April 2023 MBR The Science Shelf

The Science Shelf

Quantum in Pictures
Bob Coecke and Stefano Gogioso
Cambridge Quantinuum
www.quantinuum.com
9781739214715, $19.99 PB, $4.99 Kindle, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Pictures-New-Understand-World/dp/1739214714

While the line drawings throughout Quantum in Pictures and its simple language might indicate to some that this book might be appropriate for a library's children's section, in fact, it's a primer that can be used by anyone interested in quantum mechanics or physics, young or old. It's best audience will be those able to absorb the mathematical concepts that are intrinsic to understanding the quantum world.

The book employs pictures alone (diagrams in black and white and color) to illustrate these basic principles, educating readers about quantum concepts in an accessible manner that includes a solid amount of mathematical detail and references. Amateurs and specialists alike will benefit from the authors' attention to making a complex subject surprisingly user-friendly ("...we came up with simple, friendly names for many of the concepts involved.").

A companion to the prior Picturing Quantum Processes, this introduction creates a foundation of knowledge that can easily serve as a stepping stone for readers who wish to take the plunge into the quantum world, whether they hold physics or computer backgrounds, or are lay readers.

Added value is created via an online connection, as all the chapters of Quantum In Pictures are also available as videos on Quantinuum's YouTube channel, which adds some special guests. Using pictures to talk about complex quantum subjects enables its grasp by a far wider audience than the usual student of science. The wide range of subjects, from teleportation to spider bites and how math formulas may be translated to and transmitted pictorially makes for an unexpectedly lively format that is thought-provoking and attractive.

From spider and cap tests to understanding errors in visual terms, it soon becomes evident that Quantum in Pictures is anything but a children's picture book. Its serious lesson in accessibility and visualization deserves a place in any science library collection where quantum discussions are of interest, creating a pathway for understanding that pairs visual math with solutions to complex problems.

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