Rating: 
Summary: Good Overview of Quantum Physics
Review:
Although mathematically bent, this was my first exposure to quantum physics so I don't have anything to compare it to.Overall he seems to have presented the material well, although given the paradoxical and non-conceptual nature of quantum physics I'm not sure that any casual reader will be capable of grasping these concepts very well with just one read. In fact, the one point that seems clearest is that even the physicists themselves don't have it all figured out yet. As for the Dancing Wu Li Masters metaphor, the periodic references to dancing seem contrived and the occasional references to eastern philosophy seem forced. He seems to imply that perhaps Buddhists have had this all figured out for thousands of years, but what I took away from it was that there's a reason religion and science are very seperate entities and they should probably be left that way for the forseeable future. So, if you're looking for a somewhat challenging introduction to quantum physics, that's light on the math then this will be worth your time. If you're at all drawn to this book because of the tie-in with philosophy or religion you should look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Another liberal arts convert
Review: Until last fall, I wasn't a science person at all. At college, I majored in English Lit, minored in Music and Philosophy and did my best to avoid anything slightly scientific.
But then one night last October when I couldn't sleep, I stayed up flipping channels and came across Brian Greene's Nova program THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE. I saw it was about Physics, and almost hit the clicker, but something about the presentation made me curious to watch a little more.
Within an hour, I was a new Physics convert. If you interested in language, art, and the disciplines of beauty, you can't help but be mesmerized by Quantum mechanics, string theory, and all of the cutting edge theories of physical world represented in Brian Greene's program.
The next time I was at a bookstore, I tried to pick up a copy of the book the NOVA show was based on, but they were sold out, so I scoured the Physics section and found a copy of Gary Zukav's THE DANCING WU-LI MASTERS, instead.
Written back in the late seventies, Zukav's book is one of the first popular mainstream explications of modern theoretical physics for the lay, non-science person, like myself. I found it fascinating, and for the most part very easy to follow.
Zukav writes in a clear and compelling manner about the wonderful mysteries of the universe. He covers the history of how theoretical Physics got to where it is today (or at least was in the late seventies). He explains Einstein's major contributions to science in a few easy to follow chapters, and then goes on to skillfully explain the inexplicable conundrums of quantum theory.
As Zukav describes probability theory, he makes a convincing case that modern Physics isn't that different from Zen Buddhism. He shows how the steel-and-concrete building blocks that make up our universe are actually a lot more fluid and suggetable than common sense would dictate.
This books really helps you recover any amazement and wonder you might have lost in the everyday world around you.
Check this book out if you think you're not a science person, and if you like it, also get Brian Greene's THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE. Theoretical Physics is pretty literally the stuff dreams are made of.
Rating:
Summary: "Dancing in the Dark"
Review: Gary Zukav writes a good book for the layman who wants to understand physics without the math. Under the guidance of Dr. Jack Sarfatti he is able to give most of us a basic understanding without feeling intimidated. It is well written and the best during the time he wrote it. Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe" is the one to read now.
Rating:
Summary: Could not be a better English description of Quantum Theory
Review: This book is THE book to read for those who are not familiar with complex math, but are interested in the basic principles of quantum physics. First, I must say that anyone who gives this book a bad rating has either not understood any of the material or not read the book at all. It covers all aspects of basic quantum theory from the first beginnings of it (Plank's constant, discovery of quanta through study of Black-body radiation; wave-particle duality, Heisenburg's uncertainty principle, Schrodinger's wave equation & wave functions, etc...) to relatively newer quantum theory (the Space-Time Continuum, Black Holes, Bell's theorum, quantum logic, etc...) as best as english (combined with articulate diagrams) can describe WITHOUT MATH. This book contains the best desciption and examples of Einstein's Special and General Theories of Relativity that I have ever UNDERSTOOD. Coupled with Zukav's amiable style this book is an extreme pleasure to read. One thing I found foresightful was that many parts of the book have footnotes that are written by physists who previewed the book and expounded upon the writing therein with by clarifying concepts for those who are familiar with physics and math already. 95% of this book is about understanding these new ideas (more specifically being led upon the road to experience and understanding rather than having things crammed into your brain just to be regurgitated into nothingness) and 5% (in the introduction and last chapter mostly) about how this "New Physics" coorelates to eastern religious views (NOT NEW AGE RELIGION) that have been in practice for thousands of years. The book comes complete with bibliography of all the literature Zukav has referenced in his own quest to understand quantum physics and the nature of reality and a extremely complete index that is very useful when you need it. Over all this book was relatively very easy to read (when it comes to science books) and I would recommend it to anyone who is curious about how reality is defined.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Informative, Slightly Boring
Review: DON'T get me wrong. I enjoy non-fictional works. Knowledge is power, and this book is certainly one to obtain it. However, I think the author could have used simpler terms, lesser vague allusions, and sometimes, just an organization and presentation of all the facts associated with why a particular theory is construed to mean such and such. I say all of this perhaps because I expected a lot more from Gary Zukav in this book. If I was to think that any Joe Schmoe wrote this, I'd give it 6 stars. The matter is excellent. Nowhere else where you find such a profound understanding, minus the math, of new physics, or quantum physics. The mere concept of the book, the dancing wu li masters, is awesome. Every chapter is the first chapter. Everything is disclosed at a time when the student might begin to wonder about it. And the fact that the book is twenty years old does NOT hinder from the enjoyment of it. This is the book to read to understand what you are, on a technical basis, what everything is, and how it is all one. Excellent tying in of eastern philosophy ideas to quantum physics, even though the book wasn't intended for that purpose alone. :) Get it! It'll broaden your horizons like you hadn't thought possible.
Rating: 
Summary: Danger Ahead
Review: I read this book when it was new, and found it entertaining. I didn't think much more about it after that. Then I came upon a reference to it in one of Gardner's books concerning bad science. Looking back at it knowing so much more now, I agree, it's borderline nonsence. E.g. electrons don't "think" about making a choice about which way to go; they enter into superposition.
Rating:
Summary: Flow Like a River, Understand Relativity Like an Physicist
Review: Do you want to understand all the mysteries of the universe? Hoping to discover the essence of existence? Well, if you desire to do anything along these lines, there are certainly worse ways to start than through reading The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics by Gary Zukav. This information-packed book represents the pinnacle of popular science achievement, as it provides a gentle guide for the average reader through the intellectual minefield of modern physics from quantum mechanics to relativity. Rather than bogging down the reader with dozens of equations and complicated graphs, Zukav chooses to demonstrate the concepts of new-age physics through metaphors, diagrams, and an explanation of the thought processes that led to such startling theories as the Theory of General Relativity and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. Sure, Zukav may explain the experiments that confirm the viability of a theory, but he doesn't force you to sift through the data; instead, writes in plain English while including lots of easily-followed, pretty pictures. Particularly for a high school student without too much exposure to physics, this style provides an excellent overview of the most interesting, cutting-edge ideas in science.
Zukav's subject-matter couldn't be more interesting: using the backdrop of Eastern philosophies to better link physical concepts to ideas more compatible to the human mindset, he breezes through Newtonian physics, quantum mechanics, and both theories of relativity in just a little over 300 pages. Zukav also admirably presents the problem of the irreconcilability of quantum mechanics with relativity, which bothered Einstein to his dying days. While none of these concepts is dealt with entirely thoroughly (it is a short book), the book is an enjoyable and easily understandable introduction to one of the most difficult fields mankind has to offer At the same time, Zukav's book is not perfect. For one thing, the book is rather dated; he doesn't even deal with String Theory, which was by and large developed after the publication of this book. At the same time, the absence of String Theory may be advantageous to the reader who knows little about physics, since the five separate String Theories are both difficult to understand and incredibly theoretical (that is, no physicist has been able to design an experiment that actually produces data to prove String Theory, which means that the concept is rather ephemeral and hard to describe in a concrete way; for more on this, see http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0311047). Further, the whole Zen thing seems a little excessive. Sure, Eastern philosophies are generally conducive to modern physics in that Eastern philosophers have always realized that sometimes the human mind can't comprehend everything at once, but the fact is that people reading this book probably aren't doing so to learn about "Wu Li" ("The Way"); they're reading it to learn about "New Physics." Despite these minor deficiencies, though, this book does a good job of explaining very difficult concepts to a "normal" reader. There was a time when only the very top physicists in the world understood Einstein's theories of relativity, but books like The Dancing Wu Li Masters have helped rectify this problem by making complicated physics accessible to the general public.
Rating:
Summary: "Dancing in the Dark"
Review: Gary Zukav writes a good book for the layman who wants to understand physics without the math. Under the guidance of Dr. Jack Sarfatti, he is able to give most of us a basic understanding without feeling intimidated. It is well written and the best during the time he wrote it. Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe" is the one to read now.
Rating:
Summary: Another liberal arts convert
Review: Until last fall, I wasn't a science person at all. At college, I majored in English Lit, minored in Music and Philosophy and did my best to avoid anything slightly scientific.
But then one night last October when I couldn't sleep, I stayed up flipping channels and came across Brian Greene's Nova program THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE. I saw it was about Physics, and almost hit the clicker, but something about the presentation made me curious to watch a little more.
Within an hour, I was a new Physics convert. If you interested in language, art, and the disciplines of beauty, you can't help but be mesmerized by Quantum mechanics, string theory, and all of the cutting edge theories of physical world represented in Brian Greene's program.
The next time I was at a bookstore, I tried to pick up a copy of the book the NOVA show was based on, but they were sold out, so I scoured the Physics section and found a copy of Gary Zukav's THE DANCING WU-LI MASTERS, instead.
Written back in the late seventies, Zukav's book is one of the first popular mainstream explications of modern theoretical physics for the lay, non-science person, like myself. I found it fascinating, and for the most part very easy to follow.
Zukav writes in a clear and compelling manner about the wonderful mysteries of the universe. He covers the history of how theoretical Physics got to where it is today (or at least was in the late seventies). He explains Einstein's major contributions to science in a few easy to follow chapters, and then goes on to skillfully explain the inexplicable conundrums of quantum theory.
As Zukav describes probability theory, he makes a convincing case that modern Physics isn't that different from Zen Buddhism. He shows how the steel-and-concrete building blocks that make up our universe are actually a lot more fluid and suggetable than common sense would dictate.
This books really helps you recover any amazement and wonder you might have lost in the everyday world around you.
Check this book out if you think you're not a science person, and if you like it, also get Brian Greene's THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE. Theoretical Physics is pretty literally the stuff dreams are made of.
Rating:
Summary: I agree with oberon69
Review: Wu Li Masters is more lucid than "A Brief History of Time" and "The Elegant Universe" combined in explaining Quantum Mechanics and Relativity, both of which are great books. Don't buy this book for a Eastern Religion/Physics connection (it's not very good), and don't buy this book to learn more about actual Wu Li Masters. Buy this book if you actually want to understand 20th century physics.
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