From Quarks to Black Holes

Interviewing the Universe

Richard T. Hammond

174 pages, parution le 05/12/2001

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Résumé

This book presents a series of delightful interviews in which natural objects such as an electron, a black hole, a galaxy, and even the vacuum itself, reveal their innermost secrets — not only what they are but also how they feel. A hydrogen atom tells us about quantum mechanics and why we live in a non-deterministic world; a black hole explains curved space and naked singularities; and a uranium atom talks of its life on a meteor, its tremendous collision with Earth, and properties of radioactivity — all while grappling with its own mortality. A neutron star gives a personal account of its creation and goes on to discuss quasars and other extraordinary astronomical objects, while an iron atom describes its birth in a remote supernova explosion and its series of adventures on Earth, from its early use in wrought iron processes to its time in a human body, and then to its latest misadventures.

The book discusses many fundamental issues in physics and, at times, examines the philosophical and moral issues of society. For example, the interview with the quark reveals the nature of color gauge symmetry, which is interwoven with a discussion on truth and beauty, and shows how these concepts play an integral part in physics and nature, while the uranium atom expresses its horror of the development and use of the atomic bomb.

Contents

Interview with a Carbon Atom
Interview with an Electron
Interview with Jupiter
Interview with a Black Hole
Interview with a Uranium Atom
Interview with a Fermion and a Boson
Interview with a Star
Interview with a Wimp
Interview with a Comet
Interview with a Spiral Galaxy
Interview with a Neutrino
Interview with a Hydrogen Atom
Interview with a Neutron
Interview with a Quark
Interview with a Tachyon
Interview with a Quasar
Interview with Antimatter
Interview with Iron
Interview with a Muon
Interview with a Neutron Star
Interview with a String
Interview with Vacuum

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	World Scientific
Auteur(s)	Richard T. Hammond
Parution	05/12/2001
Nb. de pages	174
Format	17,5 x 25,5
Couverture	Relié
Poids	450g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9789810246259