Amazing Story Quantum Mechanics by James Kakalios

Amazing Story Quantum Mechanics by James Kakalios

In the pulp magazines and comics of the 1950s, it was predicted that the future would be one of gleaming utopias, with flying cars, jetpacks, and robotic personal assistants. Obviously, things didn't turn out that way. But the world we do have is actually more fantastic than the most outlandish predictions of the science fiction of the mid-20th century. The World Wide Web, pocket-sized computers, mobile phones and MRI machines have changed the world in unimagined ways. In 'The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics', James Kakalios uses examples from comics and magazines to explain how breakthroughs in quantum mechanics led to such technologies. The book begins with an overview of speculative science fiction, beginning with Jules Verne and progressing through the space adventure comic books of the 1950s. Using the example of Dr. Manhattan from the graphic novel and film Watchmen, Kakalios explains the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, and describes nuclear energy via the hilarious portrayals of radioactivity and its effects in the movies and comic books of the 1950s. Finally, he shows how future breakthroughs will make possible ever more advanced medical diagnostic devices - and perhaps even power stations on the moon that can beam their power to earth.

'You would be hard pressed to find a more understandable introduction to quantum mechanics which touches all our lives, from smoke alarms to computers, from TV remotes to MRI scanners.. even if you have read popular introductions before, Kakalios is intellectually and scientifically rigorous but with a sense of wonder and humour. For a popular science book, I can't conceive of higher praise 10/10' Fortean Times

'Kakalios is a man who loves both physics and comics, and it really shines through' SFX Magazine

'With passion, genile affability and a penchant for bad (truly bad jokes), Kakalios ably relates the most baffling of theorems' Kirkus Reviews

James Kakalios is a professor of physics at the University of Minnesota. The popularity of his seminar titled 'Everything I Know About Physics I Learned By Reading Comic Books' led to the publication of The Physics of Superheroes published by Duckworth.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780715638187
ISBN 10	0715638181
Title	Amazing Story Quantum Mechanics
Author	James Kakalios
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Duckworth Books
Year published	2010-10-28
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.