Quantum Mechanics In Plain English

As anyone who has ever studied college level science or engineering knows, you may have passed those courses on quantum mechanics, but that doesn't mean you understood what you learned. Quantum Mechanics is the confounding field of science that tries to make sense of really really small things, like electrons, quarks, and leptons. It's a topsy turvy world of 10 (or is it 11 now) dimensions that fold in on themselves, where particles - or are they waves - can be at two places at the same time, and where nothing is as it seems. If ever one desired to peer into the mind of God you are invited to study the strange and unfathomably complex world of quantum mechanics. For instance, you may of heard the term superstring theory. It's the idea that at the root of the smallest things imaginable are actually strings of pure energy, strings that, depending on how they twist and vibrate, make up all the matter in the universe. Weird? Hey, that's quantum mechanics.

If this sounds sorta interesting but you don't feel like trudging through college physics, no problem. There are lots of good reads these days that tell the story in language a non-PhD can actually follow. A few samples are "The Elegant Universe" (Brian Green), "A Brief History of Time" (Stephen Hawking), and "Other Worlds" (Paul Davies).

But if you can't wait to get to Borders then try this. First have a look at Reason To Believe's webpage that defines the basic principles in quantum mechanics. It's a terrific and plain spoken overview. Then go to Wikipedia's site on the subject; but prepare to set aside a couple of hours. Because I think you'll discover the world of small things is actually vast and mesmerizing place.

So, which is it, a wave or a particle?