Theoretical Concepts in Physics
Theoretical Concepts in Physics
£49.99
GBPIn this original and integrated approach to theoretical reasoning in physics, Malcolm Longair illuminates the subject from the perspective of real physics as practised by research scientists. Concentrating on the basic insights, attitudes and techniques that are the tools of the modern physicist, this approach conveys the intellectual excitement and beauty of the subject. Through a series of seven case studies, an undergraduate course in classical physics and the discovery of quanta are reviewed from the point of the view of how the great discoveries and changes of perspective came about. This approach illuminates the intellectual struggles needed to attain understanding of some of the most difficult concepts in physics. Longair's highly acclaimed text has been fully revised and includes new studies on the physics of fluids, Maxwell's great paper on equations for the electromagnetic field and problems of contemporary cosmology and the very early universe.
- A unique book in the physics landscape emphasising the interaction between experiment and theory and giving the theoretical background behind some of the most important concepts in modern physics
- An ideal supplement to physics courses at the final-year undergraduate or starting graduate level, developing broad connections and explaining the historical development of key topics
- Fully revised with the addition of three new chapters covering Maxwell's dynamical theory of the electromagnetic field; the motion of fluids; and dark matter, dark energy and the inflationary paradigm in cosmology
- A companion volume, Quantum Concepts in Physics, extends the discussions focusing on the development of quantum mechanics
Reviews & endorsements
'… a brilliant exposé of theoretical reasoning adds discussions on properties of fluids and more concepts related to gravitational waves and cosmology ... Excellent indexing, including an author index, along with many helpful diagrams and useful chapter notes, add utility and charm.' F. Potter, Choice
Product details
April 2020Adobe eBook Reader
9781316999318
0 pages
225 b/w illus.
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Preface and acknowledgements
- 1. Introduction
- Case Study I. The Origins of Newton's Laws of Motion and of Gravity:
- 2. From Ptolemy to Kepler: the Copernican Revolution
- 3. Galileo and the nature of the physical sciences
- 4. Newton and the law of gravity
- Case Study II. Maxwell's Equations:
- 5. The origin of Maxwell's equations
- 6. Maxwell (1865): A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field
- 7. How to rewrite the history of electromagnetism
- Case Study III. Mechanics and Dynamics: Linear and Non-Linear
- 8. Approaches to mechanics and dynamics
- 9. The motion of fluids
- 10. Dimensional analysis, chaos and self-organised criticality
- Case Study IV. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics:
- 11. Basic thermodynamics
- 12. Kinetic theory and the origin of statistical mechanics
- Case Study V. The Origins of the Concepts of Quantisation and Quanta:
- 13. Black-body radiation up to 1895
- 14. 1895–1900: Planck and the spectrum of black-body radiation
- 15. Planck's theory of black-body radiation
- 16. Einstein and the quantisation of light
- 17. The triumph of the light quantum hypothesis
- Case Study VI. Special and General Relativity:
- 18. Special relativity: a study in invariance
- 19. An introduction to general relativity
- Case Study VII. Cosmology and Physics:
- 20. Cosmology
- 21. Dark matter, dark energy and the inflationary paradigm
- Notes
- Author index
- Subject index.
