Quantum Physics theory...where to start reading?

A

Apossum

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Topic title pretty much says it all......I wanna know more, but without too much technicality...if anyone can help, thanks!
 
Did you try Wikipedia? They've got some great info.

You might also like other theories. I found chaos theory to be an excellent read.
 
Both "A Brief History of Time" and "The Universe in a Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking are good.
 
Quantum theory is fun, even though not a single person out there truly understands everything about it. Might I ask where your sudden interest comes from?
 
Now that you mention it, I became interested in it when I read an article in WIRED about some college kid who came up with a physics theory that there is no "now", but instead we are going to one event to another...at least that's what I think his theory was. There was a few other ones like Einstein's, etc. Haven't read any more about it though.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']Quantum theory is fun, even though not a single person out there truly understands everything about it. Might I ask where your sudden interest comes from?[/QUOTE]


I saw this movie called "What the Bleep do we know?" It was pretty interesting (though very cheesy-- like quantum physisisssts got together and made a self help vid.)

Wikipedia....I always forget about that site ;-)
 
[quote name='Apossum']I saw this movie called "What the Bleep do we know?" It was pretty interesting (though very cheesy-- like quantum physisisssts got together and made a self help vid.)

Wikipedia....I always forget about that site ;-)[/QUOTE]

The quantum physics presented in that are so laughable it makes me cry. The movie is essentially propaganda for a cult started by an Arizona (I think) housewife who claims to have channelled the 35,000 year old spirit of a warrior who conquered lost city of Atlantis.
 
[quote name='Apossum']I saw this movie called "What the Bleep do we know?" It was pretty interesting (though very cheesy-- like quantum physisisssts got together and made a self help vid.)[/QUOTE]
Funny you should mention that movie... A friend and I just watched it last Sunday evening. Crazy stuff.
 
[quote name='Tromack']The quantum physics presented in that are so laughable it makes me cry. The movie is essentially propaganda for a cult started by an Arizona (I think) housewife who claims to have channelled the 35,000 year old spirit of a warrior who conquered lost city of Atlantis.[/QUOTE]


whoa, tell me more about the cult :whistle2:D That sounds like something that would happen in Arizona-- there are all kinds of people claiming stuff like that out there, especially in Sedona, the new age capital of the US.

I found the stuff directly related to quantum physics to be interesting but there was a lot of "matrix-ish nonsense." They let that one blond haired lady talk wayyyyyy too much.
 
You'd definitely want to check out some stuff by Brian Greene like "The Elegant Universe" and "The Fabric of the Cosmos". He actually specializes in String Theory which is the preimminent attempt at a unified theory of everything. But he is comprhensive and touches on all areas of physics. I've actually found him to be the easiest to read as he's an excellent teacher and puts things in a layman's perspective.

He also did a great series for Pbs a few years back on String theory. You could probably find it at the library.
 
[quote name='road3283']He also did a great series for Pbs a few years back on String theory. You could probably find it at the library.[/QUOTE]
Those specials were awesome, I remember watching them when they were on TV. I think that certain clips from them are available online, as well; I recall my Physics professor using one or two of them in his lectures last semester.
 
[quote name='Apossum']whoa, tell me more about the cult :whistle2:D That sounds like something that would happen in Arizona-- there are all kinds of people claiming stuff like that out there, especially in Sedona, the new age capital of the US.

I found the stuff directly related to quantum physics to be interesting but there was a lot of "matrix-ish nonsense." They let that one blond haired lady talk wayyyyyy too much.[/QUOTE]

I was wrong. Apparently it was Tacoma, Washington. I always thought that Santa Fe was the new age capital of the world. Anyway, here is some information on the cult.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramtha
http://skepdic.com/channel.html
 
[quote name='jmcc']Understanding string theory really takes branes, though.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I'm very far from understanding it all. :)

I just wanted to recommend Greene to the OP because his work helped me to not only get a better grasp on quantum mechanics but also physics on the whole.

I just found his explanations much easier to digest than Hawkins.
 
I took at quantum physics seminar at my university and I highly recommend one of the books we had to read: Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality. It's very good, and extremely interesting. Plus, it comes recommended from an actual physics prof.
 
[quote name='Tromack'] I always thought that Santa Fe was the new age capital of the world. [/quote]

I guess santa fe is the bigger city but they are both filled with nuts and fruits.

like these people I met while hiking with some friends in Sedona. we were near this rock called Bell Mountain (cause it's shaped like a bell.) This old couple comes up to us and was talking about how they were there to meditate by the rock and absorb its energy and learn its teachings or something....my friend asked them why they chose Bell instead of anywhere else and they said something about celestial beings who are trapped inside of it and share their energy with the entire city. :lol: wtf? where do they get this shit from...

I took at quantum physics seminar at my university and I highly recommend one of the books we had to read: Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality. It's very good, and extremely interesting. Plus, it comes recommended from an actual physics prof.
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is the author's name something like R. Anton Wilson? I think I've seen that.
 
You could always try reading an actual physics textbook. I know the one we used for our quantum class was very readable, and the way it presented the material was in a chonological fashion where you started with the earliest theories in the field and built on each one to develop what we have as our modern-day quantum theories.

Edit: If you just want to read stuff that's interesting, give this site a shot: http://www.hawking.org.uk/

Just do all of us a favor and don't go talking about these sorts of things in public. You embarass yourself and those of us that actually know what we're talking about.
 
[quote name='RacinReaver']

Just do all of us a favor and don't go talking about these sorts of things in public. You embarass yourself and those of us that actually know what we're talking about.[/QUOTE]


that's alright, I'm not one of those, thanks for the warning though. not my fault if it comes out when I'm drunk and plotting to take over the world.

but I do appreciate your sentiment that I'm too stupid...pft ;-)
 
Also, take warning against the idiotic books of Gary Zukav, who ruthlessly exploits the general public's vague understanding of physics and Eastern religions to claim there is a connection between the two.
 
[quote name='epobirs']Also, take warning against the idiotic books of Gary Zukav, who ruthlessly exploits the general public's vague understanding of physics and Eastern religions to claim there is a connection between the two.[/QUOTE]

That's the problem I've had in my readings on quantum physics. Without the proper mathematical background [yet] to understand the concepts, when it's dumbed down to my level a lot of it ends up sounding like metaphysics.
 
Ramtha is a 35,000 year-old spirit-warrior who appeared in J.Z. Knight’s kitchen in Tacoma, Washington in 1977.
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man, it's people like this that make me wanna study sociology(not psychology, since actually getting in to their mind and understanding them is a lost cause :p )

Also, take warning against the idiotic books of Gary Zukav, who ruthlessly exploits the general public's vague understanding of physics and Eastern religions to claim there is a connection between the two.
Click to expand...

after living in Arizona, I have a finely tuned radar for anyone who tries to connect anything spiritual to anything scientific. :lol:
 
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