101 quantum questions : what you need to know about the world you can't see / Kenneth W. Ford.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Section 1. The subatomic world -- section 2. Digging deeper -- section 3. The small and the swift -- section 4. Quantum lumps and quantum jumps -- section 5. Atoms and nuclei -- section 6. And more about nuclei -- section 7. Particles -- section 8. And more particles -- section 9. Interactions -- section 10. Constancy during change -- section 11. Waves and particles -- section 12. Waves and probability -- section 13. Quantum physics and technology -- section 14. Quantum physics at every scale -- section 15. Frontiers and puzzles.

Ken Ford's mission is to help us understand the "great ideas" of quantum physics--ideas such as wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, superposition, and conservation. These fundamental concepts provide the structure for 101 Quantum Questions, an authoritative yet engaging book for the general reader in which every question and answer brings out one or more basic features of the mysterious world of the quantum--the physics of the very small. Nuclear researcher and master teacher, Ford covers everything from quarks, quantum jumps, and what causes stars to shine, to practical applications ranging from lasers and superconductors to light-emitting diodes. Ford's lively answers are enriched by Paul Hewitt's drawings, numerous photos of physicists, and anecdotes, many from Ford's own experience. Organized for cover-to-cover reading, 101 Quantum Questions also is great for browsing. Some books focus on a single subject such as the standard model of particles, or string theory, or fusion energy. This book touches all those topics and more, showing us that disparate natural phenomena, as well as a host of manmade inventions, can be understood in terms of a few key ideas. Yet Ford does not give us simplistic explanations. He assumes a serious reader wanting to gain real understanding of the essentials of quantum physics. Ken Ford's other books include The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone (Harvard 2004), which Esquire magazine recommended as the best way to gain an understanding of quantum physics. Ford's new book, a sequel to the earlier one, makes the quantum world even more accessible

This reader-friendly, richly illustrated book provides an engaging overview of quantum physics, from "big ideas" like probability and uncertainty and conservation laws to the behavior of quarks and photons and neutrinos, and on to explanations of how a laser works and why black holes evaporate

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