God-particles, black holes and the nature of reality

“Quantum by Manjit Kumar is so well written that I now feel I've more or less got particle physics sussed” – Audrey Fogelman, Guardian

Do you feel you have particle physics or quantum theory sussed? Me neither, which is why I'm really looking forward to Tuesday's talk by Manjit Kumar, as part of the SFI Speaker Series at Science Gallery. 

Manjit Kumar, author and journalist, will give a talk on one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last century – quantum theory – and how science’s greatest minds struggled with the concepts of the nature of reality.

Kumar who regularly contributes to the Independent and the Guardian newspapers, will give a talk called “Einstein, Bohr and the great debate about the nature of reality” on Tuesday May 10th (6.00-7.00pm) at Science Gallery.

Most of us probably think quantum theory is impossible to grasp and it can only be understood by a handful of scientific geniuses. What Manjit illustrates in his book and his talk is that for many years it was almost as baffling to the world's leading scientists. He takes a novelist's approach to tell the vivid stories of the intellectual debates and discussions held by the world's leading scientific minds, including Einstein and Bohr, as they argued about this fundamental scientific revolution, which delves deep into our understanding of the nature of reality. 

Manjit Kumar’s book “Quantum” has received critical acclaim for its explanation and exploration of the discoveries in quantum theory and the great debates that it sparked amongst the world’s leading scientists. The book is available at Science Gallery and Mr Kumar will sign copies following his talk.  Here’s a small selection of comments about Quantum by Manjit Kumar:

Audrey Fogelman had this to say when she chose Quantum as her Guardian reader's book of the year: 'As a fairly innumerate non-scientist, I am perversely drawn to books about maths and science and usually abandon them with ignorance intact. However, Quantum by Manjit Kumar is so well written that I now feel I've more or less got particle physics sussed. Quantum transcends genre - it is historical, scientific, biographical, philosophical.' 

Independent: 'Manjit Kumar's Quantum is a super-collider of a book, shaking together an exotic cocktail of free-thinking physicists, tracing their chaotic interactions and seeing what God-particles and black holes fly up out of the maelstrom. He provides probably the most lucid and detailed intellectual history ever written of a body of theory that makes other scientific revolutions look limp-wristed by comparison.' 

Dr Graham Love, Director Communications & Policy, SFI, said that “Excellence in science, technology and innovation is at the core of Ireland’s development. This speaker series is a critical part of Science Gallery's and SFI’s collective mission to highlight scientific and engineering research across a range of disciplines. Cultivating dialogue and debate between leading scientists and the general public is always important, and these lectures will facilitate an opportunity for those with an interest in science to learn about and engage directly with some of the most cutting-edge research and thinking in science today. "

Pre-booking is essential - Tickets for this talk are available here.