A quantum mechanics primer

This record preserves its author, date and source link. Open HN to read the full context.

…at the old theory on the old data, the very data that gave rise to the old theory! This requires radical new ideas. As [Lampedusa says]( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leopard ) "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change." Hence the 20th century phenomenon of lay people reading popular accounts of Quantum Mechanics and of Relativity and coming away with the impression that scientific truth is prone to dramatic changes. Is there any antidote? I recommend A Quantum Mechanics Primer, by D.T. Gillespie. This slim, clear book reaches Ehrenfest's equations on page 111, allowing the interested layman to see how Quantum Mechanics leads to F=ma and beats Newtonian dynamics on its home ground. But the book requires single variable calculus and a good enough grasp of three dimensional vector spaces to realise that nothing g…