Librería Portfolio

Features

Shows how physics is important in everyday life
Minimizes technical jargon and mathematics, making the material accessible to a wide audience
Discusses the historical background of fundamental ideas
Covers areas prevalent in today's physics research, such as chaos, cosmology, unresolved aspects of particle physics, and the philosophical ambiguities of quantum mechanics
Contains an entire chapter on relevant Nobel Prizes, offering insight into the development of physics during the last century and the scientists who contributed to this development
Summary

An Enlightening Way to Navigate through Mind-Boggling Physics Concepts

Physics Curiosities, Oddities, and Novelties highlights unusual aspects of physics and gives a new twist to some fundamental concepts. The book covers both classical and modern physics in an engaging, straightforward style.

The author presents perplexing questions that often lack satisfying answers. He also delves into the stories of famous and eccentric past scientists. Many examples reveal interesting ideas, including how:

Newton had trouble determining the mass of the moon
An electric motor is an electric generator run in reverse
Time travel that violates causality is not possible
Schrödinger's cat may be both dead and alive, and there may be two of each one of us to observe the two possibilities
Particle physics and the basic laws of thermodynamics can appear simple yet are very complicated
Accessible to nonspecialists and beginning students, this book provides insight into physics using minimal mathematics and jargon. It summarizes many fascinating aspects of physics employing only essential formulas. Some familiar formulas are written in standard form while other equations are written in words for greater clarity.



Table of Contents

Newton and Mechanics
Introduction
Newton's Equation
Gravity
Solar System and Beyond
Causality and Chaos

Momentum, Angular Momentum, and Energy
Introduction
Momentum
Angular Momentum
Energy

Thermal Physics
Introduction
Ideal Gas
Entropy
Phase Transitions
Random Walks

Electromagnetism
Introduction
Electrostatics
Electricity in Practice
Magnetism
Unification of Electricity and Magnetism: Maxwell and Faraday

Waves
Introduction
Common Features of Waves
Sound Waves in Air
Light Waves and Geometric Optics
Electromagnetic Waves

Quantum
Introduction
What Good Is Quantum Mechanics?
Problems with Classical Physics
Photons
Particles and Waves
What Is 137?
Magnetism and Spin
Many Particles

Materials and Devices
Introduction
Materials
Devices and Applications

Relativity
Introduction
Special Relativity
General Relativity
The Meaning of It All

Nucleus
Introduction
Nuclear Properties
Radioactivity
Fission, Fusion, Nuclear Power, and Bombs
Nuclear Theory

Particle Physics
Introduction
Experiment and Theory
Dirac Equation
Quantum Electrodynamics
Beyond QED: The Standard Model
The Future of Physics

Nobel Laureates: A Short Summary
Alfred Nobel
Recipients
Some Curiosities
Traits of Nobel Prize Winners

Annotated Bibliography