From the Denver Post:
Some say physicists and mathematicians caused the financial crisis by unleashing derivatives, credit-default swaps, collateralized-debt obligations, computerized trading programs and complex financial models nobody could possibly understand…. Physicist and mathematician James Owen Weatherall says this is all a big misunderstanding. Sophisticated financial modeling and complex financial products don't ruin economies. People do….At 29 years of age, Weatherall holds advanced degrees in physics, philosophy, mathematics and creative writing. He teaches at the University of California, Irvine, and researches topics such as "Quantum control of electromagnetically induced transparency dispersion via atomic tunneling in a double-well Bose-Einstein condensate." (If you have to ask, don't ask me.)   He has also written a far more accessible book, "The Physics of Wall Street," due out next month. In it, he explores how ideas from physics and mathematics have made their way into financial markets for better and sometimes worse.

For the full story, please visit http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22185723/lewis-physics-wall-st....