Nothingness

The Science of Empty Space

Henning Genz

340 pages, parution le 29/03/2002

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Résumé

Nothingness addresses one of the most puzzling problems of physics and philosophy: Does empty space have an existence independent of the matter within it? Is "empty space" really empty, or is it an ocean seething with the creation and destruction of virtual matter? With crystal-clear prose and more than 100 cleverly rendered illustrations, physicist Henning Genz takes the reader from the metaphysical speculations of the ancient Greek philosophers, through the theories of Newton and the early experiments of his contemporaries, right up to the current theories of quantum physics and cosmology to give us the story of one of the most fundamental and puzzling areas of modern physics and philosophy.

Contents

Preface: Things, Just Things vii
Acknowledgments xi
1 Prologue: Physics and Metaphysics 1
2 Nothing, Nobody, Nowhere, Never: Philosophical, Linguistic, and Religious Ideas on Nothingness 33
3 Problems with Nothingness: How to Make It a Physical Reality 97
4 Matter in the Void: Ether, Space, Fields 145
5 Crowded Space: Movement All Around--the Quantum Vacuum 179
6 Spontaneous Creation: Particles and Fields 209
7 Let Nature be as she May: Special Systems 227
8 Nothing is Real: The Universe as a Whole 257
9 Epilogue: Physics and Metaphysics 305
Notes 317
Figure Sources 325
Bibliography 327
Index 337

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Perseus Publishing
Auteur(s)	Henning Genz
Parution	29/03/2002
Nb. de pages	340
Format	15,5 x 23,3
Couverture	Broché
Poids	510g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780738206103
ISBN13	978-0-7382-0610-3