What Is Real?
The Unfinished Quest for the Meaning of Quantum Physics
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Narrated by:
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Greg Tremblay
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By:
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Adam Becker
About this listen
The untold story of the heretical thinkers who dared to question the nature of our quantum universe
Every physicist agrees quantum mechanics is among humanity's finest scientific achievements. But ask what it means, and the result will be a brawl. For a century, most physicists have followed Niels Bohr's Copenhagen interpretation and dismissed questions about the reality underlying quantum physics as meaningless. A mishmash of solipsism and poor reasoning, Copenhagen endured, as Bohr's students vigorously protected his legacy, and the physics community favored practical experiments over philosophical arguments. As a result, questioning the status quo long meant professional ruin.
And yet, from the 1920s to today, physicists like John Bell, David Bohm, and Hugh Everett persisted in seeking the true meaning of quantum mechanics. What Is Real? is the gripping story of this battle of ideas and the courageous scientists who dared to stand up for truth.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.©2018 Adam Becker (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Stephen Hawking is one of the most remarkable figures of our time, a Cambridge genius who has earned international celebrity as a brilliant theoretical physicist and become an inspiration and revelation to those who have witnessed his courageous triumph over disability. This is Hawking's life story by Kitty Ferguson, who has had special help from Hawking himself and his close associates and who has a gift for translating the language of theoretical physics for non-scientists.
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Not What it Appears
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By: Kitty Ferguson
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Spooky Action at a Distance
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- By: George Musser
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
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What is space? It isn't a question that most of us normally stop to ask. Space is the venue of physics; it's where things exist, where they move and take shape. Yet over the past few decades, physicists have discovered a phenomenon that operates outside the confines of space and time. The phenomenon - the ability of one particle to affect another instantly across the vastness of space - appears to be almost magical.
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Rambling but Asks Good Questions
- By Michael on 12-19-15
By: George Musser
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The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved
- How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry
- By: Mario Livio
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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For thousands of years mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations, until they encountered the quintic equation, which resisted solution for three centuries. Working independently, two prodigies ultimately proved that the quintic cannot be solved by a simple formula. The first popular account of the mathematics of symmetry and order, The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved is told not through abstract formulas but in a beautifully written and dramatic account of the lives and work of some of the greatest and most intriguing mathematicians in history.
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Historical Perspective Appreciated
- By Michael Hanrahan on 01-22-20
By: Mario Livio
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Euclid's Window
- The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
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Through Euclid's Window Leonard Mlodinow brilliantly and delightfully leads us on a journey through five revolutions in geometry, from the Greek concept of parallel lines to the latest notions of hyperspace. Here is an altogether new, refreshing, alternative history of math revealing how simple questions anyone might ask about space -- in the living room or in some other galaxy -- have been the hidden engine of the highest achievements in science and technology.
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Wow!
- By Eric on 08-13-10
By: Leonard Mlodinow
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The Upright Thinkers
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In this fascinating and illuminating work, Leonard Mlodinow guides us through the critical eras and events in the development of science, all of which, he demonstrates, were propelled forward by humankind's collective struggle to know. From the birth of reasoning and culture to the formation of the studies of physics, chemistry, biology, and modern-day quantum physics, we come to see that much of our progress can be attributed to simple questions - why? how? - bravely asked.
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10/10 Got What I Wanted.
- By Austin on 09-22-15
By: Leonard Mlodinow
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Is God a Mathematician?
- By: Mario Livio
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
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Nobel Laureate Eugene Wigner once wondered about "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in the formulation of the laws of nature. Is God a Mathematician? investigates why mathematics is as powerful as it is. From ancient times to the present, scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline could so perfectly explain the natural world. More than that - mathematics has often made predictions, for example, about subatomic particles or cosmic phenomena that were unknown at the time, but later were proven to be true.
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Origins of Mathematics
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By: Mario Livio
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Einstein's Cosmos
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A dazzling tour of the universe as Einstein saw it. How did Albert Einstein come up with the theories that changed the way we look at the world? By thinking in pictures. Michio Kaku, leading theoretical physicist (a cofounder of string theory) and best-selling science storyteller, shows how Einstein used seemingly simple images to lead a revolution in science. With originality and expertise, Kaku uncovers the surprising beauty that lies at the heart of Einstein's cosmos
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Mix of science and the man
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By: Michio Kaku
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Significant Figures
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In Significant Figures, acclaimed mathematician Ian Stewart introduces the visionaries of mathematics throughout history. Delving into the lives of twenty-five great mathematicians, Stewart examines the roles they played in creating, inventing, and discovering the mathematics we use today. Through these short biographies, we get acquainted with the history of mathematics.
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Beware
- By Anton Kurtz on 12-08-18
By: Ian Stewart
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Our Mathematical Universe
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Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy, and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist.
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Wow!
- By Michael on 02-02-14
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The Age of Entanglement
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A brilliantly original and richly illuminating exploration of entanglement, the seemingly telepathic communication between two separated particles - one of the fundamental concepts of quantum physics.
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Quite nice
- By Michael on 02-14-10
By: Louisa Gilder
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How the Hippies Saved Physics
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In the 1970s, amid severe cutbacks in physics funding, a small group of underemployed physicists in Berkeley decided to throw off the constraints of academia and explore the wilder side of science. Dubbing themselves the “Fundamental Fysiks Group,” they pursued a freewheeling, speculative approach to physics. Some dabbled with LSD while conducting experiments. They studied quantum theory alongside Eastern mysticism and psychic mind reading, discussing the latest developments while lounging in hot tubs.
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Finally, I understand entanglement
- By Gary on 05-27-12
By: David Kaiser
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What listeners say about What Is Real?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- 11-15-18
Best Science Book This Year!
If this book were a meal, it would be bursting with such flavor that you could not help going back for seconds. Indeed I read it a second time and chose to listen to Sean Carroll's Mysteries of Modern Physics lectures, from The Great Courses series, as the accompanying glass of wine and dessert because it reenforced the ideas presented in Becker's book. Listening to Sean Carroll's lecture series along with reading this book allowed me to think about how all of the discoveries made in the quantum world apply to time. I warn you though, it's a rabbit hole. Since there are no final answers yet, your brain might get caught in an obsessive trap. I have now moved on to re-reading Lisa Ranall's Warped passages, not because I am convinced of other dimensions, but because thinking about pocket dimensions and/or bubble universes seemed extremely important to me after reading Becker and Carroll together. I also can't seem to stop thinking about how all of this relates to gravity, and keep rereading sections of Gravity's Engines by Caleb Scharf. Sometimes I feel so sad when I realize I will die before someone can answer the burning questions in my mind about the way the universe works, but nothing feels better than thinking about what we do know.
While mainly focusing on the measurement problem in quantum physics (does the wave function collapse) , Becker recounts the history of many of the major discoveries and provided an extremely intuitive account of the following aspects of quantum mechanics:
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle
Double slit
Schrödinger's cat
Everett's many worlds
Copenhagen Interpretation (probability / wave function collapse)
The Bohr - Einstein debates
EPR paradox
Becker included in depth and intensely refreshing biographies of John Bell and his inequality and David Bohm's unorthodox ideas. The biography of Bohm was particularly of interest to me because not too long ago I finished a series of books about the discovery of quantum theory and while many of those books covered the other people highlighted in this book, none of them covered Bohm in the manner Becker did.
I really cannot recommend this book highly enough. Rating a book like this always makes me realize how my previous 5 star ratings muddy the waters. I want there to be a 6 star rating you could use once or twice a year, so that you can really set a book apart from others. This book would be worthy of that 6 star rating.
#tagsgiving #sweepstakes #BestScienceBook
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- Jessica Altman -Pollack
- 01-23-20
Great historical Physics book on Quantum Universe
Great book, lots historical context within the physics community. Surprisingly it’s a very small world in terms of influence and direction of physics. The book is very easy to follow for a non-physics person; but still provides the information needed to really grasp the concepts.
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- Mike
- 05-23-18
Great Book!
This is one of the best science-focused books I have ever read, marrying science, history, politics philosophy, and human nature into one coherent story. Reading this book is like riding a pilot wave.
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- Richard
- 02-02-22
A good book, expertly narrated
This was a book about the history of quantum physics, including an attempt to explain it to the layperson. It mostly succeeded. Underneath, it was an argument about the "Copenhagen interpretation" of Quantum physics and why this is inadequate, highlighting the physicists who have come up with alternate and in Becker's view, interpretations closer to the truth. I enjoyed listening to the book in part because the material was interestingly written through the perspective of the various genius physicists, and in part because of the OUTSTANDING NARRATOR. I have read a lot of nonfiction and a lot of lay-oriented science, and Greg Tremblay is one of the best narrators I've heard.
All in all a good and interesting experience. I recommend the book to anyone who had an interest in this fascinating and still largely unexplained world.
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- Melanie
- 02-08-22
Comprehensive
Outstanding explanations on the complexities of various scientific theories, how we got where we are, and what is yet to be solidified. I will listen again. it's worth reiteration.
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- Stephen W
- 06-09-24
Just Great
Good mix of biographies, history and science about Quantum Foundations. Copenhagen vs. the world. Great story, great narration. Highly recommended.
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- Alexandra Hopkins
- 03-19-19
Best book yet on foundations of quantum mechanics
I've read/listened to several books on the implications of quantum mechanics (QM) for the nature of reality. This is the best yet. The author, Adam Becker, is an astrophysicist, and knows his quantum physics. Yet, he is able to make the issues quite understandable to me, and I don't know the math of QM. I am familiar with the concepts. This is not a book for learning the concepts of QM; it's for someone who's already done quite a bit of study. (I'd suggest starting with biographies of quantum physicists and Youtube videos for laypeople).
This is a history of the Copenhagen Interpretation and two alternative interpretations--Bohmian and Many Worlds. Becker sees the issues clearly, more clearly than any other author that I've read. He cleared up for me things that I had found puzzling in the debates about foundational issues. Like that the Copenhagen Interpretation originally held that QM doesn't apply to macroscopic objects. I've read a good deal about the founders of this interpretation and, for some reason, was missing this point. When I fully understood that this view was held by Bohr and Heisenberg, many of their statements made a lot more sense.
I highly recommend this book for those who have already developed an understanding of the basics of QM, even if without knowing the math.
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- dan m.
- 05-06-18
More history than expected but ended up liking that
There was a lot of background on key figures throughout the growth of physics. At first I was annoyed by this and wanted more physics. As the book progressed, however, I found it fascinating and essential to understanding he progression of physics.
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- Alan Remde
- 10-04-20
Great review of history of quantum mechanics
Reviews the history and central concept controversies of quantum mechanics and its development. The author appears well qualified to tackle this difficult subject in many spheres. However the controversies surrounding the connection and relationship of consciousness to quantum mechanics are given cursory review and demonstrate a superficial understanding of theories of consciousness. There is also a contradiction in credibility. The many worlds theory of which there’s almost no evidence empirically of other universes is giving great credence while issues of the connection between consciousness and quantum mechanics or dismissed out of hand as New Age nonsense. While there may in fact be
misappropriations of the science of quantum mechanics by the New Age movement this does not mean that a deeper understanding of consciousness would not apply to quantum mechanics. At the very least such as subject needs a much more in-depth assessment and questioning.
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- Michael Sturm
- 07-29-18
Great Story, Great Science, Great Read!
There story is great where you really feel that you know the scientists. The science is explained very well. The reader's voice and tempo is perfect.
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