by Chad Orzel
Scribner, $15.00, 256 pages
Now in paperback, a physicist and his talking dog, Emmy banter back and forth about various quantum physics topics. For example, the author likens a bunny’s movement to quantum wavefunctions to help explain the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Emmy is really a charming dog and the character that keeps non-physicists awake during this fairly technical read. Reading just daily conversations between Emmy and her owner could encompass an entire book, and one I would like to read. The author does a great job of incorporating humor and simplifying the explanations as much as one can simplify the concepts of Quantum Mechanics. This book does not address classical physics, but works to go deeper into the more theoretical aspects of modern physics. This is definitely not a textbook, but is a good read for someone wanting to better understand the perplexing theories that make up the part of quantum physics that deal with very small particles and light. Emmy really is a smart dog, maybe on your next trip to the pound, you will be as lucky as professor and author Chad Orzel.
Reviewed by Janet Wright