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Knowing: The Nature of Physical Law
We ask question after question of an indifferent universe that would just as soon remain mute; and slowly, patiently, one sentence at a time, we write our own version of the book of nature. It is called science, from the Latin word for knowledge, and it is a book everybody should read.
With simplicity and elegance, Knowing interprets the book of nature for curious readers of all sorts--but especially for those hoping to appreciate the beauty of physics without getting lost in the mathematics. Indeed, there is a world of scientific understanding in the pages of this gracefully written and inviting book, where hundreds of little diagrams substitute for the equations that physicists otherwise need to tell their tale. Readers will discover the way things how big things (like Earth or Moon) come from small things (like quarks and electrons), how tiny particles push and pull, and how the world hangs in the balance. We learn how an "unbiased" observer and a fixed speed of light, nothing else, conjure up E=mc2 and four-dimensional space-time. We see how Newton's clockwork universe of unwavering determination differs (but not in every respect) from Heisenberg's quantum universe of hazy uncertainty. And we see how a world of chaos throws a wrench into everybody's
mechanical ideal.
From tiny atoms to vast galaxies, the universe is ours to explore and to its particles, its interactions, its laws, its unending surprises. Heavily illustrated with explanatory drawings and diagrams--perhaps no other science book for general readers uses diagrams so extensively-- Knowing takes us to the edge of modern science, allowing us to peer in further than we would have dreamed possible.
With simplicity and elegance, Knowing interprets the book of nature for curious readers of all sorts--but especially for those hoping to appreciate the beauty of physics without getting lost in the mathematics. Indeed, there is a world of scientific understanding in the pages of this gracefully written and inviting book, where hundreds of little diagrams substitute for the equations that physicists otherwise need to tell their tale. Readers will discover the way things how big things (like Earth or Moon) come from small things (like quarks and electrons), how tiny particles push and pull, and how the world hangs in the balance. We learn how an "unbiased" observer and a fixed speed of light, nothing else, conjure up E=mc2 and four-dimensional space-time. We see how Newton's clockwork universe of unwavering determination differs (but not in every respect) from Heisenberg's quantum universe of hazy uncertainty. And we see how a world of chaos throws a wrench into everybody's
mechanical ideal.
From tiny atoms to vast galaxies, the universe is ours to explore and to its particles, its interactions, its laws, its unending surprises. Heavily illustrated with explanatory drawings and diagrams--perhaps no other science book for general readers uses diagrams so extensively-- Knowing takes us to the edge of modern science, allowing us to peer in further than we would have dreamed possible.
- GenresSciencePhysicsNonfiction
418 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 7, 2014
Excellent introduction to basic understanding of the physical laws in the universe (leaves out some of the more recent findings/theories like the multiverse). Some chapters are very easy to follow and understand, others get a bit too complicated for this lay reader. I found it an excellent way to gain an understanding of topics like relativity (see chapter 3), space time and gravity (chapter 5), and quantum physics, at a very fundamental level. He has an interesting way of presenting his ideas (first, no math). Each idea is usually explained through a kind of amusing analogy or thought experiment and simple drawings.
What is especially helpful is a section at the end called "By the Way". For the introductory reader, like myself, this section is very useful. There is a summary of each chapter included and little footnotes that explain/expand for each chapter.
Another chapter at the end looks at the loose ends, what is not explained in current theories (like dark matter, etc.)
I don't know if this book is on kindle but I think it would have been helpful to read it in two frames so that the by the way end part could be open and perused while I was reading each chapter.
(I read this right after I read "Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel" and this was a good combination to read together).
See my longer review at http://mvcommonplacebook.blogspot.com/
What is especially helpful is a section at the end called "By the Way". For the introductory reader, like myself, this section is very useful. There is a summary of each chapter included and little footnotes that explain/expand for each chapter.
Another chapter at the end looks at the loose ends, what is not explained in current theories (like dark matter, etc.)
I don't know if this book is on kindle but I think it would have been helpful to read it in two frames so that the by the way end part could be open and perused while I was reading each chapter.
(I read this right after I read "Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel" and this was a good combination to read together).
See my longer review at http://mvcommonplacebook.blogspot.com/
Displaying 1 of 1 review