Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics: The bestselling guide to our universe - Hardcover

Verstraete, Frank; Broeckaert, Céline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1035065843 ISBN 13: 9781035065844

Publisher: Macmillan, 2025

Synopsis

The International Bestseller

'Ambitious . . . pleasingly full of cutting-edge topics' - New Scientist

'A physics book unlike any other. The scope, depth and artistry are breathtaking' – John Preskill, theoretical physicist and Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech

Quantum physics is the cornerstone of our world. Yet, at the same time, it’s one of the hardest subjects for ordinary mortals to grasp.

In Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics, a husband-and-wife team ― renowned physicist Frank Verstraete and writer Céline Broeckaert ― demystifies this essential branch of science. Together, they unravel the reasons the universe behaves in its weird ways ― and just why it’s so important to understand them.

In this book, you will discover:

• How symmetry governs the universe.
• The untold stories of pioneering women in quantum science.
• How quantum principles power our gadgets and lives.
• The real essence behind quantum puzzles and discoveries.

Part-history and part-popular science, Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics serves as a bridge between the complex world of quantum physics and the curious mind, simplifying without diluting and enlightening without overwhelming.

'Entertaining, unorthodox and highly readable' – Professor Ian Stewart, bestselling co-author of The Science of Discworld

'A delightful book for all those who do not speak the language of mathematics but are curious about the most beautiful of theories and their impact on our lives' – Barbara Terhal, theoretical physicist

About this title

About the Authors

Frank Verstraete is the Leigh Trapnell Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Cambridge. He has received several prestigious prizes for his research, including the Lieben Prize (also known as the ‘Nobel Prize of Austria’) and the Francqui Prize. He is among the leading researchers in the world on quantum physics.

Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics, written with his wife, Céline Broeckaert, is his first book.

Céline Broeckaert is a Romance languages scholar, playwright and author. She co-founded Filmpact, the first impact organization in Belgium, which uses documentary film as a tool for social change and ecological awareness.

Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics, written with her husband, Frank Verstraete, is her first book.

Edition details

• Publisher: Macmillan
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1035065843
• ISBN 13: 9781035065844
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368