Chapters 15 and 16 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 15, quantum physics first emerged in 1900 when Max Planck theorized that energy came in discrete units called quanta. His theory led science into the subatomic world and was destined to destroy classical physics. One element of quantum physics was that one could either determine where a particle was or its trajectory in motion - but not both. This eliminated the ability to predict the path of a particle. This revelation marked a fundamental change in physics.

Examining the subatomic world more closely, physicists learned that when an electron was elevated into a higher orbit, it moved from lower to higher orbit without traversing the intervening space. This phenomenon was referred to as the quantum leap. The scientists learned that objects appeared totally different in the subatomic world than they did under normal observation. They also realized that the...