what is the quantum theory?

Question

i bought a book on the quantum theory i was wondering what it was and bought the book (haven't read it yet finishing of a paper on mercury) in anyway just wondering can someone give me the gist on what the quantum theory is

the book is called quantum theory cannot hurt you a guide to the universe

Answer 1

Answers so far pertain to specific cases.

Quantum Mechanics assumes that particle properties are determined statistically by operations on a wave function representing the particle's probability distribution. The wave function obeys a dynamical wave equation.

Contrast this with Classical Mechanics, which treats particles as points with precisely determined properties which obey a deterministic dynamical equation of motion (Newton's law). Or, as Einstein (who didn't like QM very much) put it, "God does not play dice".

Answer 2

When examining charged particles interacting in situations with boundary conditions, you find that the physics of the system needs to satisfy certain equations. The result is that the solutions for these equations have particular physical quantities quantized. They can only assume specific values, not a continuous range of values as is commonly seen in mechanics.

What book, by the way?

Answer 3

it states that everything occurs at set amounts. an electron doesn't orbit around the nucleus at any distance, but only certain distances.

also, it will talk about what elementary particles are themselves made of (electrons, neutrons, protons)
to explain this it talks about quarks, leptons, bosons etc...

for example, a proton has two up quarks and a down quark. a neutron has two down quarks and an up quark.

It also talks about how every has an equal and oppositive anti-particle.