The God Effect: Quantum Entanglement, Science's Strangest Phenomenon

by Brian Clegg

Book Overview

The phenomenon that Einstein thought too spooky and strange to be true What is entanglement? It's a connection between quantum particles, the building blocks of the universe. Once two particles are entangled, a change to one of them is reflected - instantly - in the other, be they in the same lab or light-years apart. So counterintuitive is this phenomenon and its implications that Einstein himself called it "spooky" and thought that it would lead...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312343418
• ISBN13: 9780312343415
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent service. I received the book, used one but looked exactly as new, in excellent condition i

Excellent service. I received the book, used one but looked exactly as new, in excellent condition in less than a few days.

A peek inside the engines of creation...

Although this book has been justly criticized it remains nonetheless a serviceable examination of one of nature's most interesting phenomenon: quantum engtanglement. Momentarily, the book's shortcomings, but first, it's strength. Quantum entanglement is sort of the platypus of physics...so unlike the phenomenon around it that it forces us to ask essential questions about the nature of physics itself. As has been commonly discussed in other popular physics works, there are four fundamental forces of nature. Two of them operate at the macroscopic level being gravity and electromagnatism and the other two operate miscroscopically at the nuclear level being the strong and weak nuclear forces. Significantly, each force has some type of distance limitation attached to it. So, to move a ball I have to somehow come into contact with it. Or likewise to move and electron I have to somehow sub atomicly come in to contact with it. However, such is not the case with quantum entanglement where as Albert Einstein observed we see a "spooky action at a distance." In other words, when two particles have been mated they immedaitely assume like properties (in the case of sub atomic particles for example, a like spin or orientation). Once entangled, one has merely to effect the orientation of one partner to the mating to effect the other. That's exactly the aspect of entanglement that made Einstein an ardent opponent of entanglement because ostensibly it seemed to violate his notions that light speed was the ultimate speed limit. Remember: in quantum entanglement effecting the orientation of one partner immediately effects the other partner. Einstein also saw as noxious the idea that this seemed to violate his notions of local action like me effecting a ball by somehow making contact with it. While quantum entanglement is great stuff for science fiction plots, it has some basic limitations that seriously curtail its applications...all of which are discussed by Clegg. Most significantly, it's properly called a quantum effect because it is just that...something uniquely naturally peculiar to the sub atomic world. The reason is that when the mated particles are set free, their orientations can be changed by ANY examination...including those typically done by nature. So, let's we were to recall Shroedinger's cat for another experiment (hopefully he's still alive!), and we were to want to entangle the entire cat. Our first biggest problem would be the natural interactions occuring between the cat and his environment between our attempt at entangling him and our attempt to unentangle him at the end of the process. Significantly, this most important potential application of entanglement -- teleportation -- is touched upon by Clegg. Also significantly, Clegg manages to cover the main entanglement issues as they exist at the time of his writing. However, and this where his limitations show themselves. Though his book clearly has some very lucid moments

Great Read

If you are a physics major or well versed and well read on the subject this might not be the best book for you. If you are someone interested in the subject but don't have a lot of time or brain power to get really deep into physics this is a great book for you. Accessible, with deep yet clear examples, Clegg's book takes the reader on an interesting ride into physics, quantum entanglement and the possibilities. I found this book to be a fun read and his explanations were direct and easily comprehendible. Most books on this subject can be dry and down right boring. This book is different in that it keeps the reader interested, educates and elucidates possibilities and ideas, and I learned a little bit about the social world of physics and the characters of that stage. The only thing that did distract me was the title. Having nothing, or maybe everything, to do with "God", nor mentioning the phenomenon, I thought it a little off the mark. But it is a catchy title and if you let you mind wander the possibilities are definitely there. Fun read!

A thoroughly good read

This book had everything I want for - physics, computing, time-travel, ... but the really great thing was that these tricky quantum subjects were thoughtfully explained and each was threaded together in such a delightful way that the text simply flows - almost like reading a novel (and one you just can't put down at that).

Weird science

The science is put across well (the bit on faster than light communication is first time I've understood relativity), and the uses of entanglement are excellently done. Recommended.