190,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿 

Come visit us in-store this weekend! 📚 Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Totally Random

Why Nobody Understands Quantum Mechanics (A Serious Comic on Entanglement)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Totally Random is a unique graphic narrative exploring the central mystery of quantum mechanics: entanglement. Through an eccentric comic format, it unpacks how entangled particles exhibit random measurement outcomes yet exhibit instantaneous correlations across vast distances. The book delves into profound ideas like faster-than-light signalling, many-worlds theory, and Schrödinger's cat, bringing to life debates among luminaries such as Niels Bohr and Einstein. Readers experience a fresh perspective on our quantum world, learning to harness entanglement to perform astonishing feats like quantum encryption and teleportation.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$6999
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for serious readers with an interest in physics, particularly those wanting a deeper, visually engaging understanding of quantum mechanics and entanglement. It appeals to intellectually curious individuals fascinated by scientific mysteries, including students, educators, and science enthusiasts seeking an innovative approach to complex concepts.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

"An eccentric comic about the central mystery of quantum mechanics"--Amazon.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An eccentric comic about the central mystery of quantum mechanics, Totally Random is a comic for the serious reader who wants to really understand the central mystery of quantum mechanics—entanglement: what it is, what it means, and what you can do with it.

Measure two entangled particles separately, and the outcomes are totally random. But compare the outcomes, and the particles seem as if they are instantaneously influencing each other at a distance—even if they are light-years apart. This, in a nutshell, is entanglement, and if it seems weird, then this book is for you.

Totally Random is a graphic experiential narrative that unpacks the deep and insidious significance of the curious correlation between entangled particles to deliver a gut-feel glimpse of a world that is not what it seems. See for yourself how entanglement has led some of the greatest thinkers of our time to talk about crazy-sounding stuff like faster-than-light signalling, many worlds, and cats that are both dead and alive. Find out why it remains one of science's most paradigm-shaking discoveries.

Join Niels Bohr's therapy session with the likes of Einstein, Schrödinger, and other luminaries and let go of your commonsense notion of how the world works. Use your new understanding of entanglement to do the seemingly impossible, like beat the odds in the quantum casino, or quantum encrypt a message to evade the Sphinx's all-seeing eye. But look out, or you might just get teleported back to the beginning of the book!

A fresh and subversive look at our quantum world with some seriously funny stuff, Totally Random delivers a real understanding of entanglement that will completely change the way you think about the nature of physical reality.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Chad Orzel in Forbes praises the book's radical structure and its clear examples illustrating complex quantum physics experiments and applications. Ethan Siegel calls it perhaps the best and simplest explainer of quantum entanglement's weirdness. Michael E. Cuffaro and Emerson P. Doyle commend its beautiful conceptual and artistic integration. Adhemar Bultheel notes the book's success in making clear what entanglement truly means despite the inherent difficulty of quantum mechanics. The presentation is augmented by solid references and notes, emphasising the book's role as a serious yet engaging comic.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691176956

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 June 2018

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 254 b/w illus.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 178.0mm

Height: 254.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Tanya Bub is founder of 48th Ave Productions, a web development company. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia. Jeffrey Bub is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Philosophy and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, where he is also a fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science. His books include Bananaworld: Quantum Mechanics for Primates. He lives in Washington, DC.

Also by Jeffrey Bub

View all
  • Reimagining Time
    A quirky, funny, and accessible blend of science and art that delves into the heart of Einstein’s theory of relativity It was a link to his 1905 paper—an early attempt at explaining his revolutionary ideas on space, time, and matter—that drew Tanya Bub into Albert Einstein’s imaginative vision of the world. What particularly struck her was how Einstein interwove words...
    Hardback
    $4799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Also by Tanya Bub

View all
  • Reimagining Time
    A quirky, funny, and accessible blend of science and art that delves into the heart of Einstein’s theory of relativity It was a link to his 1905 paper—an early attempt at explaining his revolutionary ideas on space, time, and matter—that drew Tanya Bub into Albert Einstein’s imaginative vision of the world. What particularly struck her was how Einstein interwove words...
    Hardback
    $4799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

More from Education & Reference

View all
  • Revenge of the Tipping Point
    Twenty-five years after the publication of his groundbreaking first book, Malcolm Gladwell returns with a brand new volume that reframes the lessons of The Tipping Point in a startling and revealing light. What does the heartbreaking fate of the cheetah tell us about the way we raise our children? Why do elite universities care so much about sports? What is...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • One Last Question, Prime Minister
    From Muldoon to Luxon, untold stories from the House of Parliament Barry Soper has spent close to five decades questioning New Zealand's prime ministers.From the imposing, larger-than-life characters of Rob Muldoon and David Lange, to the golden age of Helen Clark and John Key, and the post-Covid era of Jacinda Ardern and the 'Chrises', Soper's insight and nose for a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Song of the Birds
    A stunning and panoramic history of native birds in Aotearoa, from the bestselling author of The Meaning of Trees For millions of years, the song of the birds echoed throughout Aotearoa, with no one around to hear it. While the arrival of humans would transform their story forever - birds may have changed us even more. In this beautiful and...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. ‘Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ — A.A. Gill ‘Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ — Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
    In the drab and oppressive world of 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduces us to Winston Smith, a man haunted by the omnipresent surveillance and control exercised by the Party and its enigmatic leader, Big Brother. Winston works diligently at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter historical records to fit the ever-changing narrative dictated by the...
    Paperback
    $1299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Lucky You're Tough
    New Release
    Lucky You're Tough
    Lucky You're Tough chronicles the early life of helicopter pilot and NZSAS soldier Mark Law, from growing up in the rural wilds of Whangamōmona through to surviving a series of life-threatening events that would shape his life and career. After a career as a badged soldier in the NZSAS that led to an intriguing stint with the British SAS and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Hormone Health is Mental Health
    New Release
    Hormone Health is Mental Health
    Hormone Health is Mental Health is a lifechanging guide to understanding perimenopause and midlife women's mental health - and how understanding your hormones is the first step to feeling like yourself again. This book is for women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who feel like they're falling apart. Women who feel like their brains and bodies are betraying them,...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' — Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' — Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' — Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe there’s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    American Hagwon
    ‘Profoundly generous and humane’ DOUGLAS STUART‘Engrossing … brilliantly imagined’ COLM TÓIBÍN‘Breathtaking … I adored it’ ELIF SHAFAK‘Extraordinary’ TARA WESTOVERMin Jin Lee, the acclaimed author of Pachinko, returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic that follows one family as they reckon with personal dreams and familial duty. John and Helen Koh and their three children – Bo, DH and Mido – are...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The 48 Laws Of Power
    The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is a modern classic that delves into the complexities of power dynamics and strategies for gaining and maintaining power. Greene meticulously examines the principles that have driven those who wield power, from ancient rulers and military leaders to modern-day figures. The book unfolds through historical anecdotes, examining the tactics, victories, and mistakes...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Explosive Child [Sixth Edition]
    The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene, PhD, now in its revised and updated sixth edition, delves deeply into a revolutionary, research-based approach to understanding and parenting children who frequently display severe fits of temper and other challenging behaviours. Penned by a distinguished clinician and pioneer in addressing the needs of children with social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties, this ground-breaking...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $3299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 190,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.