Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos

by Isaac Asimov

Overview

"Amazing... If you've been searching for a basic text on how the atom works, this is it." --Booklist

"A masterpiece."--Omni

The legendary Isaac Asimov starts what is perhaps the most fascinating of all his books with a simple query: how finely can a piece of matter be divided? But like many simple questions, this one leads us on a far-flung quest for a final answer, a search that becomes a series of beautifully structured building blocks of knowledge.

It begins with the earliest speculations and investigations by the Greeks and Romans, and then, step by step and century by century, it traces the path of discovery that revealed more and more of the nature of the atom, of light, of gravity, of the electromagnetic force--and even the nature and structure of the universe.

Atom also encompasses such phenomena as light and electricity; the protons, neutrons and quarks that are the fundamental units of the universe; hard-to-observe "anti-particles"; and other strange bits of matter that challenge our assumptions about the very nature of space and time.

Atom is the only book of its kind, by the renowned author whose genius for bringing clarity and excitement to complex subjects has made him the most celebrated science author of our time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780452268340
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/1992
Series:	Truman Talley
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,124,539
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Isaac Asimov authored over 400 books in a career that lasted nearly 50 years. As a leading scientific writer, historian, and futurist, he covered a variety of subjects ranging from mathematics to humor, and won numerous awards for his work.

Date of Birth:

January 20, 1920

Date of Death:

April 6, 1992

Place of Birth:

Petrovichi, Russia

Place of Death:

New York, New York

Education:

Columbia University, B.S. in chemistry, 1939; M.A. in chemistry, 1941; Ph.D. in biochemistry, 1948

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Matter
Dividing Matter
Elements
Atomism Triumphant
The Reality of Atoms
The Differences Among Atoms

Chapter Two: Light
Particles and Waves
The Four Phenomena
Combining the Phenomena
Extending the Spectrum
Dividing Energy

Chapter Three: Electrons
Dividing Electricity
Cathode-Ray Particles
X Rays
Electrons and Atoms
Electrons and Quanta
Waves and Particles

Chapter Four: Nuclei
Probing the Atom
Positively Charged Particles
Atomic Numbers
Spectral Lines

Chapter Five: Isotopes
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Varieties
Half-Lives
Stable Nuclear Varieties

Chapter Six: Neutrons
Protons and Electrons
Protons and Neutrons
Nuclear Reactions
Artificial Isotopes

Chapter Seven: Breakdowns
Mass Defect
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Fusion
Breakdown Particles

Chapter Eight: Antimatter
Antiparticles
Cosmic Rays
Particle Accelerators
Baryons

Chapter Nine: Neutrinos
Saving the Laws of Conservation
Detecting the Antineutrino
Detecting the Neutrino
Other Leptons
Unstable Particles
Neutrino Varieties

Chapter Ten: Interactions
The Strong Interaction
The Weak Interaction
The Electroweak Interaction

Chapter Eleven: Quarks
The Hadron Zoo
Inside Hadrons
Quantum Chromodynamics

Chapter Twelve: The Universe
The Mystery of the Missing Mass
The End of the Universe
The Beginning of the Universe

Index

Editorial Reviews

It takes our best science writers, plus readers current with the whimsical new language of particle physics, to keep up with the leapfrog pace of theory and observation today. Fortunately, Asimov does his part in this report on recent theoretical physics developments that includes just enough history to add human dimension to the latest discussions of the nature of matter. Missing here are the characteristic Asimov metaphors and asides, suggesting that, while juggling so many pure concepts at once, he chooses not to distract his readers. No matter, they will welcome this straightforward guide to the Alice-like world of down-quarks, muons, leptons and other subatomic particles--most of which are believed to exist but have not yet been seen. When information does start coming in from the supercollider, this will be a worthy book to have at hand. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly