The fascination of the quantum world in two free downloadable pdf books.
Explore the foundations of quantum physics and its applications in nature, life and technology. Read about molecular motors, the counting of light quanta, and the effects of randomness in nature. Enjoy the simplicity and beauty of microscopic motion. The volumes guarantee to be interesting, vivid and surprising on every page: they include many colour animations, photographs, riddles and curiosities. Reading about quantum effects is a fascinating adventure!
Free download of volume IV : THE QUANTUM OF
CHANGE
Free download of volume V : PLEASURE, TECHNOLOGY AND STARS
Volume IV presents the foundations of quantum physics in a simple way, with little math, using many puzzles and observations taken from everyday life. You can discover that colours, atoms and living beings only exist because nature features a quantum of action, also called Planck's constant. The quantum of action is the smallest possible change in nature; its existence leads to wave functions, probabilities, tunnelling and to all colours around us. This volume is a simple and appealing introduction to quantum mechanics, with all its fascination and its paradoxes. It explains the Schrödinger equation and the behaviour of quantum particles.
Volume V explores motion inside matter: discover how chemistry, biology, material properties, the solid state, stars, nuclear reactors and particle physics follow from the quantum of action. The adventure leads from molecular motors in muscles to the colour of gems, from the working of nerves to the processes that make volcanoes erupt. Explore the structure of DNA, gauge symmetry, the Dirac equation, and the reasons that stars shine!
| Download volume IV | THE QUANTUM OF CHANGE | |
| 1 | Minimum action - quantum theory for poets | 13 |
| 2 | Light - the strange consequences of the quantum of action | 35 |
| 3 | Motion of matter - beyond classical physics | 60 |
| 4 | The quantum description of matter and its motion | 74 |
| 5 | Permutation of particles - Are particles like gloves? | 94 |
| 6 | Rotations and statistics - visualising spin | 105 |
| 7 | Superpositions and probabilities - quantum theory without ideology | 120 |
| 4 | Colours and other interactions between light and matter | 145 |
| 8 | Quantum physics in a nutshell | 169 |
| Appendix A | Units, measurements and constants | 175 |
| Appendix B | Numbers and vector spaces | 192 |
You are welcome to help making these two books the best available introductions to
quantum physics: please send your improvements and suggestions to christoph@motionmountain.net. And
enjoy the reading!
| Download
volume V |
MOTION INSIDE MATTER - PLEASURE, TECHNOLOGY AND STARS | |
| 1 | Motion for enjoying life | 14 |
| 2 | Changing the world with quantum theory | 44 |
| 3 | Quantum electrodynamics - the origin of virtual reality | 81 |
| 4 | Quantum mechanics with gravitation - the first approach | 98 |
| 5 | The structure of the nucleus - the densest clouds | 118 |
| 6 | The sun, stars and the birth of matter | 147 |
| 7 | The strong interaction | 156 |
| 8 | The weak nuclear interaction and the handedness of nature | 175 |
| 9 | The standard model of elementary particle physics - as seen on television | 190 |
| 10 | Dreams of unification | 195 |
| 11 | Bacteria, flies and knots | 203 |
| 12 | Quantum physics in a nutshell – again | 232 |
| Appendix A | Units, measurements and constants | 246 |
| Appendix B | Composite particle properties | 260 |
| Appendix C | Space, algebras and shapes | 276 |