How Schrödinger's Cat Escaped the Box

by Peter Rowlands (Author, Editor)

About This Book
This book attempts to explain the core of physics, the origin of everything and anything. It explains why physics at the most fundamental level, and especially quantum mechanics, has moved away from naïve realism towards abstraction, and how this means that we can begin to answer some of the most fundamental questions which trouble us all, about space, time, matter, etc. It provides an original approach based on symmetry which will be of interest to professionals as well as lay people.

In the book, virtually no prior knowledge is assumed, but the readers are allowed to participate in a discussion of very deep ideas. Throughout the book, the readers are guided through some important ideas which need to be explained mathematically. The key fact is that the mathematics is not about calculation but about concepts. Much of it can be simplified using coloured text and diagrams. This means that ideas which are important to everyone who wants to know how the universe is structured are not glossed over as being too difficult for anybody but the experts.

This book is written for a wide audience. Experts will gain a great deal, but so will lay readers. This would be an ideal book for students to read before progressing to another book by the author, The Foundations of Physical Law.

Contents:
Introduction
Relativity
Quantum Mechanics
Simplicity and Abstraction
Symmetry and Duality
The Fundamental Group Structure
The Origin of Quantum Mechanics
Particles and Interactions
Space and Antispace
Conclusion

Readership: Students and general public with basic knowledge in abstract mathematics and theoretical physics.