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The Particle Hunters
From the recent discovery of the "top quark" to the search for the Higgs particle, the frontiers of particle physics beckon the imagination. Exploring in detail the full history of particle physics, Yuval Ne'eman and Yoram Kirsh explain in an engaging, nonmathematical style the principles of modern theories such as quantum mechanics and Einstein's relativity, and they brilliantly succeed in conveying to the reader the excitement that accompanied the original discoveries. The book is spiced with amusing stories on how great discoveries were made, and Ne'eman, who took an active role in some of the historical advances in particle physics, gives his personal point of view. New to this edition are sections on the discovery of the top quark; the rise and fall of the supercollider project; the detection of the Zo particle in e+e- colliders; and the use of the width of the Zo to determine the number of "generations" of quarks and leptons. The Particle Hunters will interest anyone who wants to keep pace with the progress of human knowledge. Yuval Ne'eman discovered the basic symmetry of the subatomic particles of matter, leading him to their classification, to the prediction of new particles, and to his identification (in 1962) of a new layer in the structure of matter ("quarks"). Yoram Kirsh was awarded the Aharon Katzir Prize for popular science writing in 1975.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 27, 2020
A lucid, historically based, description of the field now known as particle physics - what are the basic constituents of our universe and how do they interact at a fundamental level. Good 'general' book that requires no mathematics or physics training - you will need to 'chew-over' the modern physics - unfamiliar particles and interactions can seem unintuitive. A marvellous presentation if now dated - i would have enjoyed seeing an updated version.
July 30, 2024
The book is dated. I found some of the direct physics and math confusing. I didn't have the time or inclination to concentrate on it.
I found it amazing how recent even the basic composition of an atomic nucleus with the discovery of the neutron only complete in 1930. Then the discovery of so many sub atomic particles each with their own unique properties is truly amazing.
The stories of the various physicists and their quest was the most interesting part for me.
I found it amazing how recent even the basic composition of an atomic nucleus with the discovery of the neutron only complete in 1930. Then the discovery of so many sub atomic particles each with their own unique properties is truly amazing.
The stories of the various physicists and their quest was the most interesting part for me.
December 27, 2016
Great read....
As brief background I studied solid-state physics as an undergrad hundreds of years ago (or so it seems :)). So I'm familiar with a small amount of the material; I'm more familiar with atoms in crystals than subatomic phenomenon.
The author recaps briefly what's known by physics practitioners up to ~1900.
Then he lucidly describes experiments that advance knowledge, and then the creation of mental models or theories that explain and go beyond those observations.
The dynamics of knowledge building are seen up close. The author excels at very clear writing of what's known, what's inferred and what's conjecture.
Most importantly he writes compactly, so the 20th century keeps on moving.
He does not dwell on the personalities involved except for some scuttlebutt re Nobel prize awards.
The book stands out in its clarity of writing and clear connecting of observed phenomena and the theories that emerge.
For me, three highlights:
a) he describes the 4 "forces" (interactions, the author prefers): strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravity. I knew these, but the author elaborates.
b) the emergence of conservation laws. The author paints the historical context: prior to ~1900, rules were deterministic. After that time, probabilities best described the physical world. To make advancements of understanding, conservation laws emerged. They said, in essence, "anything goes, as long as you meet these conservation laws." Enlightening historical context.
c) The author criticizes the arguably lazy or sloppy interpretations of non-physicists of physics concepts. He has heard the myriad interpretations of entropy, and briefly lists them but shows they are highly imprecise. I appreciated that; I too have been frustrated by such sloppy application of important concepts.
As brief background I studied solid-state physics as an undergrad hundreds of years ago (or so it seems :)). So I'm familiar with a small amount of the material; I'm more familiar with atoms in crystals than subatomic phenomenon.
The author recaps briefly what's known by physics practitioners up to ~1900.
Then he lucidly describes experiments that advance knowledge, and then the creation of mental models or theories that explain and go beyond those observations.
The dynamics of knowledge building are seen up close. The author excels at very clear writing of what's known, what's inferred and what's conjecture.
Most importantly he writes compactly, so the 20th century keeps on moving.
He does not dwell on the personalities involved except for some scuttlebutt re Nobel prize awards.
The book stands out in its clarity of writing and clear connecting of observed phenomena and the theories that emerge.
For me, three highlights:
a) he describes the 4 "forces" (interactions, the author prefers): strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravity. I knew these, but the author elaborates.
b) the emergence of conservation laws. The author paints the historical context: prior to ~1900, rules were deterministic. After that time, probabilities best described the physical world. To make advancements of understanding, conservation laws emerged. They said, in essence, "anything goes, as long as you meet these conservation laws." Enlightening historical context.
c) The author criticizes the arguably lazy or sloppy interpretations of non-physicists of physics concepts. He has heard the myriad interpretations of entropy, and briefly lists them but shows they are highly imprecise. I appreciated that; I too have been frustrated by such sloppy application of important concepts.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews