Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of Everyday Objects

290 Pages·2018·2.433 MB·English

by  Chad Orzel

praise for
BREAKFAST WITH EINSTEIN
“Common wisdom paints quantum mechanics as one of
the most abstract and esoteric of subjects, daunting for
non-experts. Yet, as Chad Orzel wonderfully shows in
Breakfast with Einstein, a full gamut of our commonplace
daily activities—from boiling water for tea…to taking and
exchanging photos with our electronic cameras and phones—
depends on quantum rules. By focusing on how quantum
mechanisms guide the workings of his typical morning
routine, Orzel cleverly brings those important principles
close to home.”
Paul Halpern, author of The Quantum Labyrinth:
How Richard Feynman and John Wheeler
Revolutionized Time and Reality
“Orzel draws us in with the everyday experience. And then we
find we are on a journey of more than 100 years of physics.
The reader is rewarded not only with a deeper understanding
of everyday things, but also learns how physicists themselves
look at the world every day.”
David Saltzberg,
professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA

BREAKFAST
with
EINSTEIN
The Exotic Physics
of Everyday Objects

chad orzel
A Oneworld Book
First published in Great Britain and Australia
by Oneworld Publications, 2018
This ebook edition published 2018
Copyright © Chad Orzel 2018
The moral right of Chad Orzel to be identified as the
Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved
Copyright under Berne Convention
A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78607-404-1
eISBN 978-1-78607-405-8
Typesetting and eBook by Tetragon, London
Oneworld Publications
10 Bloomsbury Street
London WC1B 3SR
England
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For David, my favorite Little Dude.
Of all the little dudes I know,
you’re the one I love the best.

Contents
Introduction 1
1 Sunrise: The Fundamental Interactions 7
2 The Heating Element: Planck’s Desperate Trick 30
3 Digital Photos: The Patent Clerk’s Heuristic 53
4 The Alarm Clock: The Football Player’s Atom 69
5 The Internet: A Solution in Search of a Problem 92
6 The Sense of Smell: Chemistry by Exclusion 118
7 Solid Objects: The Energy of Uncertainty 148
8 Computer Chips: The Internet Is for
Schrödinger’s Cats 175
9 Magnets: How the H*ck Do They Work? 208
10 Smoke Detector: Mr. Gamow’s Escape 230
11 Encryption: A Final, Brilliant Mistake 250
Conclusion 275
Acknowledgments 278
About the Author 280