Rating: 
Summary: poor
Review: A friend recommended this book to me...little did I know I was about to embark on a journey to the heart of the atom, and the limits of the known universe.I am not generally a math person, but John Gribbin makes the ideas and equations of quantum mechanics accessible to non mathematical people in a readable, non patronising yet entertaining way. More than anything else, this book demonstrated to me the truth of something that Madeleine L'Engle frequently states in her non fiction; scientists are indeed the modern mystics.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Although "Schroedinger's Cat" is frequently described as quantum physics for the layman, beware! When I first read it, I was only able to handle it because I had recently taken a rather intensive high school chemistry class. If you're not up-to-date on your chemistry & physics, you might want to try a primer or refresher before you tackle this one. But, believe me, it's well worth it. Once you've got the basics down, "Schoedinger's Cat" gently leads you through mind-blowing concepts your mama never imagined. And it makes for great conversation! Even your least nerdy friends will be fascinated by your newly-authoritative explanations of How the Universe Really Works.
Rating: 
Summary: Koan
Review: Does this book In Search of Schrodinger's Cat only begin to exist once I start reading it?
Rating:
Summary: Irrational reality.
Review: Excellent explanation of the standard Copenhagen interpretation of the quantum world: in this world, events are governed by probabilities. A system (e.g. a photon) can behave as a wave or as a piece of matter. It is the act of observing that photon, that forces it to select one of these options, which then become 'real'. Otherwise, we have absolutely no idea what a photon is doing when we are not looking at it.
Into the bargain, the uncertainty principle of Heisenberg says that we cannot know the present in all its details, for an electron for instance cannot possess both a precise momentum and a precise position. There are only probabilities.
The philosophical impact of these 'facts' cannot be underestimated. Even Einstein could not accept it.
As always with Gribbin, this work is easy to understand, also for the layman. This was absolutely not obvious for that kind of subject. His writing stimulates to read further work about physics and cosmology. It is a real exploratory expedition.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, although dated, guide to importance of Quantum Theory
Review: I read this book about six months ago, and can't stop thinking about it. Gribbin says that "everybody knows that the greatest discovery of the 20th century was Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and EVERYBODY is wrong." And then he proceeds to explain quantum theory. With bold, simple explanations, he makes clear how quantum mechanics lies at the center of all the sciences. However, the content, written in the early 80s, is a little bit dated, something Gribbin fixed in his newer book "Schrodinger's Kittens". Great book, though, and filled with excellent quotes by Einstein, Bohr, and others.
Rating:
Summary: Fact is infinitely stranger than fiction
Review: If asked what the most significant technological achievement of the 20'th century was, most people will cite landing on the Moon. If asked what the most significant scientific achievement of the 20'the century was, most people will cite the discovery of DNA, or the theory of relativity, or advances in cosmology, or any number of other truly stunning achievements. However, John Gribbin provides a different and eminently more defensible answer: quantum mechanics. This book is perhaps the best lay introduction to quantum mechanics I've come across. If you have a scientific leaning, and would like to be privy to one of the most shocking and influential scientific breakthroughs of all time (second, perhaps, only to evolution), then pick up a copy of Gribbin's "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat". It's a first-rate treatment of quantum mechanics (sans mathematics) that will instill an appreciation of just how wildly successful this theory has been, and why it justly deserves the accolade of the most significant scientific achievement of the 20'th century. You will also appreciate why even its founders would have been quite happy to see it overturned. While the theory of evolution continues to be shocking to many, once understood it has a simple elegance and even an appealing intuition. It sheds light on previously mysterious aspect of our world. Not so with quantum mechanics! Even those who "understand" it are perpetually disturbed and/or baffled by it, as it seems to inject mysticism where once there had been seeming clarity. Neils Bohr, one of the original founders of quantum mechanics, famously quipped, "Anyone who isn't shocked by quantum theory has not understood it." The title of the book refers to a famous thought experiment proposed by Erwin Schrodinger, another founder of quantum mechanics. I shall not attempt to explain Shrodinger's hypothetical experiment here, as you will think me mistaken, deluded, or quite insane if I were to suggest that a cat might be neither dead nor alive, until it is observed as such. So I'll let that pass. You may think me similarly afflicted if I were to suggest that matter can pop into existence out of nothing. So, I'll let that slide too. Gribbin can break all that news to you, and you can blame him if it upsets you. But I will give away this much: nature has apparently dealt us a far stranger hand than any science fiction writer has ever dreamed. If you are a student of physics who can write down Schrodinger's wave equation and wield momentum operators with the best of them, don't forget to pause at some point and look at the larger historical and philosophical context of quantum mechanics. If not, you will be like the hapless paleontologist who scrutinizes microscopic fossils while missing the gargantuan footprint in which he stands. Quantum mechanics is far broader, deeper, and stranger than mere equations can convey (at least at present). Sure, there are more erudite and academic treatments of this material, such as Max Jammer's "The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics", but that will take a good while to struggle through, and you may put it off. In the mean time, pick up Gribbin's excellent and entertaining book. It's a great substitute for science fiction as it is every bit as entertaining, yet as far as science has bee able to discern, it is all true. Even if science does not rank among your chief interests, you owe it to yourself to gain at least a passing familiarity with one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time, if not the greatest enigma of all time. Consider it part of a broad liberal education. Who knows, it may even turn up on Jeopardy some day. The answer: "The most significant scientific theory of the 20'th century". The question: "What is quantum mechanics?".
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: It's hard to overstate the importance of this book. It's also hard to overstate the value. John Gribbin has written one of those timeless books that belongs to the ages. Despite the fact that it's decades out of date, it's still current. Despite the fact that much has been discovered about the field of quantum physics since he wrote this book, nothing in it has been superseded. And yet, it's so clear that "Cat" is one of those books that those of us who write about science and technology as a profession use as a touchstone - a book that we compare our own writing against - and find wanting. My original copy of this book is so worn from reading that it must be replaced. Both of my daughters read this book, and became physicists or are about to. This is a book so important, and so readable, that it helps define its category. This is more than a good read. It's a necessary read.
Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading for ALL college students
Review: Look! At the photon! It's a particle! No, it's a wave! No, it's a... well, it's BOTH!!! And not only that, but it can interfere with itself, or with other consequential photons! WHAT?!?!? Welcome to the wacky world of quantum physics, the science so absurd that even Einstein couldn't believe it (and let's face it, after relativity, he was the MASTER of the absurd-but-true) where statistics are everything, specifics only happen when you're looking for them, and nothing is real at all, anywhere. Again, WHAT?!?!? In Schroedinger's Cat, John Gribbin not only explains all this nonsense, but he actually makes it understandable. This amazing book should be required of all college students, as part of a well-rounded education. Engineers and scientists will be amazed and think it's cool, but even "fuzzy majors" (i.e. everything else -- sorry, that's what we arrogant engineers called the denizens of that side of campus) will be able to understand it, and they too will be enlightened by it. If you have any interest in science, in knowing what theoretical physicists really do, in knowing what a "particle accelerator" is, or even just want to have some idea about how much of Star Trek is based on real science, you MUST read this book. Not only that, but you must read THIS book before reading other books on quantum mechanics. Ok, enough ranting. I think it takes a certain amount of Zen to grasp all this quantum non-reality particle-wave-duality possible-parallel-universe stuff. Gribbin, then, is the true Zen Master. Gribbin takes that which is not only beyond comprehension but beyond even Einstein's belief, and makes it understandable to the layman. He uses great examples that not only explain key concepts, but also help the non-Zen-Master remember them in such a way that makes one sound like a Guru at cocktail parties. Pardon my silliness. Just read the book. And then buy it for all your friends, kids, friends' kids, coworkers, and anyone else on your gift list. Yes, it's THAT good.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening, liberating, refreshing
Review: PROS:
1. Good narrative style - you won't be bored.
2. Not complicated... not trivial or overly diluted either. High school Math, and Science will suffice for understanding. You'll derive more on a second read though.
3. I like how he weaves history into science and adds personality to the characters way beyond anything you'll find in a textbook. One reader said he wanted just the facts and could do without the extras. I think it's the extras that make this book appealing, approachable and engaging. If you want just facts, get a college textbook.
4. Not too long... he spends just about the right length of time on each topic.
5. He revisits topics to shed extra light at appropriate times... he doesn't try to hammer in everything into your head all at once.
6. Gives credit to respective scientists, including stating who won what Nobel prize when. This is good as otherwise these people and their achievements would be largely unknown by people who are not academics, such as some of the readers of this book.
7. Gives an excellent sense of perspective of how things were developed or arrived at. You really appreciate that it is by collaboration and assistance that a lot has been developed. Previous to this work I hadn't heard of Dirac... everybody knows Einstein. I heard of Bohr, Rutherford, and Planck at school. But there really are other greats of the era: Heisenberg, Dirac, Pauli and Shrodinger for example.
8. Extremely well-researched and woven together.
9. Great to find out the simple origins of anti-matter. (pages 124, and 125)
10. Great to see how many things we take for granted have been derived from Quantum Mechanics... Integrated circuits, computers, laser, laser surgery, nuclear reactors, rockets, space travel.
CONS:
1. He presents the work of the main characters/scientists in a TOPICAL fashion, and when you are reading you would realise that something that occurs some pages later on actually took place at the same time CHRONOLOGICALLY as something in prevous sections. This is moderately disconcerting.
I don't think the author could have done differently though, without disrupting the flow of the book and perhaps altering its comprehensibility. To compensate for this, it would have been good to put a timeline in an Appendix. e.g.:
16xx - Newton lays the groundwork of classical mechanics (based on the work of Kepler)
1900 - Planck introduces his radiation formula and introduces 'quanta' of energy.
1906 - Einstein...
etc.
2. Needs to state EXACTLY which diagram/drawing he is referring to at various points in the explanation. It's easy to lose track of what diagram he is referring to, and it becomes confusing. (This applies mainly to the latter half of the book.)
Rating:
Summary: Lacks clarity
Review: The author talks about all major developments in the field of Quantum Physics as of the date the book was published, but does not explain them clearly, especially towards the end with topics such as super gravity. The diagrams appear out of sync with the text, and are not explained well. I somewhat liked the book in the begining, but at the end was forcing myself to finish it.
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