Reviews for Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World

The average rating for Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-12-10 00:00:00 Michael Dittenhoefer Oh, Dr. Fayer... How in your own world you are. In the foreword to this book, Michael Fayer claims that it is an attempt to remove the technical terminology and math from the discussion, and instead focus on explaining the world around us at a quantum level. Well... he certainly manages to explain, at a quantum level, a wide range of everyday things we take for granted. Yet, he uses technical speak and math to do it. Without using any math or technical terms, I shall now explain to you what's happening in your body when you eat this bacon. Now, all we need to do is look at this equation and figure out the trigonal molecule with 120 degree bonds. Atomic boron has three valence electrons, two in the 2s and one in a 2p orbital. We promote one electron from a 2s orbital to a 2p orbital. If the molecule lies in the xy plane, then the 2p orbitals... *snore*..."wha? What happened? Oh yes, I'm still listening doctor... To form the equilateral trigonal BH3 molecule, the three boron atomic orbital will hybridize to yield three atomic orbitals... *snore*..."Wha! No. I must pay attention. This stuff is interesting dammit, and I want to learn!" ...The lipoproteins can be divided into two classes: Low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). They are somewhat egg-shaped with an approximate diameter of 200 A(200X10^-10 meters). The volume of these particles is approximately 5,000,000 A^3. So, an LDL or HDL particle is about 20,000 times...what was that thud? "Ow! that really hurt my head! Um, thanks doctor, but I have to go now, my cat is on fire. Sure thing, just remember: quantum physics without technical mumbo jumbo or math of any kind is great fun! "yeah...um... see you next time!" "... the idea of next time scares me." This book is a valid attempt at writing a quantum physics book meant to explain everyday things. But the author is not honest with himself at all about the reality of what he's trying to explain. He claims, over and over again, to be presenting the material for an audience that doesn't need math or a previous understanding of quantum physics. I'm sure, to his mind, he has made his material remarkably accessible, and has dumbed the math down as much as he can. The problem? Some things can only be dumbed down so much, and some people just aren't equipped to handle the demands Dr. Fayer puts upon them. Luckily for me, I have enough of an armchair physics familiarity that I was able to at least understand what Dr. Fayer was saying. That doesn't mean it was accessible or interesting. This book is probably at the accretion edge of my ability to follow the material, and frankly, I obviously learned a lot since I can't look at a kitchen stove the same way again. I think the book would have just been easier to swallow if Dr. Fayer had been more realistic about the accessibility of this book. Hopefully he will try writing another one so I have a chance to read that one too. And hopefully, by that time, he will have adjusted the accessibility level of it, or I will have gotten more learned. Either one is fine for me, and I shall try to achieve my side of the goal. :)

Review # 2 was written on 2010-10-26 00:00:00 Al Murda This is an excellent book for a non-specialist. It may be a bit challenging to a non-scientist with little math background--but the math is not difficult--just simple algebra. The book is filled with useful diagrams that really do help elucidate the concepts. I like how the book starts from first principles of quantum theory. It explains lucidly how quantum theory deviates from classical physics. The book explains that in classical physics, relative sizes matter, but in quantum physics, absolute sizes matter. The book has an excellent discussion of the wave-particle duality of light. Starting from first principles, the book builds up slowly from the smallest scales--simple hydrogen atoms--up through the periodic table to large atoms, and then continues from simple molecules up through large, complex molecules. What I like best about this book, is how the author uses quantum theory to explain macroscopic properties of molecules. The book shows why carbon dioxide is a "greenhouse gas", and explains why it is important to the earth's climate. There is a good description of some types of organic molecules, including fats, alcohols, and cholesterol. The book explains exactly what saturated, unsaturated, and poly-unsaturated fats are, as well as transfatty acids, all from a quantum physics perspective. My only complaint about this book is the editing. There are many misspelled words, and not all of them are typos. The editor should have caught the fact that "discreet" and "discrete" are two different words.