Book Review: How to Teach Physics to Your Dog by Chad Orzel

A few months back I won a contest on the Uncertain Principles blog. Chad Orzel, the blog’s author, sent me a preview copy of his upcoming book, How to Teach Physics to Your Dog. The book will be available next month and I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in quantum physics. If you happen to be interested in both quantum physics and dogs (or happen to know someone who is interested in both), then I extra-strongly recommend this book.

Professor Orzel uses conversations with his rescue dog, Emmy, to frame discussions of topics such as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Schrodinger’s cat (which won the contest for me!), multiple universes, and quantum teleportation.

The book opens with a story that is near and dear to my heart: Chad adopting Emmy at the Mohawk Hudson River Humane Society (where my friend Chris Danker teaches dog training classes.) Here’s a quick snippet of Chad and Emmy’s first conversation:

“What do you think, girl?” I ask, “What should we call you?”
“Call me Emmy!” she says.
“Why’s that?”
“Because it’s my name, silly.”
Being called “silly” by a dog is a little surprising, but I guess she has a point. “Okay, I can’t argue with that. So, do you want to come live with us?”
“Well, that depends.” she says, “What’s the critter situation like?”

Emmy’s love of critters plays a big part in the book, as she continually comes up with interesting applications of quantum physics in her efforts to get treats, locate bones, or get the “pesky squirrels.” Quantum physics can be some heavy stuff, and this book teaches you the basics without dumbing it down or putting you to sleep. Professor Orzel has a gift for funny dialogue and straightforward explanation. In addition to the entertaining conversations with Emmy, there are fascinating explanations of how the theories behind quantum mechanics were developed and how a few have been tested. There are also a few funny science fiction references – what discussion of quantum mechanics would be complete without some Star Trek?

My favorite chapter, and not just because of the goatees, was the last. The book wraps up with “Beware of Evil Squirrels: Misuses of Quantum Physics.” Professor Orzel discusses some of the scams and misunderstandings surrounding quantum theory. You’ve probably seen references to “free energy” and “quantum healing,” Professor Orzel takes them to task with complete explanations of how to spot a misapplication and why the common ones just don’t make any sense.

This book would make a great gift for science or science fiction fan, especially if he or she has a dog to share it with!

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