Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of Everyday Objects

Description

From the author of the international bestseller How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Exciting physics doesn't just show up in billion-dollar experiments like the Large Hadron Collider or in extreme astrophysical environments like black holes. It's to be found all around us, just beneath the surface of our normal everyday lives. An ordinary morning routine depends on some of the weirdest phenomena ever discovered. Did you know for instance that even the humble alarm clock holds secrets about quantum mechanics or that classical physics couldn't explain why your toaster's heating element glows orange? Or that the sensor your phone uses to take pictures of your kids or cats is, at a fundamental level, quantum mechanical, relying as it does on the particle nature of light? In Breakfast with Einstein, Chad Orzel elevates the everyday by showing the wonder and amazement that can be found in even the simplest activities. Quantum physics is one of the great intellectual triumphs of human civilisation, and it's all around us, everyday - if you just know where to look.

Chad Orzel is an associate professor at the department of physics and astronomy at Union College. He has written for Forbes, Daily Mail and Physics World, and has spoken at numerous TED talks. His previous books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He lives in Niskayuna, New York.

'[A] fine example of scientific passion.' * Sunday Times, Books of the Year * 'Informative and friendly.' * New York Times * 'Physics is everywhere and in everything, and no one explains physics better than Chad Orzel. This book is a meal for your mind.' -- John Scalzi, author of The Rough Guide to the Universe 'Orzel is the perfect guide to the world of atoms and photons, demonstrating that even our morning breakfast rituals are not possible without the wonders of modern physics.' -- James Kakalios, author of The Physics of Superheroes and The Physics of Everyday Things 'As Chad Orzel wonderfully shows in Breakfast with Einstein, a full gamut of our commonplace daily activities - from boiling water [on the stove]...to taking and exchanging photos with our electronic cameras and phones - depends on quantum rules... A must-read for anyone fascinated with how the quantum revolution explains how things work.' -- Paul Halpern, author of The Quantum Labyrinth