Alice in Quantumland: An Allegory of Quantum PhysicsIn this cleverly conceived book, physicist Robert Gilmore makes accessible some complex concepts in quantum mechanics by sending Alice to Quantumland-a whole new Wonderland, smaller than an atom, where each attraction demonstrates a different aspect of quantum theory. Alice unusual encounters, enhanced by illustrations by Gilmore himself, make the Uncertainty Principle, wave functions, the Pauli Principle, and other elusive concepts easier to grasp. |
Contents
Into Quantumland | 3 |
The Heisenberg Bank | 15 |
The Mechanics Institute | 32 |
The Copenhagen School | 51 |
The FermiBose Academy | 71 |
Virtual Reality | 90 |
Atoms in the Void | 110 |
Castle Rutherford | 127 |
The Particle MASSquerade | 144 |
The Experimental Physics Phun Phair | 164 |
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Common terms and phrases
Agent Alice looked Alice saw Alice's amplitude antiparticle appeared asked Alice atom began behavior bosons bullets Castle charged particles Classical Mechanic cles color color charge companion coulomb barrier course cried Alice crowd direction Downo elec electric charge electrons emitted end-of-chapter note energy levels exchange exclaimed Alice fermions floor fluctuations give gluons happen Heisenberg helmet hole kinetic energy knocker large number light lower MASSquerade Master mean measurement momentum move neutrons normal nuclear nucleons Nucleus observed passed path Pauli Pauli principle positive charge potential energy probability distribution produced protested Alice Quantum Mechanic quantum theory Quantumland Quark real particles replied Alice rest mass energy rushed seemed seen side slits sort spin spin-down spin-up strange strong interaction superposition sure talk tall tell things tion trons Uppo valence level virtual particles virtual photons walked wall wave function weak interaction