The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory

by Werner Heisenberg

Book Overview

The contributions of few contemporary scientists have been as far reaching in their effects as those of Nobel Laureate Werner Heisenberg. His matrix theory is one of the bases of modern quantum mechanics, while his "uncertainty principle" has altered our whole philosophy of science.
In this classic, based on lectures delivered at the University of Chicago, Heisenberg presents a complete physical picture of quantum theory. He covers not only...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486601137
• ISBN13: 9780486601137
• Release Date: June 1949
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Good Hard Read

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It uses technical language (which can at times can become difficult), to express the physical context surrounding the development of Quantum mechanics, and deal with the matter at hand (pardon the pun). Quantum theory has a reputation as being difficult, confronting and unbelievable. However this book expresses logically and in detail, the physical principles of the Quantum theory, by the great Werner Heisenberg himself. A great book if your thought needs provoking...

Heisenberg's motivation

Not really for beginners in spite of appearances, this book sketches Heisenberg's path in discovering the canonical commutation rules of quantum mechanics. After trying unsuccessfully for years to quantize the helium atom via the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rules (which attempt Einstein had already explained in 1917 to be hopeless, because the classical 3-body problem is nonintegrable), Heisenberg was finally motivated by the example of relativity (where absolute time had to be abandoned) to give up the assumption that the position and momentum of a point particle are simultaneously predictable. To follow Heisenberg's reasoning the reader must first understand action-angle variables in classical mechanics. With Einstein's 1917 paper in hindsight, the three body problem representing the helium atom energy spectrum was finally approximated semi-clasically around 1990 based on a path-integral approximation to a chaotic Hamiltonian system.

A classic in quantum mechanics

This book is the standard introduction to - well, to the physical principles underlying the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics. While it is dated in terms of that mathematical formalism, it has never been superseded in its analyses. Every serious student of quantum physics will encounter it, sooner or later, in the original or in paraphrases in newer monographs on quantum theory.

Quantum theory is really misterious !!

This really helping me to understand more about the Quantum Theory, I think this book is need to be read by everyone who study physic or by someone who interested by physical theory. I have been read this book for several times and I stil never feel bored. I think this book is really interesting. Thank's

A book to answer the questions of life

This book answerrs all the questions you`ve wanted to know it tells you about relativity and quantum theory, and also the most puzzling of all questions how did the universe start? This book is definity a must buy.