Six Impossible Things: The Mystery of the Quantum World

Quantum physics is a very strange thing. It claims that a single particle can be in two places at the same time. What’s more, the particle is also a wave, and everything that happens in the quantum world can be represented as interactions of waves—or of particles, whichever you prefer. All of this was understood by the end of the 1920s. During that time, many different interpretations—more or less convincing—were tried out. The well-known science popularizer John Gribbin takes us on an exciting journey through the “big six” explanations, from the Copenhagen interpretation to the idea of many worlds. In varying degrees, all these options are crazy—but in the quantum world, craziness is not the same as being wrong, and being crazier than others doesn’t necessarily mean being more mistaken. “Six Impossible Things” is a remarkably concise guide to a truly astonishing world.