About the Author

Al began his study of theoretical physics at the age of eleven when he read ABC of Relativity by Bertrand Russell. He received a degree in physics from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan in 1969. While doing research for a book titled, New Age Quantum Physics, Al observed that most books claiming to explain quantum mechanics fell short as they focused on explaining aspects of quantum mechanics that we simply do not understand. The observation was that people are not interested in why water waves splash on a wall but want to know what that has to do with how quantum mechanics enables a computer to function. Al believes that people are after what quantum mechanics means and how it affects their lives. Thus, he pursued the idea of writing Quantum Mechanics A-Z without the BS. While doing research on that book, he noticed that many books and videos entice the reader/viewer to read or watch the material with the suggestion that quantum mechanics explains how a transistor works. The material then ignores the transistor and continues without any further explanation. Al realized that using common sense descriptions of quantum mechanics to explain how a transistor works would go a long way to a solid understanding of these complex issues. Thus, the first half of the book is devoted to quantum mechanic concepts and the second half of the book is about how a transistor works. A lot of effort has been invested into avoiding QM tech talk and electrical engineering jargon. The use of terms such as wave collapse, entanglement, reverse bias, and junction are avoided. Instead, the text might say, "The electrons cause the area near the silicon atom to be negatively charged." Then, this is accompanied with a picture to make the meaning clear. A primary value of the book is that it presents the important aspects of quantum mechanics and gathers the meaning of each to explain in one idea the importance of quantum mechanics to our society.