How the Hippies Saved Physics

Name: How the Hippies Saved Physics
Price: 32.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9780393342314

Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival

David Kaiser (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

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Paperback

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English

Norton
16 July 2012

Mathematics & Sciences; Popular science; Quantum physics (quantum mechanics & quantum field theory)

Today, quantum information theory is among the most exciting scientific frontiers, attracting billions of dollars in funding and thousands of talented researchers. But as MIT physicist and historian David Kaiser reveals, this cutting-edge field has a surprisingly psychedelic past. How the Hippies Saved Physics introduces us to a band of freewheeling physicists who defied the imperative to ""shut up and calculate"" and helped to rejuvenate modern physics.

For physicists, the 1970s were a time of stagnation. Jobs became scarce, and conformity was encouraged, sometimes stifling exploration of the mysteries of the physical world. Dissatisfied, underemployed, and eternally curious, an eccentric group of physicists in Berkeley, California, banded together to throw off the constraints of the physics mainstream and explore the wilder side of science. Dubbing themselves the ""Fundamental Fysiks Group,"" they pursued an audacious, speculative approach to physics. They studied quantum entanglement and Bell's Theorem through the lens of Eastern mysticism and psychic mind-reading, discussing the latest research while lounging in hot tubs. Some even dabbled with LSD to enhance their creativity. Unlikely as it may seem, these iconoclasts spun modern physics in a new direction, forcing mainstream physicists to pay attention to the strange but exciting underpinnings of quantum theory.

A lively, entertaining story that illuminates the relationship between creativity and scientific progress, How the Hippies Saved Physics takes us to a time when only the unlikeliest heroes could break the science world out of its rut.

By: David Kaiser (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Imprint: Norton
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 211mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 318g
ISBN: 9780393342314
ISBN 10: 039334231X
Publication Date: 16 July 2012
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival

An entertaining tale. -- Philadelphia Inquirer [Kaiser] does an admirable job of making the very concepts of quantum mechanics palpable. -- Christian Science Monitor It is hard to write a book about quantum mechanics that is at once intellectually serious and a page-turner. But David Kaiser succeeds. . . . Illuminating. -- Nature It's rare to find quantum physics mentioned in the same breath with sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. . . . I heartily enjoyed How the Hippies Saved Physics. -- Wall Street Journal