Uncertainty: The Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg

I am reading Uncertainty - The Life and Science of Werner Heisenberg, by David C. Cassidy. It is really good. I'm at the part, about 1925-26, where Heisenberg and Niels Bohr are working on the quantum mechanics of nuclear physics. Being a theoretical physicist, Heisenberg has no problem adding nonsense variables and constants to equations, in order to make the math work. He even chooses the name of some of these things by taking the first half of the German word for "swindle" added to the German word for "joke," so he knows he is cheating. But weirdly, it helps him progress and come closer to explaining observed effects showing up on atomic spectroscopy being done by the experimental physicists.Reading all this is just like watching Big Bang Theory, seeing all the drama and humor between Sheldon and Leonard. The book is just as dramatic, and just as funny.While Heisenberg and Bohr are working on quantum explanations, Schrodinger is approaching similar issues using wave functions. Schrodinger comes to Munich in July 1926, to deliver two lectures, and Heisenberg is in the audience. At the end of the lectures, Heisenberg stands up and starts objecting to the lectures, because they cannot explain "such basic quantum phenomena as Planck's radiation formula, the Compton effect, or Einstein's amplitudes for transitions between stationary states yielding spectroscopic intensities." The audience disagreed and urged Heisenberg to sit down. Yet even so, some other physicists later write to Schrodinger asking about those discrepancies. I think that's so funny, because Heisenberg has no issue when his own theories and equations ignore problems (like when he invents nonsense variables to make the math work), but when Schrodinger does it, Heisenberg objects. Heisenberg writes to Wolfgang Pauli that Schrodinger's theory "is probably not quite right, in other words it's crap."Of course, I can see what's happening, in that by using nonsense variables to make the equations work, it allows the math to progress further. And at some point, Heisenberg is going to realize some other fundamental ideas, and when he joins those new equations with the earlier equations, the nonsense variables drop out, the overall theoretical equations become simpler and closer to the observed effects of the experimental physicists. The same thing will happen for Schrodinger, and both men's ideas will become more similar.I'm realizing that I really enjoy reading two kinds of books. 1. Books about books - that contain lots of references to other books. 2. Books about scientists and their work, that lets me review the math, think about related implications, and so forth. This morning I'm reading in the coffee shop for two hours, pouring through the Heisenberg book, sometimes having to read paragraphs more than once, to make sure I understood it, going through the math, and filling napkins with notes about Planck's constant, angular momentum, identity matrices, and page references so I can go back and find stuff. Nerdgasm.

This book is a masterpiece of biographical writing and one that will stay with you long after you read it. Its lasting impact is not just because of Heisenberg's ground-breaking contributions to physics but because Cassidy fully engages the reader in the personal and moral issues surrounding Heisenberg's decision to stay in Nazi Germany and his eventual work on nuclear fission for Hitler's regime. There were times when I was in awe of Heisenberg's genius and times when I wanted to slam my fist down in frustration because of Heisenberg's self-induced isolation from the horrors around him. Heisenberg wanted to "preserve" theoretical physics in Germany and argued that science and politics were totally separate domains. Yet he wanted to do everything he could to help Germany win the war. Then, after the war, he formed numerous rationalizations and half-truths about how he was keeping atomic weapons away from Hitler. None of the evidence supports that claim and Cassidy does a thorough and very fair job of laying it all out. Cassidy's in-depth understanding of Heisenberg's personal history prevents him from making sweeping judgments about the man but he clearly and frequently points out Heisenberg's compromises and the often dubious reasons he gave for doing them. He shows in detail how Germany as a nation and as a culture became so deeply imbued in Heisenberg from youth on that he simply could not bring himself to leave or actively protest. And, as Cassidy shows, once Heisenberg initially accepted the regime and the first expulsion of Jewish colleagues from their jobs and their homes in 1933-34, it became just a little bit easier the next time to compromise again. In many ways the book is a study in self-deception but done with a profound and caring understanding of the subject. One reason this book is so powerful is that it is not simply a value judgment on Heisenberg by the "winning side" but a well-written study of the development of a person's character by an author who cares about his subject.In 545 pages of text Cassidy spells out in detail the life of one of the most famous people in physics. As expected, a good deal of the book deals with Heisenberg's physics - both his own contributions and his relationships with other great physicists of the time. Almost all of the physics material is clear and understandable. I would estimate about 15-20% of the material on quantum mechanics is technical, including some of the most famous equations in physics. I skipped a few paragraphs but never lost the flow of the book. I don't think this should be held against the author since, as the book is a major resource on Heisenberg, Cassidy had an obligation to include some of the technical details for those with a background in physics. I never found these sections intrusive. Other than the sections involving the equations themselves, as a non-scientist I found Cassidy's explanations excellent. The book is a journey through the origins of quantum mechanics.This large and detailed book is absolutely worth reading for anyone interested in the history of science in the 20th century. It also is worth the time for anyone interested in a careful character study of a brilliant human being who lived through one of the most repressive and destructive political regimes in human history. What Heisenberg did to compromise and survive in that environment, and why he did it, would make a fascinating book in itself. This book does all that and does it well while at the same time fleshing out the foundations of much of modern physics. I recommend this book in the highest terms.

As the reviews in at the backcover stated, the writer deals thoroughly and fairly with the controversies surrounding this great scientist. This book gives a good overview of the man himself, his science, and the times he lived through. It is one of those works of enormous scope, that will probably not be topped. Just like the Making of the Atomic bomb or other alike tour the force works, it makes me wonder how many letters, sources, and interviews must have been worked through to make the picture come alive.This is the definitive work on Heisenberg, and it gives also the best explanation of how the quantum Copenhagen interpretation as well as the uncertainty principle work! So it is recommended for historians, for scientists, or people who have an interest in both. Very highly recommended!

This book is well written and informative. I already knew a lot about Heisenberg, but his book opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of his life and personality.

This biography of a tragically flawed scientist is as dramatic as it is thorough and well narrated. As is to be expected of a good biography, the thread of the story is everywhere composed of two kinds of detail, scientific and personal, and at any point you can easily skim over the one if you prefer the other. The author has given very little room to Heisenberg's postwar life, which is why I did not give him the five-star rating.

Interesting read so far. Nowhere near done with it for it is lengthy. I enjoy reading on historical figures.

A very long read but totally worth it. Well written, tells it like a story. Perfect for those who want to learn history but don't like the boring densely written books.

Good read. The other side of the Manhattan Project.

satisfied

A fascinating book by one of the twentieth century's most brilliant physicists, whose philosophical musings and commentaries on science's limitations are unfailingly insightful and provocative.