In a recent interview with author Jonathan Deutsch, I had an opportunity to discuss his new book Time’s Dual Nature (ISBN #1453780998).  The book is based on his own 30 years of research and mathematics to address some of the issues of quantum mechanics and create an explaination that is both based on an intuitive understanding and simplified mathematics. Jonathan indicated he had a goal of taking the “quantum” out of the math associated with quantum mechanics. As a result, he book details a method that uses only standard algebra and does not resort to calculus to explain and model the phenomena.

Time\'s Dual Nature

The background for this effort came from an article Johnathan read in 1981. This was a copy of an article from Paul Dirac that was written for Scientific American in 1963. In paragraphs 23 & 24 (mid page 4 in the printed version of the doc), Dirac hypothesizes on the topic of h-bar, e and c all being fundamental quantities. He discusses how e and c are most likely fundamental which drives h-bar, from the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, to be a derived value, and thus altering the current interpretation of uncertainty.

“If h-bar is a derived quantity instead of a fundamental one, our whole set of ideas about uncertainty will be altered: h-bar is the fundamental quantity that occurs in the Heisenberg uncertainty relation connecting the amount of uncertainty in a position and in a momentum. “ - Paul Dirac

Deutsch’s book focuses on one method of an algebraic solution to the derivation of h and the implications that result from that derivation based on the assumptions and assertions in the Dirac article. The book is structured in two parts - Chapter 1 which outlines a common language explaination of quantum theory concepts and terminology as well as the defining equations, and the balance of the book which deals the algebraic derivation and the adjustments to interpretation of how quantum mechanics works using these derivations. The theory and concepts behind the task were those hypothesized by Dirac, the author has spent the last thirty years working on a solution to prove the hypothesis and then present the results in a plain English fashion.

The interesting part of the book is not really the derivation and the simplification of the math for quantum mechanics. It is, in fact, the alternative thought process behind the derivation from the traditional method and the postulation of the impact. This thought process, completed in a straight forward and methodical fashion, can be applied to other fundamental and complex problems. The areas that use quantum mechanics, such as particle and molecular interaction in material science & pharmacological studies, solid state electronics and nanotechnology, can now innovate using an alternate understanding of the fundamentals of the particle interactions. These alternate understandings are based on the fact that the particle world is knowable, and that uncertainty has to be re-evaluated and re-examined when it indicates that this knowledge is un-knowable.

The book is quick moderately light read - for a technical book - and can be understood and interpreted by both practicing engineers and scientists and technical management for these groups that no longer engage in deep mathematics on a daily basis. It is a very good basis for those in product development who have to look at the world from multiple angles.

The author, Jonathan Deutsch, graduated magna cum laude from Columbia College, and hold a master's degree from the Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  He is retired from teaching physics and can be reached at “ unwnd26 AT aol DOT com “. (Please substitute symbols for AT and DOT in the email address)

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