Conversations on the dark secrets of physics by Edward Teller: book review

Conversations on the Dark Secrets of Physics by Edward Teller, Wendy Teller and Wilson Talley (2002)

The origin and so-called ‘secrets’ of quantum physics are revealed for the general reader. To be specific, it is a book about quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle, and the explanation of the structure of matter.

Edward Teller was, and there is a dispute about this in the physics world, the “father of the H-Bomb”. J Robert Oppenheimer, who recruited Teller in 1943 to work with him, and against whom Teller testified in 1954 security hearings, probably had a different name for him.

Teller believes that science illiteracy is in increasingly great danger to the western society: “young people must be exposed to science both because it is useful and because it is fun.” Unfortunately, there is no fun in this book.

Wading through the morass of formulae on relativity, wave-particle dualism, the correspondence principle, and statistical mechanics is almost certain to confuse and confound the reader. Teller writes that he is trying to convince the reader of his philosophy that science is simplicity - yet he does this in a very complicated manner. He doesn’t convince me at all, even though I found some merit in perusing the rotational states of n and n+1 of a diatomic molecule and their angular momentum values!

If you really need to be convinced, try reading the works of the late Richard Feynman (like “Six Easy Pieces”; “Six Not-so-Easy Pieces”, and “Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman”). Better yet, read the books of Ed Regis (such as “Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition”).

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