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obcrt Gifmore op Visions gime (Energy, and Quantum <^ature Scrooge's Cryptic Carol When the destination sign on Scrooges train reads "HEAT DEATH" instead of "HEATHROW," when his dead partner Marley' lace appears inexplicably as a talking dead in a department store TV, and wlien the street lights outside his luxurious London flat begin acting strangely, it's a sign of a bad night to come. Like his famoui ancestor, the modern Scrooge — who hews tightly to the credo "it is enough for a man to understand his own business and look to his own advantage"- is about to be visited by ghosts. But it's not his hard heart that needs opening this time; it's his closed mind. The wisdom these ghosts bring is not love and charity but Science. Physicist Robert Gilmore, author of the popular Alice in Qiiantnnilanc), here pre- sents a delightful takeoff on Charles Dickens'A Christmas Carol, where the three visitations represent Science Past (the Spirits of Energy and Entropy, who explain the laws of thermodynamics, equi- librium and that troublesome HEAT DEATH sign), Science Present (the Spirit of Time, who tells him of inconstancy, of change and also of creation), and Science future (the surreal world of quantum uncertainty, where it is the observer or measurement that creates a unique real- ity). For everyone who wants a playful, painless yet surprisingly sophisticated introduction to the ideas of modern physics, this is a brilliant tour de force and a charming read. $22.00 U.S. m Scrooge's Cryptic Carol «» Scrooge's Cryptic Carol Visions of Energy, Time and Quantum Nature Robert Gilmore COPERNICUS An Imprint of Springrr-Verlac © 1996 bySigma Press. Published in the United States by Copernicus, an imprint of Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. Copernicus Springer-Verlag New York, Inc. 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 USA All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission ofthe publisher. All characters except for historical personages are fictitious. LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gilmore, Robert, 1941- Scrooge's cryptic carol : visions ofenergy, time and quantum nature / by Robert Gilmore. p. cm. Includes bibliographic references and index. ISBN 0-387-94800-7 (hardcover : alk. Paper) 1. Scrooge, Ebenezer (Fictitious character)-Fiction. 2. Science-History-Fiction. 3. Quantum theory-Fiction I. Title PS3557.I4595S37 1996 813'.54-dc20 96-15529 Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica. Designed by A GoodThing. 987654321 ISBN 0-387-94800-7 SPIN 10539378 i To my friends past and present, in the Bristol Physics Department