Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

brilliant, 24 Mar 1999
This book was extrememly well written, I am 15 years old and understood everything clearly. A must for anyone interested in physics and to what regions physics is heading into the future.

Wait a second!, 30 Aug 1998
I felt that the book may have overstated it's content, expecting a decent description of superstring theory. This book certainly is lacking in that regard. However after reading the cover, I noticed that it doesn't promise to be that!

On the other hand, the book delivers what its cover promises: 'an exciting exursion into the discoveries that led...' to the theory of superstrings. Well, it may not be too 'exciting', but the author's enthusiasm for the subject is infective, and I found the book enjoyable to read.

To those who are looking for a complete treatment of superstring theory, I cannot reccomend this book, but if you are interested in the path taken to the theory, this may be a worthwhile read.

Promising, but unsatisfying, 28 Oct 1997
One of the better layman's books on the subject, but did not explain string theory, as it seemed to lead up to. (I know, "Beyond Einstein II"...) This seems the common approach in this tight genre. Some explanations were dead-on, while others missed the mark. All these books seem to lack the will to judge the merits of the Copenhagen Canon, which today seems as "untenable" as Einstein's "localism". I could not help challenging several key assumptions leading to the "inevitable" conclusions in mainstream theory, assumptions which were stated almost as facts in my own college quantum courses. It is true; those working on the theories are so caught up in the math, they are not equipped to think visually, as did Einstein. Now that we've gone beyond dear Albert, isn't it time we go back and pay him a visit?

good but lacks depth, 13 Sep 1997
after hearing how strong a book 'hyperspace'was,i decided to take a look at Kaku's new book...to my dissapointment,the book was more like a schoolboy's essay on the subject,lacking any depth or analysis (which i didnt find strange..knowing that the co-author has written about 4 COOK books!!) so if you just wanna know the history of superstrings and previous theories..then buy that book,if you are serious about getting to the grips with the subject,Avoid it.

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

brilliant, 24 Mar 1999
This book was extrememly well written, I am 15 years old and understood everything clearly. A must for anyone interested in physics and to what regions physics is heading into the future.

Wait a second!, 30 Aug 1998
I felt that the book may have overstated it's content, expecting a decent description of superstring theory. This book certainly is lacking in that regard. However after reading the cover, I noticed that it doesn't promise to be that!

On the other hand, the book delivers what its cover promises: 'an exciting exursion into the discoveries that led...' to the theory of superstrings. Well, it may not be too 'exciting', but the author's enthusiasm for the subject is infective, and I found the book enjoyable to read.

To those who are looking for a complete treatment of superstring theory, I cannot reccomend this book, but if you are interested in the path taken to the theory, this may be a worthwhile read.

Promising, but unsatisfying, 28 Oct 1997
One of the better layman's books on the subject, but did not explain string theory, as it seemed to lead up to. (I know, "Beyond Einstein II"...) This seems the common approach in this tight genre. Some explanations were dead-on, while others missed the mark. All these books seem to lack the will to judge the merits of the Copenhagen Canon, which today seems as "untenable" as Einstein's "localism". I could not help challenging several key assumptions leading to the "inevitable" conclusions in mainstream theory, assumptions which were stated almost as facts in my own college quantum courses. It is true; those working on the theories are so caught up in the math, they are not equipped to think visually, as did Einstein. Now that we've gone beyond dear Albert, isn't it time we go back and pay him a visit?

good but lacks depth, 13 Sep 1997
after hearing how strong a book 'hyperspace'was,i decided to take a look at Kaku's new book...to my dissapointment,the book was more like a schoolboy's essay on the subject,lacking any depth or analysis (which i didnt find strange..knowing that the co-author has written about 4 COOK books!!) so if you just wanna know the history of superstrings and previous theories..then buy that book,if you are serious about getting to the grips with the subject,Avoid it.

One of the best!, 31 Aug 2002
It is not easy for authors to make everyone happy;-- this is especially so in a new field,--one which has grabbed headlines, and one which is at the same time interdisiplinary. In this case, the authors succeed as well as anyone, I believe.-- This lovely book covers several of the appropriate areas of physics (quantum theory, (some) experiment...), of computer science (the mathematical side of the subject), and of math (operators in Hilbert space, and the theory of algorithms);-- each member of the particular scientific specialty has very definite ideas of his/her own subject,-- and that of the others. Nonetheless, in this readers opinion, the two authors did a great job;-- they explain math to the physics community,-- and they sucessfully teach quantum theory and theoretical CS to mathematicians. The book is suitable for grad students: has lots of great exercises, but it could perhaps have used some more worked examples. (Fortunately they can be found in other books on quantum computation.) The Nielsen-Chuang book is most certainly a great entry for students into this exciting new subject. There are other books,-- but they, for the most part, take a more narrow view. The material in Nielsen-Chuang is timeless,-- and I expect the book will also be popular ten years from now.

Impressive, 06 Mar 2002
The book covers a very interesting subject that is very much in its infancy and as a result some of the concepts do require a lot of attention however, I do think that anyone that is doing a degree in Computer Sceince with an above average knowledge of Mathematics would be able to understand most of the theory. (I studied
Computing and Mathematics for my first year of my degree and converted in my second year to Computer Science).

Essential reading but confusing in places, 10 Oct 2001
First of all, this book is probably an essential requirement for a course on quantum computing. It is very comprehensive. However there are times when the authors write in a very confusing way. One of the weakest areas of the book concerns measurement. There is no discussion of the topic of how one can measure a single qubit in a multi-qubit state. In a classical system one can just measure the voltage on a single wire. In a quantum system it is more complex. This is FUNDAMENTAL but the authors do not explain this properly.

As I read the book I was always asking questions that I found that the book didn't consider.

The book has plenty of exercises however none have answers and there are very few really telling examples. This makes the students' life very difficult.

My advice if you buy this book is be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time to it and also be prepared to read many research papers to try to clarify the many ill defined statements in the book. Using the book as a complement to a taught course is the wisest thing to do. I do not recommend it as a self study text.

Don't believe the endorsements on the back cover. They are all written by people who already understand the subject matter so they cannot see what a newcomer might have problems with.

Classic text on quantum information, one must read !, 25 Jul 2000
The book of M. Nielsen and I. Chuang is outcome of great work that have been done extensively in the last couple of decades by quantum physicists, computer scientist and information theorist. It is a right effort in right direction, so it is highly appreciable. Starting from rules of quantum theory these authors explain how can one apply these concepts in designing logic gates, elementary quantum computer circuits, Deustch-Josza algorithm Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm and many more. Also this text book explains in detail the important ideas of quantum information theory, such as no-cloning theorem, coding theorem, quantum teleportation, dense coding, and so on. There is also balance between technical aspects of the theory and historical aspects of the subjects. This book contains extensive number of references for further study. I am sure this book will be extremely useful for students as well as researchers in the field. I recomend that every one who is interested to know the wonder rules of quantum computation and information should read this book seriously.

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

brilliant, 24 Mar 1999
This book was extrememly well written, I am 15 years old and understood everything clearly. A must for anyone interested in physics and to what regions physics is heading into the future.

Wait a second!, 30 Aug 1998
I felt that the book may have overstated it's content, expecting a decent description of superstring theory. This book certainly is lacking in that regard. However after reading the cover, I noticed that it doesn't promise to be that!

On the other hand, the book delivers what its cover promises: 'an exciting exursion into the discoveries that led...' to the theory of superstrings. Well, it may not be too 'exciting', but the author's enthusiasm for the subject is infective, and I found the book enjoyable to read.

To those who are looking for a complete treatment of superstring theory, I cannot reccomend this book, but if you are interested in the path taken to the theory, this may be a worthwhile read.

Promising, but unsatisfying, 28 Oct 1997
One of the better layman's books on the subject, but did not explain string theory, as it seemed to lead up to. (I know, "Beyond Einstein II"...) This seems the common approach in this tight genre. Some explanations were dead-on, while others missed the mark. All these books seem to lack the will to judge the merits of the Copenhagen Canon, which today seems as "untenable" as Einstein's "localism". I could not help challenging several key assumptions leading to the "inevitable" conclusions in mainstream theory, assumptions which were stated almost as facts in my own college quantum courses. It is true; those working on the theories are so caught up in the math, they are not equipped to think visually, as did Einstein. Now that we've gone beyond dear Albert, isn't it time we go back and pay him a visit?

good but lacks depth, 13 Sep 1997
after hearing how strong a book 'hyperspace'was,i decided to take a look at Kaku's new book...to my dissapointment,the book was more like a schoolboy's essay on the subject,lacking any depth or analysis (which i didnt find strange..knowing that the co-author has written about 4 COOK books!!) so if you just wanna know the history of superstrings and previous theories..then buy that book,if you are serious about getting to the grips with the subject,Avoid it.

One of the best!, 31 Aug 2002
It is not easy for authors to make everyone happy;-- this is especially so in a new field,--one which has grabbed headlines, and one which is at the same time interdisiplinary. In this case, the authors succeed as well as anyone, I believe.-- This lovely book covers several of the appropriate areas of physics (quantum theory, (some) experiment...), of computer science (the mathematical side of the subject), and of math (operators in Hilbert space, and the theory of algorithms);-- each member of the particular scientific specialty has very definite ideas of his/her own subject,-- and that of the others. Nonetheless, in this readers opinion, the two authors did a great job;-- they explain math to the physics community,-- and they sucessfully teach quantum theory and theoretical CS to mathematicians. The book is suitable for grad students: has lots of great exercises, but it could perhaps have used some more worked examples. (Fortunately they can be found in other books on quantum computation.) The Nielsen-Chuang book is most certainly a great entry for students into this exciting new subject. There are other books,-- but they, for the most part, take a more narrow view. The material in Nielsen-Chuang is timeless,-- and I expect the book will also be popular ten years from now.

Impressive, 06 Mar 2002
The book covers a very interesting subject that is very much in its infancy and as a result some of the concepts do require a lot of attention however, I do think that anyone that is doing a degree in Computer Sceince with an above average knowledge of Mathematics would be able to understand most of the theory. (I studied
Computing and Mathematics for my first year of my degree and converted in my second year to Computer Science).

Essential reading but confusing in places, 10 Oct 2001
First of all, this book is probably an essential requirement for a course on quantum computing. It is very comprehensive. However there are times when the authors write in a very confusing way. One of the weakest areas of the book concerns measurement. There is no discussion of the topic of how one can measure a single qubit in a multi-qubit state. In a classical system one can just measure the voltage on a single wire. In a quantum system it is more complex. This is FUNDAMENTAL but the authors do not explain this properly.

As I read the book I was always asking questions that I found that the book didn't consider.

The book has plenty of exercises however none have answers and there are very few really telling examples. This makes the students' life very difficult.

My advice if you buy this book is be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time to it and also be prepared to read many research papers to try to clarify the many ill defined statements in the book. Using the book as a complement to a taught course is the wisest thing to do. I do not recommend it as a self study text.

Don't believe the endorsements on the back cover. They are all written by people who already understand the subject matter so they cannot see what a newcomer might have problems with.

Classic text on quantum information, one must read !, 25 Jul 2000
The book of M. Nielsen and I. Chuang is outcome of great work that have been done extensively in the last couple of decades by quantum physicists, computer scientist and information theorist. It is a right effort in right direction, so it is highly appreciable. Starting from rules of quantum theory these authors explain how can one apply these concepts in designing logic gates, elementary quantum computer circuits, Deustch-Josza algorithm Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm and many more. Also this text book explains in detail the important ideas of quantum information theory, such as no-cloning theorem, coding theorem, quantum teleportation, dense coding, and so on. There is also balance between technical aspects of the theory and historical aspects of the subjects. This book contains extensive number of references for further study. I am sure this book will be extremely useful for students as well as researchers in the field. I recomend that every one who is interested to know the wonder rules of quantum computation and information should read this book seriously.

Not really what I was expecting, 29 Nov 2008
From the blurb and the title I was expecting a book that would help deepen my understanding of quantum mechanics, and give me new and subtle insights into the implications of the Aspect/Gisin quantum entanglement experiments, possibly including some implications for thought and consciousness, a-la-Penrose. This turns out not to be the book's purpose at all however. It's hard to determine who the intended audience is. While the discussion on Quantum Mechaincs is pitched at layman's level, the discussion around it would seem more aimed at academics in the arts and humanities. It is a wide-ranging book touching on far more than QM. I found the book, informative, provocative, irritating, and in the end, rather moving. I'm glad I persisted with it though I can't say I agree with everything in it.

The introduction announces a post-modernist malaise in the academic humanities, rooted, the authors claim, in the removal of mind from the material world by Cartesian Dualism. This was surprising for me because, as a reader in Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind, I know that the modern scientific currency is reductive materialism. I had no idea that there was a community of folks out there who presumed dualism, and deduced pessimism.

The first half of the book then gives a layman's (non-mathematical) description of quantum mechanics. It's a bit sloppy. Terms are introduced without definition. Conclusions are drawn from premises without explanation. Schrodinger's cat is trotted out again, as usual, without qualification, so yet more credible folks will come away thinking that there is something magical about conscious observerhood that collapses superposed quantum states. The dual slit experiment is explained pretty well. Then we come to an exposition of Bell's inequality theorm as an intro to the Aspect/Gisin experiments. We gather that the implications are that Bohr's Copenhagen Interpretation is now incontrovertible, Einstein's Realism is refuted, and the hopes for deeper breakthroughs, such as hidden variable approaches, restoring it are shattered once and for all. The authors then specify a 'logic of complementarity' required to do constructive thinking about quantum phenomena, and point out along the way how Relativity requires the same kind of logic when thinking about space and time. This latter point I did find quite illuminating.

We then get a couple of chapters looking at aspects of Biology and Human Evolution where similar complementarity logic might be applicable. We are essentially looking at emergence, and how wholes can be greater than than sum of parts. We look at how co-operation operates alongside Darwinian competition as a dynamic in evolution, and we look at how culture could have driven the evolution of the physical substrates of human language in a virtuous spiral. Whether complementarity is fruitful of original insights in these areas, or merely provides analogies is hard to say.

The last third of the book gets to its main point which is to use the logic of complemantarity, derived from quantum mechanics, to bring solace to all these languishing postmodernist academics, and show them a way out of their pessimism.

I should say before I go much further that as a scientist who believes in a world out there, that gets on with it regardless of whether we do or can observe it, I don't have a lot of patience with post-modernist thought. The notion that science is a mythical social construction, promulgated by the power elite, is just institutionalised solipsism, and the money spent maintaining serious academic careers and filling our children's heads with this nonsense would be better spent on alleviating poverty or putting a person on Mars.

We get an intellectual history of post-modernism, tracing a line of descent from Descartes, through Nietzche, Husserl, Sartre and Existentialism, the post-structuralists and then the Derridas, Foucaults, etc. We have discovered that language can only ever refer to itself. That nothing meaningful can be said or deduced about the world outside our minds, and that all our thoughts have been hijacked by the power elite so they can get on with oppressing minorities of various pursuasions. Here, I just lose it. The Power elite does it's thing with violence and the exploitation of ignorance, pure and simple. They don't need to control our thoughts and language to do that, and the fact that they don't is what gives us hope for the future. Eventually we learn that the logic of complementarity allows the meanings of words to signify things in the external world and language is saved from the power elite. This is great because I hate to think of these postmodernists suffering needlessly.

We then get a chapter on the implications of the nonlocality implied by the Copenhagen Interpretation and the Aspect/Gisin experiments. Quantum entanglement from the big bang ensures that all particles/quanta in the universe are ultimately bound up in a single whole across all of space and time which is ultimately unknowable, in principle, to science. There can never be ontology, a science or knowledge of what's actually out there. I'm familiar with this understanding and have made my peace with it. The book makes the point that most of the science community simply adopt an ostrich approach to the full implications of nonlocality, so long as the maths works out.

The authors see things in terms of C.P.Snow's culture war between the disaffected postmodernists and the pragmatic mentality of science, a rift that itself follows the complementarity paradigm. In the final chapter they argue that that a dialogue is required between the two cultures if the ecological catastrophe, for which they present a very incisive analysis, facing humanity is to be confronted successfully. They here make a very moving appeal for the rift to be healed and a new complimentarity based unified system of thought to be developed as the basis for a completely new form of religion, shorn of all anthropomorphism and compatible with science but which speaks to all aspects of the human being. Their logic is that only a belief system with the force of a religion will be powerful enough to transform global society into something that can reach a sustainable realtionship with the world. I kind of agree, which is why I found it moving, but I have little optimism of it happening and less so that a shift in rational perspectives will provide the foundation for it.

So a very wide ranging book with some interesting points to make, none of which you'd suspect from the title. As a layman's introduction to Quantum Mechanics, I know there are better ones out there.


important and well written - perhaps flawed, 17 Jul 2007
Sometimes the language of this book, with its long flowing sentences and abstract ideas sounds a little Hegelian, but the vast majority of it is down-to-earth, well thought out and sticks to the task of describing some of the most difficult conceptual areas in science. Quantum Mechanics can never be easy because it is not visualisable as such. There may be some flaws in the argument however (why I marked it down!). The author's explanation of entanglement is solely in terms of non-locality. However they seemed to have ignored the alternative of retro-causality. They actually describe an important retro-causal experiment, but do not seem to incorporate it into their arguments. A further problem seems to occur when they go on to extend the idea of complementarity beyond physics (following Niels Bohr). They describe how `biological reality' might be affected by the same measurement difficulties as physical reality at the micro level. But biology is far too complex, in my opinion, to be able to isolate such an effect. It seems an unwarranted generalisation.

Simple yet technically superb, 21 Sep 2006
Anyone interested in the area of quantum mechanics should read this book. It is easy to understand, yet detailed and technically superb - explaining the various different interpretations that are available. This book is particularly impressive in bridging the knowledge gap that most books on the subject leave - the gap between quantum mechanics and what it implies for the human mind and our everyday lives. For anyone that thinks quantum mechanics has nothing (or very little) to do with reality - think again!

The main strength of this book is its uncompromising tenacity in explaining and staying with the facts. Where little is known, the authors explain the various thories that are around and their likely implications. For me, this book is the best available explanation of quantum mechanics and its unexpected possibilities.

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

brilliant, 24 Mar 1999
This book was extrememly well written, I am 15 years old and understood everything clearly. A must for anyone interested in physics and to what regions physics is heading into the future.

Wait a second!, 30 Aug 1998
I felt that the book may have overstated it's content, expecting a decent description of superstring theory. This book certainly is lacking in that regard. However after reading the cover, I noticed that it doesn't promise to be that!

On the other hand, the book delivers what its cover promises: 'an exciting exursion into the discoveries that led...' to the theory of superstrings. Well, it may not be too 'exciting', but the author's enthusiasm for the subject is infective, and I found the book enjoyable to read.

To those who are looking for a complete treatment of superstring theory, I cannot reccomend this book, but if you are interested in the path taken to the theory, this may be a worthwhile read.

Promising, but unsatisfying, 28 Oct 1997
One of the better layman's books on the subject, but did not explain string theory, as it seemed to lead up to. (I know, "Beyond Einstein II"...) This seems the common approach in this tight genre. Some explanations were dead-on, while others missed the mark. All these books seem to lack the will to judge the merits of the Copenhagen Canon, which today seems as "untenable" as Einstein's "localism". I could not help challenging several key assumptions leading to the "inevitable" conclusions in mainstream theory, assumptions which were stated almost as facts in my own college quantum courses. It is true; those working on the theories are so caught up in the math, they are not equipped to think visually, as did Einstein. Now that we've gone beyond dear Albert, isn't it time we go back and pay him a visit?

good but lacks depth, 13 Sep 1997
after hearing how strong a book 'hyperspace'was,i decided to take a look at Kaku's new book...to my dissapointment,the book was more like a schoolboy's essay on the subject,lacking any depth or analysis (which i didnt find strange..knowing that the co-author has written about 4 COOK books!!) so if you just wanna know the history of superstrings and previous theories..then buy that book,if you are serious about getting to the grips with the subject,Avoid it.

One of the best!, 31 Aug 2002
It is not easy for authors to make everyone happy;-- this is especially so in a new field,--one which has grabbed headlines, and one which is at the same time interdisiplinary. In this case, the authors succeed as well as anyone, I believe.-- This lovely book covers several of the appropriate areas of physics (quantum theory, (some) experiment...), of computer science (the mathematical side of the subject), and of math (operators in Hilbert space, and the theory of algorithms);-- each member of the particular scientific specialty has very definite ideas of his/her own subject,-- and that of the others. Nonetheless, in this readers opinion, the two authors did a great job;-- they explain math to the physics community,-- and they sucessfully teach quantum theory and theoretical CS to mathematicians. The book is suitable for grad students: has lots of great exercises, but it could perhaps have used some more worked examples. (Fortunately they can be found in other books on quantum computation.) The Nielsen-Chuang book is most certainly a great entry for students into this exciting new subject. There are other books,-- but they, for the most part, take a more narrow view. The material in Nielsen-Chuang is timeless,-- and I expect the book will also be popular ten years from now.

Impressive, 06 Mar 2002
The book covers a very interesting subject that is very much in its infancy and as a result some of the concepts do require a lot of attention however, I do think that anyone that is doing a degree in Computer Sceince with an above average knowledge of Mathematics would be able to understand most of the theory. (I studied
Computing and Mathematics for my first year of my degree and converted in my second year to Computer Science).

Essential reading but confusing in places, 10 Oct 2001
First of all, this book is probably an essential requirement for a course on quantum computing. It is very comprehensive. However there are times when the authors write in a very confusing way. One of the weakest areas of the book concerns measurement. There is no discussion of the topic of how one can measure a single qubit in a multi-qubit state. In a classical system one can just measure the voltage on a single wire. In a quantum system it is more complex. This is FUNDAMENTAL but the authors do not explain this properly.

As I read the book I was always asking questions that I found that the book didn't consider.

The book has plenty of exercises however none have answers and there are very few really telling examples. This makes the students' life very difficult.

My advice if you buy this book is be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time to it and also be prepared to read many research papers to try to clarify the many ill defined statements in the book. Using the book as a complement to a taught course is the wisest thing to do. I do not recommend it as a self study text.

Don't believe the endorsements on the back cover. They are all written by people who already understand the subject matter so they cannot see what a newcomer might have problems with.

Classic text on quantum information, one must read !, 25 Jul 2000
The book of M. Nielsen and I. Chuang is outcome of great work that have been done extensively in the last couple of decades by quantum physicists, computer scientist and information theorist. It is a right effort in right direction, so it is highly appreciable. Starting from rules of quantum theory these authors explain how can one apply these concepts in designing logic gates, elementary quantum computer circuits, Deustch-Josza algorithm Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm and many more. Also this text book explains in detail the important ideas of quantum information theory, such as no-cloning theorem, coding theorem, quantum teleportation, dense coding, and so on. There is also balance between technical aspects of the theory and historical aspects of the subjects. This book contains extensive number of references for further study. I am sure this book will be extremely useful for students as well as researchers in the field. I recomend that every one who is interested to know the wonder rules of quantum computation and information should read this book seriously.

Not really what I was expecting, 29 Nov 2008
From the blurb and the title I was expecting a book that would help deepen my understanding of quantum mechanics, and give me new and subtle insights into the implications of the Aspect/Gisin quantum entanglement experiments, possibly including some implications for thought and consciousness, a-la-Penrose. This turns out not to be the book's purpose at all however. It's hard to determine who the intended audience is. While the discussion on Quantum Mechaincs is pitched at layman's level, the discussion around it would seem more aimed at academics in the arts and humanities. It is a wide-ranging book touching on far more than QM. I found the book, informative, provocative, irritating, and in the end, rather moving. I'm glad I persisted with it though I can't say I agree with everything in it.

The introduction announces a post-modernist malaise in the academic humanities, rooted, the authors claim, in the removal of mind from the material world by Cartesian Dualism. This was surprising for me because, as a reader in Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind, I know that the modern scientific currency is reductive materialism. I had no idea that there was a community of folks out there who presumed dualism, and deduced pessimism.

The first half of the book then gives a layman's (non-mathematical) description of quantum mechanics. It's a bit sloppy. Terms are introduced without definition. Conclusions are drawn from premises without explanation. Schrodinger's cat is trotted out again, as usual, without qualification, so yet more credible folks will come away thinking that there is something magical about conscious observerhood that collapses superposed quantum states. The dual slit experiment is explained pretty well. Then we come to an exposition of Bell's inequality theorm as an intro to the Aspect/Gisin experiments. We gather that the implications are that Bohr's Copenhagen Interpretation is now incontrovertible, Einstein's Realism is refuted, and the hopes for deeper breakthroughs, such as hidden variable approaches, restoring it are shattered once and for all. The authors then specify a 'logic of complementarity' required to do constructive thinking about quantum phenomena, and point out along the way how Relativity requires the same kind of logic when thinking about space and time. This latter point I did find quite illuminating.

We then get a couple of chapters looking at aspects of Biology and Human Evolution where similar complementarity logic might be applicable. We are essentially looking at emergence, and how wholes can be greater than than sum of parts. We look at how co-operation operates alongside Darwinian competition as a dynamic in evolution, and we look at how culture could have driven the evolution of the physical substrates of human language in a virtuous spiral. Whether complementarity is fruitful of original insights in these areas, or merely provides analogies is hard to say.

The last third of the book gets to its main point which is to use the logic of complemantarity, derived from quantum mechanics, to bring solace to all these languishing postmodernist academics, and show them a way out of their pessimism.

I should say before I go much further that as a scientist who believes in a world out there, that gets on with it regardless of whether we do or can observe it, I don't have a lot of patience with post-modernist thought. The notion that science is a mythical social construction, promulgated by the power elite, is just institutionalised solipsism, and the money spent maintaining serious academic careers and filling our children's heads with this nonsense would be better spent on alleviating poverty or putting a person on Mars.

We get an intellectual history of post-modernism, tracing a line of descent from Descartes, through Nietzche, Husserl, Sartre and Existentialism, the post-structuralists and then the Derridas, Foucaults, etc. We have discovered that language can only ever refer to itself. That nothing meaningful can be said or deduced about the world outside our minds, and that all our thoughts have been hijacked by the power elite so they can get on with oppressing minorities of various pursuasions. Here, I just lose it. The Power elite does it's thing with violence and the exploitation of ignorance, pure and simple. They don't need to control our thoughts and language to do that, and the fact that they don't is what gives us hope for the future. Eventually we learn that the logic of complementarity allows the meanings of words to signify things in the external world and language is saved from the power elite. This is great because I hate to think of these postmodernists suffering needlessly.

We then get a chapter on the implications of the nonlocality implied by the Copenhagen Interpretation and the Aspect/Gisin experiments. Quantum entanglement from the big bang ensures that all particles/quanta in the universe are ultimately bound up in a single whole across all of space and time which is ultimately unknowable, in principle, to science. There can never be ontology, a science or knowledge of what's actually out there. I'm familiar with this understanding and have made my peace with it. The book makes the point that most of the science community simply adopt an ostrich approach to the full implications of nonlocality, so long as the maths works out.

The authors see things in terms of C.P.Snow's culture war between the disaffected postmodernists and the pragmatic mentality of science, a rift that itself follows the complementarity paradigm. In the final chapter they argue that that a dialogue is required between the two cultures if the ecological catastrophe, for which they present a very incisive analysis, facing humanity is to be confronted successfully. They here make a very moving appeal for the rift to be healed and a new complimentarity based unified system of thought to be developed as the basis for a completely new form of religion, shorn of all anthropomorphism and compatible with science but which speaks to all aspects of the human being. Their logic is that only a belief system with the force of a religion will be powerful enough to transform global society into something that can reach a sustainable realtionship with the world. I kind of agree, which is why I found it moving, but I have little optimism of it happening and less so that a shift in rational perspectives will provide the foundation for it.

So a very wide ranging book with some interesting points to make, none of which you'd suspect from the title. As a layman's introduction to Quantum Mechanics, I know there are better ones out there.


important and well written - perhaps flawed, 17 Jul 2007
Sometimes the language of this book, with its long flowing sentences and abstract ideas sounds a little Hegelian, but the vast majority of it is down-to-earth, well thought out and sticks to the task of describing some of the most difficult conceptual areas in science. Quantum Mechanics can never be easy because it is not visualisable as such. There may be some flaws in the argument however (why I marked it down!). The author's explanation of entanglement is solely in terms of non-locality. However they seemed to have ignored the alternative of retro-causality. They actually describe an important retro-causal experiment, but do not seem to incorporate it into their arguments. A further problem seems to occur when they go on to extend the idea of complementarity beyond physics (following Niels Bohr). They describe how `biological reality' might be affected by the same measurement difficulties as physical reality at the micro level. But biology is far too complex, in my opinion, to be able to isolate such an effect. It seems an unwarranted generalisation.

Simple yet technically superb, 21 Sep 2006
Anyone interested in the area of quantum mechanics should read this book. It is easy to understand, yet detailed and technically superb - explaining the various different interpretations that are available. This book is particularly impressive in bridging the knowledge gap that most books on the subject leave - the gap between quantum mechanics and what it implies for the human mind and our everyday lives. For anyone that thinks quantum mechanics has nothing (or very little) to do with reality - think again!

The main strength of this book is its uncompromising tenacity in explaining and staying with the facts. Where little is known, the authors explain the various thories that are around and their likely implications. For me, this book is the best available explanation of quantum mechanics and its unexpected possibilities.


Exploring the Unexplorable, 07 Jul 2003
Abbott's Flatland will always remain a classical inspiration for our understanding of higher-dimensional spaces. In drawing the analogy of the way that two dimensional people understand three dimensional space, Abbott allows the reader to ponder ways of investigating higher-dimensional space without the baggage of mathematical formalism.

However as Abbott's age and background are firmly rooted in the latter half of the 19th century, it would be thought that the finer nuances alluded to by the author would pass into obscurity. Here, the ingenuity of Ian Stewart comes to the fore. Prof Stewart refreshes Abbott's text with his annotations, detailing every minuscule reference that Abbott makes in his 19th century world. The result is an informed invigoration of a classic and opens more paths to inspiration in diverse disciplines such as theology and partical physics.

The book does require at least two readings; once for the story itself to bring alive the narrative of A Square, the second to fit in the background provided by Stewart around the story. One could almost say that Stewart uses a fourth dimension of time to expand a three dimensional tale that belongs in more dimensions.

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

brilliant, 24 Mar 1999
This book was extrememly well written, I am 15 years old and understood everything clearly. A must for anyone interested in physics and to what regions physics is heading into the future.

Wait a second!, 30 Aug 1998
I felt that the book may have overstated it's content, expecting a decent description of superstring theory. This book certainly is lacking in that regard. However after reading the cover, I noticed that it doesn't promise to be that!

On the other hand, the book delivers what its cover promises: 'an exciting exursion into the discoveries that led...' to the theory of superstrings. Well, it may not be too 'exciting', but the author's enthusiasm for the subject is infective, and I found the book enjoyable to read.

To those who are looking for a complete treatment of superstring theory, I cannot reccomend this book, but if you are interested in the path taken to the theory, this may be a worthwhile read.

Promising, but unsatisfying, 28 Oct 1997
One of the better layman's books on the subject, but did not explain string theory, as it seemed to lead up to. (I know, "Beyond Einstein II"...) This seems the common approach in this tight genre. Some explanations were dead-on, while others missed the mark. All these books seem to lack the will to judge the merits of the Copenhagen Canon, which today seems as "untenable" as Einstein's "localism". I could not help challenging several key assumptions leading to the "inevitable" conclusions in mainstream theory, assumptions which were stated almost as facts in my own college quantum courses. It is true; those working on the theories are so caught up in the math, they are not equipped to think visually, as did Einstein. Now that we've gone beyond dear Albert, isn't it time we go back and pay him a visit?

good but lacks depth, 13 Sep 1997
after hearing how strong a book 'hyperspace'was,i decided to take a look at Kaku's new book...to my dissapointment,the book was more like a schoolboy's essay on the subject,lacking any depth or analysis (which i didnt find strange..knowing that the co-author has written about 4 COOK books!!) so if you just wanna know the history of superstrings and previous theories..then buy that book,if you are serious about getting to the grips with the subject,Avoid it.

One of the best!, 31 Aug 2002
It is not easy for authors to make everyone happy;-- this is especially so in a new field,--one which has grabbed headlines, and one which is at the same time interdisiplinary. In this case, the authors succeed as well as anyone, I believe.-- This lovely book covers several of the appropriate areas of physics (quantum theory, (some) experiment...), of computer science (the mathematical side of the subject), and of math (operators in Hilbert space, and the theory of algorithms);-- each member of the particular scientific specialty has very definite ideas of his/her own subject,-- and that of the others. Nonetheless, in this readers opinion, the two authors did a great job;-- they explain math to the physics community,-- and they sucessfully teach quantum theory and theoretical CS to mathematicians. The book is suitable for grad students: has lots of great exercises, but it could perhaps have used some more worked examples. (Fortunately they can be found in other books on quantum computation.) The Nielsen-Chuang book is most certainly a great entry for students into this exciting new subject. There are other books,-- but they, for the most part, take a more narrow view. The material in Nielsen-Chuang is timeless,-- and I expect the book will also be popular ten years from now.

Impressive, 06 Mar 2002
The book covers a very interesting subject that is very much in its infancy and as a result some of the concepts do require a lot of attention however, I do think that anyone that is doing a degree in Computer Sceince with an above average knowledge of Mathematics would be able to understand most of the theory. (I studied
Computing and Mathematics for my first year of my degree and converted in my second year to Computer Science).

Essential reading but confusing in places, 10 Oct 2001
First of all, this book is probably an essential requirement for a course on quantum computing. It is very comprehensive. However there are times when the authors write in a very confusing way. One of the weakest areas of the book concerns measurement. There is no discussion of the topic of how one can measure a single qubit in a multi-qubit state. In a classical system one can just measure the voltage on a single wire. In a quantum system it is more complex. This is FUNDAMENTAL but the authors do not explain this properly.

As I read the book I was always asking questions that I found that the book didn't consider.

The book has plenty of exercises however none have answers and there are very few really telling examples. This makes the students' life very difficult.

My advice if you buy this book is be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time to it and also be prepared to read many research papers to try to clarify the many ill defined statements in the book. Using the book as a complement to a taught course is the wisest thing to do. I do not recommend it as a self study text.

Don't believe the endorsements on the back cover. They are all written by people who already understand the subject matter so they cannot see what a newcomer might have problems with.

Classic text on quantum information, one must read !, 25 Jul 2000
The book of M. Nielsen and I. Chuang is outcome of great work that have been done extensively in the last couple of decades by quantum physicists, computer scientist and information theorist. It is a right effort in right direction, so it is highly appreciable. Starting from rules of quantum theory these authors explain how can one apply these concepts in designing logic gates, elementary quantum computer circuits, Deustch-Josza algorithm Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm and many more. Also this text book explains in detail the important ideas of quantum information theory, such as no-cloning theorem, coding theorem, quantum teleportation, dense coding, and so on. There is also balance between technical aspects of the theory and historical aspects of the subjects. This book contains extensive number of references for further study. I am sure this book will be extremely useful for students as well as researchers in the field. I recomend that every one who is interested to know the wonder rules of quantum computation and information should read this book seriously.

Not really what I was expecting, 29 Nov 2008
From the blurb and the title I was expecting a book that would help deepen my understanding of quantum mechanics, and give me new and subtle insights into the implications of the Aspect/Gisin quantum entanglement experiments, possibly including some implications for thought and consciousness, a-la-Penrose. This turns out not to be the book's purpose at all however. It's hard to determine who the intended audience is. While the discussion on Quantum Mechaincs is pitched at layman's level, the discussion around it would seem more aimed at academics in the arts and humanities. It is a wide-ranging book touching on far more than QM. I found the book, informative, provocative, irritating, and in the end, rather moving. I'm glad I persisted with it though I can't say I agree with everything in it.

The introduction announces a post-modernist malaise in the academic humanities, rooted, the authors claim, in the removal of mind from the material world by Cartesian Dualism. This was surprising for me because, as a reader in Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind, I know that the modern scientific currency is reductive materialism. I had no idea that there was a community of folks out there who presumed dualism, and deduced pessimism.

The first half of the book then gives a layman's (non-mathematical) description of quantum mechanics. It's a bit sloppy. Terms are introduced without definition. Conclusions are drawn from premises without explanation. Schrodinger's cat is trotted out again, as usual, without qualification, so yet more credible folks will come away thinking that there is something magical about conscious observerhood that collapses superposed quantum states. The dual slit experiment is explained pretty well. Then we come to an exposition of Bell's inequality theorm as an intro to the Aspect/Gisin experiments. We gather that the implications are that Bohr's Copenhagen Interpretation is now incontrovertible, Einstein's Realism is refuted, and the hopes for deeper breakthroughs, such as hidden variable approaches, restoring it are shattered once and for all. The authors then specify a 'logic of complementarity' required to do constructive thinking about quantum phenomena, and point out along the way how Relativity requires the same kind of logic when thinking about space and time. This latter point I did find quite illuminating.

We then get a couple of chapters looking at aspects of Biology and Human Evolution where similar complementarity logic might be applicable. We are essentially looking at emergence, and how wholes can be greater than than sum of parts. We look at how co-operation operates alongside Darwinian competition as a dynamic in evolution, and we look at how culture could have driven the evolution of the physical substrates of human language in a virtuous spiral. Whether complementarity is fruitful of original insights in these areas, or merely provides analogies is hard to say.

The last third of the book gets to its main point which is to use the logic of complemantarity, derived from quantum mechanics, to bring solace to all these languishing postmodernist academics, and show them a way out of their pessimism.

I should say before I go much further that as a scientist who believes in a world out there, that gets on with it regardless of whether we do or can observe it, I don't have a lot of patience with post-modernist thought. The notion that science is a mythical social construction, promulgated by the power elite, is just institutionalised solipsism, and the money spent maintaining serious academic careers and filling our children's heads with this nonsense would be better spent on alleviating poverty or putting a person on Mars.

We get an intellectual history of post-modernism, tracing a line of descent from Descartes, through Nietzche, Husserl, Sartre and Existentialism, the post-structuralists and then the Derridas, Foucaults, etc. We have discovered that language can only ever refer to itself. That nothing meaningful can be said or deduced about the world outside our minds, and that all our thoughts have been hijacked by the power elite so they can get on with oppressing minorities of various pursuasions. Here, I just lose it. The Power elite does it's thing with violence and the exploitation of ignorance, pure and simple. They don't need to control our thoughts and language to do that, and the fact that they don't is what gives us hope for the future. Eventually we learn that the logic of complementarity allows the meanings of words to signify things in the external world and language is saved from the power elite. This is great because I hate to think of these postmodernists suffering needlessly.

We then get a chapter on the implications of the nonlocality implied by the Copenhagen Interpretation and the Aspect/Gisin experiments. Quantum entanglement from the big bang ensures that all particles/quanta in the universe are ultimately bound up in a single whole across all of space and time which is ultimately unknowable, in principle, to science. There can never be ontology, a science or knowledge of what's actually out there. I'm familiar with this understanding and have made my peace with it. The book makes the point that most of the science community simply adopt an ostrich approach to the full implications of nonlocality, so long as the maths works out.

The authors see things in terms of C.P.Snow's culture war between the disaffected postmodernists and the pragmatic mentality of science, a rift that itself follows the complementarity paradigm. In the final chapter they argue that that a dialogue is required between the two cultures if the ecological catastrophe, for which they present a very incisive analysis, facing humanity is to be confronted successfully. They here make a very moving appeal for the rift to be healed and a new complimentarity based unified system of thought to be developed as the basis for a completely new form of religion, shorn of all anthropomorphism and compatible with science but which speaks to all aspects of the human being. Their logic is that only a belief system with the force of a religion will be powerful enough to transform global society into something that can reach a sustainable realtionship with the world. I kind of agree, which is why I found it moving, but I have little optimism of it happening and less so that a shift in rational perspectives will provide the foundation for it.

So a very wide ranging book with some interesting points to make, none of which you'd suspect from the title. As a layman's introduction to Quantum Mechanics, I know there are better ones out there.


important and well written - perhaps flawed, 17 Jul 2007
Sometimes the language of this book, with its long flowing sentences and abstract ideas sounds a little Hegelian, but the vast majority of it is down-to-earth, well thought out and sticks to the task of describing some of the most difficult conceptual areas in science. Quantum Mechanics can never be easy because it is not visualisable as such. There may be some flaws in the argument however (why I marked it down!). The author's explanation of entanglement is solely in terms of non-locality. However they seemed to have ignored the alternative of retro-causality. They actually describe an important retro-causal experiment, but do not seem to incorporate it into their arguments. A further problem seems to occur when they go on to extend the idea of complementarity beyond physics (following Niels Bohr). They describe how `biological reality' might be affected by the same measurement difficulties as physical reality at the micro level. But biology is far too complex, in my opinion, to be able to isolate such an effect. It seems an unwarranted generalisation.

Simple yet technically superb, 21 Sep 2006
Anyone interested in the area of quantum mechanics should read this book. It is easy to understand, yet detailed and technically superb - explaining the various different interpretations that are available. This book is particularly impressive in bridging the knowledge gap that most books on the subject leave - the gap between quantum mechanics and what it implies for the human mind and our everyday lives. For anyone that thinks quantum mechanics has nothing (or very little) to do with reality - think again!

The main strength of this book is its uncompromising tenacity in explaining and staying with the facts. Where little is known, the authors explain the various thories that are around and their likely implications. For me, this book is the best available explanation of quantum mechanics and its unexpected possibilities.


Exploring the Unexplorable, 07 Jul 2003
Abbott's Flatland will always remain a classical inspiration for our understanding of higher-dimensional spaces. In drawing the analogy of the way that two dimensional people understand three dimensional space, Abbott allows the reader to ponder ways of investigating higher-dimensional space without the baggage of mathematical formalism.

However as Abbott's age and background are firmly rooted in the latter half of the 19th century, it would be thought that the finer nuances alluded to by the author would pass into obscurity. Here, the ingenuity of Ian Stewart comes to the fore. Prof Stewart refreshes Abbott's text with his annotations, detailing every minuscule reference that Abbott makes in his 19th century world. The result is an informed invigoration of a classic and opens more paths to inspiration in diverse disciplines such as theology and partical physics.

The book does require at least two readings; once for the story itself to bring alive the narrative of A Square, the second to fit in the background provided by Stewart around the story. One could almost say that Stewart uses a fourth dimension of time to expand a three dimensional tale that belongs in more dimensions.

Summary of Paul Dirac Memorial Lectures , 17 Oct 2008
This book is a summary of 1986 Paul Dirac memorial lectures delivered by physicists, Richard Feynman and Steven Weinberg. This book requires the knowledge of undergraduate level physics and perturbation theory, and it is described in two chapters; the first is by Feynman under the title "The reason for antiparticle." This section describes the first attempt of Dirac in 1928 to "wed" newly discovered quantum mechanics and theory of relativity. When relativity was included into Schrodinger's pure wave equations, the relativistic equation (Dirac equations) would only be satisfied if there were two solutions corresponding to positive and negative energy states, and in the case of the electron, an electron with a positive charge was required for negative energy state. Thus the existence of antiparticles (positron) was predicted as a direct result of combining the relativity with quantum mechanics. Paul Dirac was also able to explain the origin of the electron magnetic moment and spin. Feynman postulated one of the revolutionary thought in quantum field theory, that antiparticles could be viewed as particles going back in time. This should not be taken as a physical reality in which cause - effect sequence could be revered. Because during the Lorentz transformation the time sequence of two events gets reversed, one of them could not have been the cause of the other because the two events are outside each other's sphere of influence. In frame A, if event 1 occurs first and event 2 occurs after event 1, but in frame B, event 2 occurs before event 1. This is possible in relativity because the time ordering of two events is not an absolute concept; one event can be in the past of another event in one frame, and in its future in a different frame. An observer in frame A will see an electron before event 1, an electron between events 1 and 2, and an electron after event 2, but in frame B, he will see one electron before event 2 and only one electron after event 1.

In the second part under the title, Toward the final laws of physics, Steven Weinberg discusses the developments in physics to explain physical reality with one set of physical laws. This has lead to several unsuccessful theories to unify relativity and quantum physics, finally leading to String theory.

Paul Dirac believed that physical laws should have mathematical beauty. Both Feynman and Weinberg have made beautiful theories. Weinberg played a key role in the unification of electricity and magnetism with the weak forces of radioactivity, and Feynamn expanded the understanding of quantum electrodynamics; they were best suited to deliver the Paul Dirac memorial lectures.

1. Paul Dirac: The Man and His Work
2. The Strangest Man: The Life of Paul Dirac
3. Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac: Reminiscences About a Great Physicist
4. Positron Physics (Cambridge Monographs on Atomic, Molecular and Chemical Physics)
5. New Theories of Everything: The Quest for Ultimate Explanation
6. The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything
7. QED - The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Penguin Press Science)
8. Surely You're Joking, Mr.Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character
9. Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist's Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature
10. Lectures on Quantum Mechanics


Good book, but limited appeal, 21 Jun 2008
None of the previous reviews matched my own experience of this book. For a start there is only one picture (of Dirac); perhaps the comment refered to the feynman diagrams?

To start with this book contains two lectures by two different people. Weinberg's lecture is very general, but contains insights from 20+ yearsago. I personally prefer 'road to reality' by penrose, but the explanation of why the lagrangian form of the standard model cannot be the form of any final understanding is very clear.

Feynman's lecture is the better one. It leaps forward through some of Dirac's work, but follows a very unique route. The speed is sometimes rapier like, and there are a couple of changes in direction that you have to read and re read to catch, but it is a wonderful journey and very accessible to people outside of university physics departments (I graduated 25 years ago) despite the plethora of equations.

Worth the £2.70 I paid, for a new book, to an amazon dealer.

Make sure you have a firm grip on quantum physics, 06 Jun 2002
I have purchased many books with Richard feynman name on the front cover, for example, Q.E.D the strange theory of light and matter, was an excellent book, I actually understood what was going on. This books fails in just about every area. It is pointless to go into detail, but if you are not in your 2nd or 3rd year at university studying quantum physics, don't waste your time.
On a good note, his writing does seem to improve towards the ending i.e. Towards the final laws of physics, is easier to comprehend. It has more reading material and less mathematical equation which have useless meanings. The best thing he said was " specifying the symmetry group of nature may be all we need to say about the physical world, beyond the principles of quantum mechanics", but he wasn't certain. Ha! anyhow If he feels that the government does not fund particle physist enough, maybe they ought to find better ways of explaining themselves. especially through mathematics...

Two of the best give great insight into fundamentals., 18 Nov 1998
Feynman yet again gives great insight into the laws of physics, this time exploring the reasons for existence of anti-particles, starting from the dirac equation etc.. Plus some really outstanding photographs, that fella Weinberg will be chuffed to have his name mentioned on the book cover!

Superb, 31 Oct 2008
This book is really well written by not just an expert in the field but someone who is able to make very complex ideas intelligable to non-specialists. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to anyone who is either interested in particle physics or like me who has to teach it!

Crystal Clear, 07 Oct 2008
Wilczek got his Nobel Prize for his part in developing Chromodynamics, the theory of quarks and gluons and their strong force interaction. In this book we get an awe-inspiring jaunt through the most modern views of the quantum vacuum (which W. calls "The Grid") and unification theories (including SUSY).

Lots of stuff I hadn't understood before - for example, the mass of protons and neutrons (actually hadrons in general) is not at all a primary attribute. Instead it's Nature's optimisation compromise between the energy in the colour field (decreases as quarks and antiquark, for example, get closer together) and the increasing energy of 'localisation' as the said quarks and antiquarks are constrained into the same place: (more precision in location means higher momentum and energy). This energy (E/c2) is what turns out to be the proton or neutron mass: the quarks and gluons themselves are almost massless.

Wilczek writes in a humorous and crystal clear way, which makes his book that rarity in popularisations - a bit of a page turner! Warning: you need to be comfortable with the conceptual basis of 'undergraduate' quantum mechanics and special relativity to engage with this book.

Ian Stewart has done it again!, 29 Nov 2008
What more can I say?

Ian Stewart takes us on a journey through group theory to places you probably never considered, but in a completely fun and accessible manner. The historical tone of the book works really well, this book has inspired me to study galois theory in far greater depth.

A MUST for anybody with an interest in mathematics.

brilliant, 24 Mar 1999
This book was extrememly well written, I am 15 years old and understood everything clearly. A must for anyone interested in physics and to what regions physics is heading into the future.

Wait a second!, 30 Aug 1998
I felt that the book may have overstated it's content, expecting a decent description of superstring theory. This book certainly is lacking in that regard. However after reading the cover, I noticed that it doesn't promise to be that!

On the other hand, the book delivers what its cover promises: 'an exciting exursion into the discoveries that led...' to the theory of superstrings. Well, it may not be too 'exciting', but the author's enthusiasm for the subject is infective, and I found the book enjoyable to read.

To those who are looking for a complete treatment of superstring theory, I cannot reccomend this book, but if you are interested in the path taken to the theory, this may be a worthwhile read.

Promising, but unsatisfying, 28 Oct 1997
One of the better layman's books on the subject, but did not explain string theory, as it seemed to lead up to. (I know, "Beyond Einstein II"...) This seems the common approach in this tight genre. Some explanations were dead-on, while others missed the mark. All these books seem to lack the will to judge the merits of the Copenhagen Canon, which today seems as "untenable" as Einstein's "localism". I could not help challenging several key assumptions leading to the "inevitable" conclusions in mainstream theory, assumptions which were stated almost as facts in my own college quantum courses. It is true; those working on the theories are so caught up in the math, they are not equipped to think visually, as did Einstein. Now that we've gone beyond dear Albert, isn't it time we go back and pay him a visit?

good but lacks depth, 13 Sep 1997
after hearing how strong a book 'hyperspace'was,i decided to take a look at Kaku's new book...to my dissapointment,the book was more like a schoolboy's essay on the subject,lacking any depth or analysis (which i didnt find strange..knowing that the co-author has written about 4 COOK books!!) so if you just wanna know the history of superstrings and previous theories..then buy that book,if you are serious about getting to the grips with the subject,Avoid it.

One of the best!, 31 Aug 2002
It is not easy for authors to make everyone happy;-- this is especially so in a new field,--one which has grabbed headlines, and one which is at the same time interdisiplinary. In this case, the authors succeed as well as anyone, I believe.-- This lovely book covers several of the appropriate areas of physics (quantum theory, (some) experiment...), of computer science (the mathematical side of the subject), and of math (operators in Hilbert space, and the theory of algorithms);-- each member of the particular scientific specialty has very definite ideas of his/her own subject,-- and that of the others. Nonetheless, in this readers opinion, the two authors did a great job;-- they explain math to the physics community,-- and they sucessfully teach quantum theory and theoretical CS to mathematicians. The book is suitable for grad students: has lots of great exercises, but it could perhaps have used some more worked examples. (Fortunately they can be found in other books on quantum computation.) The Nielsen-Chuang book is most certainly a great entry for students into this exciting new subject. There are other books,-- but they, for the most part, take a more narrow view. The material in Nielsen-Chuang is timeless,-- and I expect the book will also be popular ten years from now.

Impressive, 06 Mar 2002
The book covers a very interesting subject that is very much in its infancy and as a result some of the concepts do require a lot of attention however, I do think that anyone that is doing a degree in Computer Sceince with an above average knowledge of Mathematics would be able to understand most of the theory. (I studied
Computing and Mathematics for my first year of my degree and converted in my second year to Computer Science).

Essential reading but confusing in places, 10 Oct 2001
First of all, this book is probably an essential requirement for a course on quantum computing. It is very comprehensive. However there are times when the authors write in a very confusing way. One of the weakest areas of the book concerns measurement. There is no discussion of the topic of how one can measure a single qubit in a multi-qubit state. In a classical system one can just measure the voltage on a single wire. In a quantum system it is more complex. This is FUNDAMENTAL but the authors do not explain this properly.

As I read the book I was always asking questions that I found that the book didn't consider.

The book has plenty of exercises however none have answers and there are very few really telling examples. This makes the students' life very difficult.

My advice if you buy this book is be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time to it and also be prepared to read many research papers to try to clarify the many ill defined statements in the book. Using the book as a complement to a taught course is the wisest thing to do. I do not recommend it as a self study text.

Don't believe the endorsements on the back cover. They are all written by people who already understand the subject matter so they cannot see what a newcomer might have problems with.

Classic text on quantum information, one must read !, 25 Jul 2000
The book of M. Nielsen and I. Chuang is outcome of great work that have been done extensively in the last couple of decades by quantum physicists, computer scientist and information theorist. It is a right effort in right direction, so it is highly appreciable. Starting from rules of quantum theory these authors explain how can one apply these concepts in designing logic gates, elementary quantum computer circuits, Deustch-Josza algorithm Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm and many more. Also this text book explains in detail the important ideas of quantum information theory, such as no-cloning theorem, coding theorem, quantum teleportation, dense coding, and so on. There is also balance between technical aspects of the theory and historical aspects of the subjects. This book contains extensive number of references for further study. I am sure this book will be extremely useful for students as well as researchers in the field. I recomend that every one who is interested to know the wonder rules of quantum computation and information should read this book seriously.

Not really what I was expecting, 29 Nov 2008
From the blurb and the title I was expecting a book that would help deepen my understanding of quantum mechanics, and give me new and subtle insights into the implications of the Aspect/Gisin quantum entanglement experiments, possibly including some implications for thought and consciousness, a-la-Penrose. This turns out not to be the book's purpose at all however. It's hard to determine who the intended audience is. While the discussion on Quantum Mechaincs is pitched at layman's level, the discussion around it would seem more aimed at academics in the arts and humanities. It is a wide-ranging book touching on far more than QM. I found the book, informative, provocative, irritating, and in the end, rather moving. I'm glad I persisted with it though I can't say I agree with everything in it.

The introduction announces a post-modernist malaise in the academic humanities, rooted, the authors claim, in the removal of mind from the material world by Cartesian Dualism. This was surprising for me because, as a reader in Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind, I know that the modern scientific currency is reductive materialism. I had no idea that there was a community of folks out there who presumed dualism, and deduced pessimism.

The first half of the book then gives a layman's (non-mathematical) description of quantum mechanics. It's a bit sloppy. Terms are introduced without definition. Conclusions are drawn from premises without explanation. Schrodinger's cat is trotted out again, as usual, without qualification, so yet more credible folks will come away thinking that there is something magical about conscious observerhood that collapses superposed quantum states. The dual slit experiment is explained pretty well. Then we come to an exposition of Bell's inequality theorm as an intro to the Aspect/Gisin experiments. We gather that the implications are that Bohr's Copenhagen Interpretation is now incontrovertible, Einstein's Realism is refuted, and the hopes for deeper breakthroughs, such as hidden variable approaches, restoring it are shattered once and for all. The authors then specify a 'logic of complementarity' required to do constructive thinking about quantum phenomena, and point out along the way how Relativity requires the same kind of logic when thinking about space and time. This latter point I did find quite illuminating.

We then get a couple of chapters looking at aspects of Biology and Human Evolution where similar complementarity logic might be applicable. We are essentially looking at emergence, and how wholes can be greater than than sum of parts. We look at how co-operation operates alongside Darwinian competition as a dynamic in evolution, and we look at how culture could have driven the evolution of the physical substrates of human language in a virtuous spiral. Whether complementarity is fruitful of original insights in these areas, or merely provides analogies is hard to say.

The last third of the book gets to its main point which is to use the logic of complemantarity, derived from quantum mechanics, to bring solace to all these languishing postmodernist academics, and show them a way out of their pessimism.

I should say before I go much further that as a scientist who believes in a world out there, that gets on with it regardless of whether we do or can observe it, I don't have a lot of patience with post-modernist thought. The notion that science is a mythical social construction, promulgated by the power elite, is just institutionalised solipsism, and the money spent maintaining serious academic careers and filling our children's heads with this nonsense would be better spent on alleviating poverty or putting a person on Mars.

We get an intellectual history of post-modernism, tracing a line of descent from Descartes, through Nietzche, Husserl, Sartre and Existentialism, the post-structuralists and then the Derridas, Foucaults, etc. We have discovered that language can only ever refer to itself. That nothing meaningful can be said or deduced about the world outside our minds, and that all our thoughts have been hijacked by the power elite so they can get on with oppressing minorities of various pursuasions. Here, I just lose it. The Power elite does it's thing with violence and the exploitation of ignorance, pure and simple. They don't need to control our thoughts and language to do that, and the fact that they don't is what gives us hope for the future. Eventually we learn that the logic of complementarity allows the meanings of words to signify things in the external world and language is saved from the power elite. This is great because I hate to think of these postmodernists suffering needlessly.

We then get a chapter on the implications of the nonlocality implied by the Copenhagen Interpretation and the Aspect/Gisin experiments. Quantum entanglement from the big bang ensures that all particles/quanta in the universe are ultimately bound up in a single whole across all of space and time which is ultimately unknowable, in principle, to science. There can never be ontology, a science or knowledge of what's actually out there. I'm familiar with this understanding and have made my peace with it. The book makes the point that most of the science community simply adopt an ostrich approach to the full implications of nonlocality, so long as the maths works out.

The authors see things in ter