I have read several books on Quantum physics and I have never come accross such clear explanations on some strange concepts ranging from black body radiation to QED and Quantum teleportation. And in only 70 pages! I think Gribbin's strength is in its ability to explain advanced concepts from the layman's point of view.

Schrodinders Kittens by John Gribben is an excellant book for anyone seeking to understand the Quantum mysteries.

Written for the "popular audience", this book has no doubt inspired many who have read it to further their studies in science or even to specialize in gravitational physics. The book is easy to follow, and the author injects a lot of history, making the book even more interesting. Examples of this include the Cavendish torsion-balance experiments, the 1670 measurement of the speed of light, and the discussions in 1796 of "dark-stars". And, considering there is no mathematics used in the book, the author does a good job of explaining curvature of spacetime and geodesics. The physics of neutron stars, pulsars, and white dwarfs, is also given adequate explanation, and the author emphasizes the use of computers in determining their dynamics. Penrose diagrams are used effectively to illustrate the properties of black holes, a fairly lengthy discussion, the result of which is to make what use to be the playful fantasies of science fiction writers become accepted science. Wormhole engineering and time machine constructions are unshamedly expounded upon, with careful caution by the author that such ideas are not yet practical......not yet.

This is a very informative and interesting book. It is fun to read and you can learn alot from it. I would definitely suggest buying it.

This is my all time favorite popular book written by a real physicist. In my opinion, it's better than Hawking's "Brief History of Time" because it not only explains the pretty well known areas of physics (black holes and such), but goes beyond this into such abstract ideas as wormholes and several interesting ways that nature might just allow time travel. It plays with your imagination the whole way through.

The seventeen chapters of this book were originally published in the "Griffith Observer" (a monthly magazine issued by the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles). More often than not, essay collections suffer from a lack of cohesiveness, but this book is a rarity: with little repetition, plenty of wit, and a well-planned narrative arrangement, this fascinating introduction to astrophysics travels smoothly from the evolution of intelligent life and the causes of ice ages to black holes and the inflationary universe. I was particularly impressed by how several of the chapters elucidated and expanded upon concepts presented in earlier chapters. It would have been helpful, however, if Gribbin had indicated when each of these chapters was originally written (a few originated in the late 1970s), since some of the ideas presented seem to have been eclipsed or supplemented by more recent advances.

Some readers with a more thorough scientific background may find the information here a little too general, but I wish I had read this book before I had tackled more complex volumes--they wouldn't have been such hard going!

Having read quite a few of Gribbin's books, I tend to find that they rehash the same information quite often. Given the number of books he has written, this is not surprising, but it's still annoying. This book came as a pleasant surprise, since there was quite a lot of new content.

As a collection of essays written over the past 20 years, some are not surprisingly out of date, but not badly so. Gribbin has gone to the trouble to arrange the essays in a related fashion, and so the book reads almost as a continuous volume, with each essay flowing nicely to the next.

I was starting to feel as though Gribbin had nothing new left to tell me, but he obviously has plenty of good insights and interesting information still up his sleeve. Definitely one of his better books.

Don't believe anything negative written about this book. I could not put this book down. After having labored through books covering similar topics, this was one of those books that had a definite flow to it. John Gribbon is also very fair in the way he writes. Many experts seem to have an unyielding agenda in their books. Gribbon presents all of the viewpoints in an unbiased manner. Gribbon's selection of chapter/essay topics is excellent - all of the topics that would interest those of us who want a clearer picture on what it's all about. I am usually not easily impressed. People. Trust me. This is a definite must read.

This book really got my mind thinking of the possibilities of the future. It showed the evolution of thinking. Things that are possible now that only visionaries saw in the past.

the break down of Black Holes, White Holes, Wormholes, Space Time, Hyperspace and the ideas of warping time and space are truly interesting. The book illustrations helped to understand some of the text. This book also showed how Einstein was a generation ahead of his time. People are still proving and using his theories.

An excellent book, highly recommended for anyone interested in the universe or the posibility of time travel. The mathematical theories that prove the possibility of a time machine are interesting also. Give this a read, and decide for yourself. Is it possible? Will it be possible? Has it already been done? Fact based information is presented with no tilt toward the science fiction. A good read, even if I had to read some of it a second time to make sure I followed, Gribbin brought these theories to a level a person of average intelligence can understand as I am far from a genious.

I don't know how many books have been written on the subject of black holes, but this is a great one to start with. Gribbin is a great writer--he has an excellent command of writing science in a clear way that makes you want to keep reading to see what he'll say next. I found the abstract descriptions of spacetime in the later chapters a little hard to read, but otherwise I highly recommend the book.

***

Another good book on black holes is Kip S. Thorne, "Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy," but that one is much denser (no pun intended) and somewhat more technical.

But there's nothing wrong with history, is there? Most of the book covers the mathematical and physical explorations of thinkers from the Greek age through the 20th century, but only conceptually--not mathematically. For those who want an introduction to the myriad theories of how the universe was created, how it might be destroyed, and why there may be an infinite quantity of universes in existence, this is a good book to pick up. But for those of a more math-oriented disposition looking for something with immense detail and depth, you may want to look elsehwere. This one covers the basics, and covers them well.

This book is not an easy read, but it's a worthwhile one. Gribbins is a good writer and does an excellent job getting the reader up to speed on modern physics by taking a whirlwind tour of 20th century discoveries. Every once in a while, he'd lose me, but then I'd catch up. If you're in the mood for an excellent scientific lesson, you won't be disappointed. For the record I found Hawking a more lucid science writer, but Gribbin is still quite good.

It's hard to overstate the importance of this book. It's also hard to overstate the value. John Gribbin has written one of those timeless books that belongs to the ages. Despite the fact that it's decades out of date, it's still current. Despite the fact that much has been discovered about the field of quantum physics since he wrote this book, nothing in it has been superseded. And yet, it's so clear that "Cat" is one of those books that those of us who write about science and technology as a profession use as a touchstone - a book that we compare our own writing against - and find wanting.

My original copy of this book is so worn from reading that it must be replaced. Both of my daughters read this book, and became physicists or are about to. This is a book so important, and so readable, that it helps define its category.

This is more than a good read. It's a necessary read.

In Search of Schrodinger's Cat is an incredible piece of work. Gribbin thoroughly explains quantum theory through documenting historical break-throughs in "classic" Newtonian Theory, up until, and well into, the discoveries of what quantum physics was and is. As you explore through scientific discoveries, whether intentional or accidental, Gribbin has the ability to explain, step-by-step, what individuals in the science world did to accomplish,what is now, quantum physics. Each section is broken down and explained in scientific terms, and then reitterated in terms so that even a monkey could understand it. Everyone should read this book, including monkeys! And the cat paradox, what a genius thing to come up with!

John Gribbin as usual has written an insightful book that analyses new findings in physics in a big-picture sort of way, digesting them and making them comprehensible to the reader. Here he (along with Paul Davies) focus on the colourful world of quantum mechanics and its implications for the meaning of "matter," or lack thereof.

The basic idea in a nutshell is that the indeterminism of the quantum physics, combined with the inherent spreading of the schrodinger wave, means that the notion of fixed, set-piece, unchanging "matter" is misleading. It's an updating that sheds light on the nature of matter and casts doubt on the notion of a cast-iron, predetermined state of affairs and lifeless matter that seem to have been assumed since the 1600s. The book's main problem is its attempt to branch into cosmology, it does not mesh well with the rest of the book and the speculation in this area does not fit in with the taut, well-organized writing that characterises the rest of it. But the book is still worth reading-- simply make sure to read In Search of Schrodinger's Cat and Schrodinger's Kittens in addition, to see prime examples of Gribbin's writing.

Issues regarding nonlinear phenomena and systems, as well as quantum physics, string theory, and philosophy of science are examined.
Physicists Davies and Gribbin, two of sciences most prolific writers, discuss the reasons for the impending death of the materialist paradigm which took an almost absolute grip on the philosophy of science immediately after the publication of Newton's Principia. In fact they state that (whether or not it is widely recognized) the reductionists' "mechanistic" paradigm is now dead. "It is fitting that physics -- the science that gave rise to materialism -- should also signal the demise of materialism. ...the new physics has blown apart the central tenets of materialist doctrine in a sequence of stunning developments. ...in the abstract wonderland of the new physics it seems that only mathematics can help us to make sense of nature."
The problem is not that mechanistic Newtonian science is "wrong" but rather that it addresses only a limited representation of actual truth. The book also contains excellent descriptions of things like white dwarfs, neutron stars, and the difficulties in developing a quantum theory of gravity. Theories of wormholes, strings, and GUTs are well presented. The final chapter indulges in speculation about "exotic (non-carbon based, non-DNA based) biologies" -- which the authors concede should not be taken seriously -- and about the difficulties with ideas of "spontaneous generation" and "extra-terrestrial intelligence". The authors proceed to set aside their own cautions and speculate on these ideas, making the final chapter an exercise in science fiction. Otherwise a very good book.

If somebody is interested in modern physical theories about 'matter', he should read this book. It is written in a clear and very understandable vocabulary.
The main items in this book are the transformation of matter in waves and/or particles in the quantum theory, or its replacement by weird excitations and vibrations in the quantum field theory.

But he will also find good explanations of other phenomena, like the Kaluza-Klein space, the mathematical foundation of anti-matter, the not so empty empty space, the not so present present, the flowing or not flowing time, the disappearance of time, superstrings and chaos theory.
A further must read is the book of Brian Greene 'The elegant universe'.

Not to be missed.

This book is an interesting history of the process of developing methods to determine the age of the stars and the universe. The author makes it very clear that there are assumpitons upon assumption, but that steady progress is being made and that different techniques are converging to common answers. Much emphasis is given to the importance of the Hubble Factor and why we still csn't call it a Hubble Constant. I found that, and the quest for refining the Hubble value very interesting.

One of the keys to these estimates is Cepheid variable stars. More explanation of what these stars are, theories about them, and how they are used would be helpful. So would some charts and diagrams. Also how they are distinguished from the other types of variable stars thta are mentioned. I have read other explanations of Cepheid stars, for instance in StarDate magazine, and know that they can be explained well even in relatively non-technical terms. I would also have liked more stragihtforward explanation of how the Hubbble factor is used, not just that it is used.

In the mid 1990s astronomers faced problems in dating the age of the Universe, with the Hubble providing information which seemed out of sync with previous observations and notions. By the end of the century scientists concurred on some remarkable facts which placed the age of the Universe at an age at least a billion years older than its oldest stars. This surveys the mystery and explains how it was solved.

As a geology instructor I have often taught students the age of the Earth and the age of the Universe. Although I have a thorough understanding of the methods by which the age of the Earth was determined, I really had no idea how astronomers dated the Universe. Thus, I read this book with great interest after I came across it in the library one day.

Gribbon's book is written in a way that is accessible to the non-astronomer, but not so watered down as to make the story seem oversimplified. His explanation of the methodologies with which the Universe was dated is quite good and easy to follow. But the really interesting aspect of the book is the way he follows the stories about how the field developed and progressed. In fact, the competition and collaboration between the many notable scientists working in this field is perhaps as interesting as the science itself. Towards this end I am going to have students in one of my classes read an excerpt of this book so that they can see how collaboration and competition between scientists can at one time hold a field back and at another stimulate rapid advances in understanding.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Earth Sciences, Astronomy, Physics, etc.

Okay, I'll admit it; I don't even own a copy of this book. I simply picked it up from a pile of remainders at Border's Books, and began to read. By the time I put it down, I had read most of it. I estimate it would take less than an 40 minutes to read it cover to cover.

This is a cute little book. It's completely disarming as it mixes comic book style sketches with random photos and odd bits of clip-art, jumbles various typefaces, including one that looks as if came from a typewriter in need of repair, and is printed on the type of recycled-looking paper that you might wrap a large parcel with. It's thoroughly self-effacing. Yet, and here's the clincher, its little blurbs are actually accurate and informative; each one is short -- sometimes no more than a few sentences -- and fun to read.

Each blurb covers some little topic that is in some way relevant to the theory of evolution: DNA, genetics, vestigial organs, mutations, Darwin, the difference between a hypothesis and a theory, the evolution of behavior, the formation of fossils, and even a few good-natured jabs at creationists (one sports a tiny illustration of a newspaper with the headline "Breaking News. Darwin was WRONG!").

I'm not quite sure who the intended audience of this book was, but I suspect that quite a few people would enjoy it. It's something you could keep in the bathroom, or by the pool. If it gets wet, Oh well. If for some reason you're in the market for a completely disarming and unpretentious little book on evolution, then here you go. It might make a good stocking stuffer (it's actually the right shape). Enjoy.

This is one of those books I bought because I felt so ignorant about the topic. Yes, I'd had my unit on evolution in Mrs. Petty's 10th grade biology class, and yes, I was aware of the debate over evolution versus creation. But I felt like I didn't have the big picture, and that's just what this handy guide provided. There are chapters on "The Evolution of Evolution", Charles Darwin and how living things are classified. It also offers the evolutionary evidence for how life began. Best of all, the information is presented in a way that's easy to understand, and in a format that makes it fun to read. The chapters are broken up into short sections with plenty of fun illustrations and interesting tidbits and factoids in the margins. Sure beats going back to 10th grade (no offense, Mrs. Petty)!

I really enjoyed this book.. It had a great little stories that shed light on evolution and some of the reasons it is such an charged topic.

The book was "pretty" to look at and was very artistically pleasing with line drawings on brown (grocery bag) type paper... The sections read as small paragraphs over the pages. I would not recommend this book for someone wanting to get a long explanation of evolution topics, However if you are looking for some historical tidbits, this is great.

For another great overview with pictures.. Try the book Eyewitness Science: Evolution by Linda Gamlin.

John Gribbin is one of the best expositors of science to the general public, in the league of people like Richard Dawkins, or S. Jay Gould. He has written lots of poular science, mainly physics, and every single one of his books will teach you something new. Needless to say, his classic book on quantum physics "in search of schrodinger's cat" was the cornerstone of popular physics books in the 80's. Maybe this book is not quite its analouge in the 90's, but it is still a no-nonsense simple introduction to quantum physics, with mysteries and solutions.

The book is quite standard in many respects. It tells the story of Newton, Einstein, Bohr, Bell and everything. He explains (the best discussion found anywhere on)the two slit screen experiment, and uses it as a foundation for his later discussions. But I have to say that Gribbin is probably the most partial writer on the subject I have read yet. Most physicists or popular science writers immediately adhere to a certain quantum physics interpretation, and discard any other posibility, the favourites being Everett's (many world) and the copenhagen interpretation. But Gribbin is rightfully agnostic. He calls iterpretations "myths", standing in a postitivistic corner arguing that we use them because they work, and this is true for quantum physics in general. It is true, however, that at the end he says he would arbitrarily choose the pilot-wave interpretation. I would too. This way we get all that "spooky action at a distance" and reduction of the wave function by an observer, calling into discussion things like the ontology of mind and consciousness, out through the window.

I found one of the most intriguing parts on the book where Gribbin describes experiments that seem to show that it is imposible for a quantum system to evolve when it is being observed all the time (its quantum state being determined constantly by measurement). It seems then that those who answer to the question "is the tree still there when nobody looks?" with a "yes, because God allways looks" are just simply wrong. If God allways looks,there would be no change in the unverse.

Gribbin also touches on some deeper mysteries that those brought about by trying to find out what "really" happens in the quantum world. He discussess superstings, albeit briefly, and the problems in unifying relativistic theory with quantum physics, especially in "quantum gravity". But Gribbin keeps a cold head and does not despair, nor underestimate the issues. Anyone with an interest and a little drive will emerge, after reading this book, with the necesary knowledge of quantum physics for the layman. The mysteries will just not go away magically, though.

This is an amazing book that gets to the heart of modern physics in an easy (relatively speaking), fast paced manner. The book provides the historical and scientific context needed to build a "solid" understanding of the accomplishments and limitations inherent in modern Quantum Mechanics.

I really enjoyed the way Gribbin was able to weave together a complete story of the development of Quantum Mechanics by explaining the theoretical and experimental achievements of so many of the legendary figures in physics. His understanding of the topic is extraordinary and makes it possible for him to present page after page of complex ideas in a clear and exciting manner.

I have found myself re-reading many sections of "Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality" and each time I find more and more depth to explore. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Quantum Mechanics and the convergence of physics and philosophy.

I won't pretend that this book is for everyone. It's not. It helps if you've read the initial book in this series, and it helps a lot if you read about science extensively. You will need a frame of reference, but don't get too comfortable with it, because it will be snatched away from you.

John Gribbin follows "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat" with a book that is even more important. While he points out that no one will ever really understand quantum phisics, I must say that this book at least gives you an understandable look at it.

It's hard to overstate the value of "Schrodinger's Kittens" but if you've read "Cat" then you must read this. If you haven't, well then, go read "Cat," and then get this book.

Gribbin makes quantum physics as clear as it can be made to those who don't know all the math. He makes you wish you did, but you don't really need it. But he also adds an excitement that I never believed possible in a book on physics, or on a topic of this type, including my own.

You won't really understand quantum physics after reading this book (because it's beyond human understanding) but you will surely appreciate it more than you do now. That's as good as can be said about any book in this subject.

I wish I could do as well in my books. Thanks, John.