Hidden Unity in Nature's Laws
Hidden Unity in Nature's Laws
As physics has progressed through the ages it has succeeded in explaining more and more diverse phenomena with fewer and fewer underlying principles. This lucid and wide-ranging book explains how this understanding has developed by periodically uncovering unexpected 'hidden unities' in nature. The author deftly steers the reader on a fascinating path which goes to the heart of physics - the search and discovery of elegant laws which unify and simplify our understanding of the intricate Universe in which we live. Starting with the Ancient Greeks, the author traces the development of major concepts in physics right up to the present day. Throughout, the presentation is crisp and informative and only a minimum of mathematics is used. Any reader with a background in mathematics or physics will find this book a fascinating insight into the development of our fundamental understanding of the world, and the apparent simplicity underlying it.
- A crisp and informative text suitable for anyone with a background in mathematics or physics
- Illuminating and lucid, ranging from the Ancient Greeks right up to the present day
- Written by a very distinguished theoretical physicist
Reviews & endorsements
"The book is an undoubted success. John Taylor does not try to exaggerate results or make unsupported claims, and he attempts at all times to elucidate complicated matters in simple language....many worthwhile ideas are expounded here which even a newcomer to physics could understand. I strongly recommend this book." --Nature
"The book is elegantly clear and beautifully written...The author seems to have an immense intuitive skill for picking those topics that will evoke the reader's interest...This is far and away the best account of physics for the general reader I have ever seen. It is not a physics text. It contains no calculus, and thus will not tutor the reader in the art of solving specific problems in physics. But it fully conveys the mystery and fascination physics has exerted on humankind since the age of the Greeks. It should occupy a privileged position on the bookshelf of anyone curious about the world around us." Mathematical Association of America
"Successful books about science for nonscientists tread a fine line. Information must not be lost in discussions that are too technical, but scientific rigor must not be sacrificed for story line. Taylor takes a hstorical approach to physics, beginning with the Greeks and finishing with cosmology and elementary article physics at the end of the 20th century.... Explaining the topics and their implications to nonscientists is difficult, but Taylor ... succeeds...." Choice
Product details
January 2005Adobe eBook Reader
9780511036903
0 pages
0kg
109 b/w illus.
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Motion on earth and in the heavens
- 2. Energy, heat, and chance
- 3. Electricity and magnetism
- 4. Light
- 5. Space and time
- 6. Least action
- 7. Gravitation and curved spacetime
- 8. The quantum revolution
- 9. Quantum theory with special relativity
- 10. Order breaks symmetry
- 11. Quarks and what hold them together
- 12. Unifying weak forces with QED
- 13. Gravitation plus quantum theory - stars and black holes
- 14. Particles, symmetries and the universe
- 15. Queries
- 16. Appendices
- Glossary
- Bibliography.
