Quantum cover art

Quantum

A Guide For The Perplexed

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Quantum

By: Jim Al-Khalili
Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.35

Buy Now for £14.35

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for 3 months - terms apply. Offer ends 31 August 2026.
From Schrodinger's cat to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this book untangles the weirdness of the quantum world.

'A master of making the complex simple' Independent
'Al-Khalili is the ideal guide through [the] mysteries of modern science' New Scientist
'Superb' Guardian

Quantum mechanics underpins modern science and provide us with a blueprint for reality itself. And yet it has been said that if you're not shocked by it, you don't understand it. But is quantum physics really so unknowable? Is reality really so strange? And just how can cats be half-alive and half-dead at the same time?

Our journey into the quantum begins with nature's own conjuring trick, in which we discover that atoms - contrary to the rules of everyday experience - can exist in two locations at once. To understand this, we travel back to the dawn of the twentieth century and witness the birth of quantum theory, which over the next one hundred years was to overthrow so many of our deeply held notions about the nature of our universe. Scientists and philosophers have been left grappling with its implications ever since.

'An excellent . . . book' Marcus Chown, New Scientist

'This guide may leave the reader enlightened and perplexed at the same time. Reassuringly, the pros feel the same' Independent

Readers love this:

'It's clear and straightforward . . . I think I may have finally understood what the quantum universe is about. If I have it's because the book is well written' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I took Quantum Mechanics as part of my physics degree in 1967 and didn't understand a word of it. Where were you Jim when I needed you most!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The inexplicable presented in a very readable way' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I must say Jim Al-Khalili has got to be . . . the funniest scientist on the planet' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Quantum Mechanics demonstrates that fact is stranger than fiction' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐©2002 Jim Al-Khalili
Astronomy & Space History History & Philosophy Physics Science Science & Technology Cosmology Black Hole Mathematics Feel-Good Cats
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

A superb introduction . . . Al-Khalili succeeds in making the quantum world understandable. Well, almost
Al-Khalili is the ideal guide through [the] mysteries of modern science
A master of making the complex simple
Al-Khalili is a superb guide to the fundamental principles of quantum theory
All stars
Most relevant
quantum theory visualised dare I say it! the best explaination and conceptualisation of quantum mechanics yet.

very well explained

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Any additional comments?


Well written and well read. For such a mind bending topic, the audiobook flowed well and kept to a good pace.

Even for a quantum layman, I felt this was a great overview of this fascinating topic.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in stretching their mind a little.

This is a truly excellent read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Brilliantly clear and understandable. Though I'll need to listen several times to grasp it. Perfectly narrated too.

More than loved this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What a great read/listen. Well worth the listen. Some really hard things to grasp, but the author puts it across in a way that is easy to understand.

Wow!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This was by far the most comprehensive bundle of information I have had the pleasure to digest thus far on this cripplingly complex and usually incomprehensible subject.

Very neatly composed and presented!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews