Philip Moriarty - When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11

Praise for When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11

There are plenty of popular introductions to quantum mechanics, so why read this one? The answer is obvious: this one goes up to eleven. The energy that Philip Moriarty puts into making connections between his two passions, quantum theory and heavy metal is a joy to behold. I defy anyone to find Fourier analysis dull when it is explained with reference to the spandex strides of Strypers drummer. You dont need to be a metalhead to like this bookbut be warned that if you do like this book, you will probably find yourself more of a metalhead by the end than you were at the start, because the enthusiasm is infectious. You might even find you have a better grip of the notorious mind-warping concepts of quantum mechanics too.

PHILIP BALL, author of Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different

A magical mosh pit of Slayer and spandex trousers, sound waves, and stringsthis is quantum physics as youve never seen or heard it before.

MATIN DURRANI, editor of Physics World magazine and coauthor of Furry Logic: the Physics of Animal Life

Both metal-heads and physicists have become caricatures in todays pop culture. In his wonderfully conversational writing, Moriarty smashes these stereotypes and subverts expectations by weaving the two worlds together. This book shows how unexpected ideas cut across the worlds of heavy metal and quantum physics. If you enjoy surprises, brutal band logos, or insane riffs, youll love this book. Forgot pop-sci. This is metal-sci.

JESSE SILVERBERG, PHD, physicist and Harvard research fellow

I thought Id already seen every possible analogy for the weird world of quantum physics, but Philip Moriartys music-inspired take on it is fresh and engaging. You dont need to be a metal fan to enjoy this book. Moriartys enthusiasm for both physics and metal shines through so much in his writing that I was tempted to break out the Megadeth myself while reading. If youve ever been intrigued by quantum mechanics but worried that you couldnt hack an entire book on the subject, try this one, and you wont be disappointed.

KELLY OAKES, former science editor for BuzzFeed UK

Ever since my first encounter with Professor Philip Moriarty (via a Sixty Symbols video), I have found his ability to explain and simplify complicated subjects rather beguiling. Surely someone as under-qualified as I could never grasp even a small percentage of the concepts that explain and predict the nature of the universe? But it appears hes made that possible. Once Id met him, it became clear how he does it. His boundless enthusiasm makes you feel like a passenger on a luxury cruise, yet by the time hes finished his explanation you realize youve run a marathon alongside him. Witnessing his own excitement at the propagation of knowledge is just as rewarding as being the recipient of the knowledge. The authors energy, unique style, and ability to educate are not lost in print. From the first chapter, this book captures the imagination, effortlessly intertwining the fundamentals of rock music with the principles of quantum physics. His unapologetic inclusion of some (but not too much) math adds clarity without hindering the narrative. Whether youre a physicist, science enthusiast, musician, or music fan this book will entertain and enlighten in equal amounts. It will bring a new beauty to your favorite songs, and arm you with fresh concepts to explain some of the most counter-intuitive of scientific ideas. At the very least, youll have an interesting conversational tangent to adopt next time someone wants to force their amateur rendition of Smoke on the Water upon you. Its ironic that this book is about uncertainty, considering very soon I expect to be able to measure both its position in the book charts and the speed at which it arrived simultaneously. By rights it should be very high and very fastdeservedly so.

DAVID DOMMINNEY FOWLER, guitarist with the Australian Pink Floyd Show

Copyright 2018 by Philip Moriarty

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 9781944648527 (trade paper)

ISBN 9781944648534 (electronic)

Editing by Alexa Stevenson and Laurel Leigh

Copyediting by Scott Calamar

Proofreading by Michael Fedison and Sarah Vostok

Indexing by Clive Pyne

Text design and composition by Silver Feather Design

Cover illustration by Pete McPartlan

Cover design by Sarah Avinger

Printed by Versa Press

Distributed to the trade by Two Rivers Distribution, an Ingram brand

www.tworiversdistribution.com

To Niamh, Saoirse, and Fiachra, who have patiently endured their fathers appalling attempts to sing along with metal classics over the years...

CONTENTS

Wheels within wheels, a spiral array

A pattern so grand and complex

from Rushs Natural Science

It starts with a primal thud. A universal heartbeat.

Seconds later, a wall of sound explodes.

Through the mist, arms outstretched, a figure emerges. Guttural grunts and growls give way to the most haunting of melodies. The music builds majestically, spellbinding in its intensity, a complex soundscape underpinned by a deep emotional charge. The crowd becomes a choir, voices resonant with those onstage...

Theres nothing quite like the sense-bludgeoning experience of a heavy metal gig. The all-enveloping power of the music, the theatrics, the histrionics... and the physics. Yes, the physics. Believe it or not, the links between heavy metal and quantum physics are especially deep and simply have not received anything like the attention they deserve. Quantum physicsalso known as quantum mechanics or simply quantum theory, because why have one name for something when you could have three, right?is the physics of the invisible, the science of particles that are smaller than small. Its also in essence a theory of waves, and therefore the connections with the physics of music are already strong. But the stylings of heavy metal take these connections to another level entirely: chugging guitars, choked cymbals, artificial harmonics, and mosh pits each have their own parallels within the physics of the ultrasmall.

I think its safe to say that quantum physics has a reputation for being conceptually challenging. On the other hand, heavy metaland its myriad thrash-power-sludge-stoner-hair-glam-death-progressive-djentindustrial-[complete according to taste] subgenres and subculturesis not, it has to be said, generally considered to be the most cerebral of musical forms. Unfairly stereotyped as music for Neanderthals, frequently seen as the root of all evil (and, as such, a convenient scapegoat for societal problems whose origins are a great deal more complex than the lyrics of the latest Judas Priest album), metal is nonetheless often harmonically rich, lyrically challenging, and rhythmically complex.