About the book
Quantum physics is strange. It tells us that a particle can be in two places at once. That particle is also a wave, and everything in the quantum world can be described entirely in terms of waves, or entirely in terms of particles, whichever you prefer.
All of this was clear by the end of the 1920s, but to the great distress of many physicists, let alone ordinary mortals, nobody has ever been able to come up with a common sense explanation of what is going on. Physicists have sought ‘quanta of solace’ in a variety of more or less convincing interpretations.
This short guide presents us with the six theories that try to explain the wild wonders of quantum. All of them are crazy, and some are crazier than others, but in this world crazy does not necessarily mean wrong, and being crazier does not necessarily mean more wrong.
About the author
John Gribbin studied physics and astronomy at Sussex and Cambridge universities before becoming a full-time writer. He has worked for Nature and New Scientist, as well as authoring more than a hundred science books (many in collaboration with his wife Mary), ten science fiction books, and a biography of Buddy Holly. He has combined this with research into climate change at the Science Policy Research Unit of the University of Sussex, and a post as Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.
