Listen free for 30 days

  • The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics

  • A Math-Free Exploration of the Science That Made Our World
  • Written by: James Kakalios
  • Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
  • Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics cover art

The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics

Written by: James Kakalios
Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $32.41

Buy Now for $32.41

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

In the pulp magazines and comics of the 1950s, it was predicted that the future would be one of gleaming utopias, with flying cars, jetpacks, and robotic personal assistants. Obviously, things didn't turn out that way. But the world we do have is actually more fantastic than the most outlandish predictions of the science fiction of the mid-20th century. The World Wide Web, pocket-sized computers, mobile phones, and MRI machines have changed the world in unimagined ways.

In The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics, James Kakalios uses examples from comics and magazines to explain how breakthroughs in quantum mechanics led to such technologies.

The book begins with an overview of speculative science fiction, beginning with Jules Verne and progressing through the space adventure comic books of the 1950s. Using the example of Dr. Manhattan from the graphic novel and film Watchmen, Kakalios explains the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and describes nuclear energy via the hilarious portrayals of radioactivity and its effects in the movies and comic books of the 1950s. Finally, he shows how future breakthroughs will make possible ever more advanced medical diagnostic devices - and perhaps even power stations on the moon that can beam their power to Earth.

©2010 James Kakalios (P)2010 Tantor

What the critics say

"A quirky but sensible explanation of quantum mechanics." ( Kirkus)

What listeners say about The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.