The Environment Envir. Crichton, Michael, 1942- . Time is linear. Of course it is. This is something that every schoolboy and girl knows.
Causes precede effects and time is linear.
This isn't Newton 's physics, it's a whole new world where reality truly is stranger than fiction and common sense simply doesn't apply. It's a world known as quantum mechanics a world where effects can precede causes and time is but an illusion. And while the principles upon which it is built are revolutionary, it's not as new as you might think. Quantum mechanics was born when Max Planck offered his explanation of blackbody radiation in 1900 and then received early contributions from Albert Einstein , Niels Bohr , and the person who may be its most famous proponent, Erwin Schr dinger . From quarks to cats, leptons to quantum foam, it's a land that even Lewis Carroll never dreamed of.