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Quantum Mechanics: The Physics of the Microscopic World

Series: Great Courses
4.7
(45)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2009
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Quantum mechanics gives us a picture of the world so radically counterintuitive that it has changed our perspective on reality itself. In Quantum Mechanics: The Physics of the Microscopic World, award-winning Professor Benjamin Schumacher gives you the logical tools to grasp the paradoxes and astonishing insights of this field.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. The Quantum Enigma

30m

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Quantum mechanics is the most successful physical theory ever devised, and you learn what distinguishes it from its predecessor, classical mechanics. Professor Schumacher explains his ground rules for the course, which is designed to teach you some of the deep ideas and methods of quantum mechanics.

2. The View from 1900

30m

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You investigate the age-old debate over whether the physical world is discrete or continuous. By the 19th century, physicists saw a clear demarcation: Matter is made of discrete atoms, while light is a continuous wave of electromagnetic energy. However, a few odd phenomena remained difficult to explain.

3. Two Revolutionaries - Planck and Einstein

30m

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At the beginning of the 20th century, Max Planck and Albert Einstein proposed revolutionary ideas to resolve puzzles about light and matter. You explore Planck's discovery that light energy can only be emitted or absorbed in discrete amounts called quanta, and Einstein's application of this concept to matter.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Benjamin Schumacherwriter
Benjamin Schumacheractor