Conversations on the Dark Secrets of Physics

Over many years Edward Teller delivered a course of Physical Science Appreciation Lectures. This book is based on those lectures, which must have been very stimulating. In the preparation of the book, Edward Teller was assisted by his daughter, Wendy Teller, and also by Wilson Talley. On many pages there are footnotes in the form of conversations between 'ET', who explains, and 'WT', who asks intelligent questions. (It is never clear which 'WT' is which.) I mention these footnotes as they contribute enormously to the charm and humour of the book. The book contains numerous anecdotes, many of which were new to me. The verse in the New Yorker, by Harold Furth, recording the famous meeting between Dr Teller and Dr Anti-Teller, is included. Dr Teller's comment is `The remarkable fact is that Harold got paid for the poem'. Dr Anti-Teller's comment is anti-recorded. The topics in the book include simple mechanics, statistical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics and 'uses of new knowledge'. Despite its origins, the book does not avoid mathematics ('I will use mathematics because physics without mathematics is meaningless' (p1)), but Teller does attempt to explain the mathematics he uses. In much of the book the mathematics is at school level, but in his treatment of quantum mechanics he uses differential equations. If one skips past the equations then his final chapters are less mathematically demanding. I have enjoyed reading this book. Teller's approach is refreshing, and his coverage comprehensive and generally authoritative. My only disquiet is over his coverage of electrons in solids, where it would be clearer to consider the one-dimensional case first, before treating the three-dimensional case. There is a substantial discussion on the correspondence principle, wave-particle duality and on the uncertainty principle. His disposal of Schrodinger's notorious cat is masterly. There are questions at the end of each chapter. One question is based on a possible experiment suggested by Einstein to measure both energy and time precisely, thus violating the uncertainty principle. (We are reminded that Einstein was unhappy with the uncertainty principle.) The question is to find the flaw in the argument: we are told it took Bohr a (sleepless?) night to find it. Answers to all the questions are included at the end of the book. The last chapter is the epilogue, 'After the Revolution', in which Teller makes clear his belief that there will continue to be new discoveries in the physical sciences for a long time to come. This is a book which all readers of this journal should enjoy. It may give you fresh insight into some of the topics. Buy a copy, read it and then keep it at your bedside for occasional browsing. Make sure your institutional library has a copy, and recommend it to all physics students, both graduates and undergraduates. P Borcherds