Quantum Drama: From the Bohr-Einstein Debate to the Riddle of Entanglement

Jim Baggott · John L. Heilbron

Aug 2024 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Tom Beyer

Audiobook

13 hr 58 min

Unabridged

Eligible

Ratings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More

Want a 1 hr 24 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.

Add

Switch to the ebook

About this audiobook

In 1927, Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein began a debate about the interpretation and meaning of the new quantum theory. This would become one of the most famous debates in the history of science. What (if any) limits should we place on our expectations for what science can tell us about physical reality? Our protagonists slowly disappeared from the vanguard of physics, as its center of gravity shifted from a war-ravaged Continental Europe to post-war America. What Einstein and Bohr had considered to be matters of the utmost importance were now set aside. Their debate was regarded either as settled in Bohr's favor or as superfluous to real physics. As quantum entanglement became a real physical phenomenon, whole new disciplines were established, such as quantum computing, teleportation, and cryptography. The efforts of the experimentalists were rewarded with shares in the 2022 Nobel prize in physics. As Quantum Drama reveals, science owes a large debt to those who kept the discussions going before definitive experimental inquiries became possible. Although experiment moved the Bohr-Einstein debate to a new level, it has by no means removed or resolved the fundamental question.

About the author

Jim Baggott is a freelance science writer. His many books include The First War of Physics, Beyond Measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy and the Meaning of Quantum Theory, A Beginner's Guide to Reality, and The Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments.

John L. Heilbron is professor of history and Vice Chancellor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and an Honorary Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford. After training in physics, he studied history of science under T. S. Kuhns. He has received several prizes and honorary degrees from multiple universities.

Tom Beyer is a character actor who has appeared in over 100 TV shows, films, and commercials; has performed in innumerable plays and musicals; and has narrated many audiobooks. He has won awards for his stage work as both an actor and a director, and has adapted classical literature for the theater.

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

Report illegal content