by Josef M. Jauch
Are Quanta Real?: A Galilean Dialogue
attempts to explain the concepts of quantum physics
, especially the counter-intuitive ones.
The work proceeds as a dialogue between the same characters
who appeared in Galileo
work Dialogue on the Two Major Systems of the World
, which attempted to explain the then-equally revolutionary notion of the Earth not being at the center of the Universe1
The two principal characters' names are Simplicio
. Simplicio does not understand quantum physics and has some rather naïve
notions regarding how it works. Salviati understands it fully and is only too happy to point out Simplicio's errors.
There is a third character, Sagredo
, who appears a bit more sympathetic to Simplicio but nonetheless demurs to Salviati as the authority.
Although Jauch is a bit rough on poor Simplicio, and sets up a few straw men to knock them down, the book is well worth reading. It explains quantum physics while maintaining a practical approach to its concepts.
Are Quanta Real?
was first published in Geneva in 1971
, and then by Indiana University Press in 1973
Douglas R. Hofstadter
uses the dialogue form in his book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
and claims Are Quanta Real?
as the inspiration for it. He also frequently mentioned this book in his Scientific American column Metamagical Themas
You may not realize this, but General Relativity
has placed the Earth back at the center of the Universe
, since an important result of the cosmology
resulting from General Relativity is that Everything is at the center of the Universe