In search of Schrödinger’s cat

Quantum physics is concerned with the behaviour of matter – the atomic particles that make up our universe, which are too small to see. It provides the foundation for all modern science and a great deal of technology. Without it, we would have no computers, lasers, genetic engineering or molecular biology, and no understanding of DNA. Yet some of its ramifications seem to take us into the realms of science fiction, such as the theories of many worlds, time travel and of Schrödinger’s Cat, which, in the quantum world of multiple states, can be both dead and alive at the same time.
In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat is an elegant and engaging introduction to one of the most awe inspiring branches of modern science. Starting with the discoveries of Isaac Newton, John Gribbin takes us through the evolution of classical physics, and then the development and acceptance of quantum physics in the early 20th century. He introduces us to the geniuses who developed the key theories (including Planck, Bohr, Pauli, Einstein and Heisenberg as well as Schrödinger) and explains their remarkable discoveries: the inner workings of the atom, radiation, the birth of the universe, particle/wave duality, the Uncertainty Principle, the Copenhagen Interpretation and the many great questions about the nature of reality that quantum physics inspires.