our daily lives.

©2005 Alastair Rae. (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

“Rae has done an impressive job. Any (listener) who is prepared to put in a little effort will come away… with not only an understanding of the basics of some important practical applications of the theory but also some appreciation of why its conceptual foundations are still the subject of such spirited debate.” (Professor Anthony Leggett – Winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Physics)

“An accessible introduction to the field and assumes no prior knowledge.” (Scientific and Medical Network)

“Few appreciate how deeply quantum physics affects so many aspects of our everyday 21st century world, so Rae's emphasis on the practical impact of abstract concepts is very welcome.” (Professor Sir Michael Berry – Royal Society Research Fellow, Bristol University)

I needed more than one listening

What did you like best about Quantum Physics: Bolinda Beginner's Guides? What did you like least?

On the first listening I did not like it much. It might be that I just did not concentrate enough. Some months later I listened it again and enjoyed so much that I listened it twice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Quantum Physics: Bolinda Beginner's Guides?

The book is well written and it is done for broad audiences, but the fact is that this is more like a schoolbook.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

If you prefer catchy anecdotes and so forth choose another book, but if you are looking for a well done popularized "schoolbook" take this since this presents the facts in nice and well organized manner

Could you see Quantum Physics: Bolinda Beginner's Guides being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No I do not see this would make a good movie. Since this is a well done audio schoolbook

Simply fantastic

this was a fantastic audiobook with an excellent layout. It methodically step through advanced principal in a simple understandable way. I highly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.

Good, but tedious at times, and a bit monotonous

a good quantum physics audiobook to sleep to get a basic summary of...or good to sleep to

Sort of a Platypus of an Audiobook

This audiobook gets to the point quickly without much backstory or history, I like that. It's blends together both quantum mechanical concepts with quantum mechanical applications and a little quantum theory philosophy. It quickly delves into the central tenants of quantum mechanics with the wave particle duality, the uncertainty principle, Pauli exclusion principle, superpositions and a little on entanglement. There is not much particle physics (quarks, standard model, antiparticles) in here, but it keeps focused that way. The book is a bit of a hodgepodge though. It goes quickly into the concepts, then detours into how classical physics is related, then onto a DETAILED discussion on superconductivity, then to quantum computers and qubits, then to quantum philosophy and interpretations. So it's both focused and diverse in an odd sort of mix, but overall a good audiobook which treats the audience like an educated adult sans 'coddling'. Listening at 1.5x speed seemed a good pace.

If I wanted to hear Al Gore, I would have...

If I wanted to hear the idiot Al Gore I would have subscribed to Al Jazeera. After he gets done blaming us for “global warming” aka weather, it gets much better. Skip to chapter 3. Narrator is good, book is good. Would be real happy to hear someone who doesn’t have an agenda. It would have been WAY better if I wasn’t feeling guilty about driving to work.