Quantum Physics

CHAPTER1

Putting the “Quantum” in Quantum Physics

In This Chapter

• What physics is and how it is done
• The laws of physics and the importance of mathematics
• The macroscopic world vs. the quantum domain
• Four important features unique to quantum physics

To offer a flavor of how fascinating the world of quantum physics really is, we’d like to take you on a windshield tour past some of its most interesting sites. We’ll introduce you to some of its most bizarre features, and explain why these remained undetected until the quantum revolution of the twentieth century.

Before getting into all that, though, we will first take a very broad view of just ...