A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe

by Mark P. Silverman

Overview

jThis thoroughly updated and revised text contains a selection of well-written essays based on Silvermans work on a wide range of topics, including: quantum mechanics, including atomic and nuclear physics, electromagnetism and optics, gravity, thermodynamics, and the physics of fluids. Presenting a personal odyssey in physics, Silverman investigates processes for which no visualizable mechanism can be given, or that seem to violate fundamental physical laws (but do not). The discussions use little mathematics, and anyone with a little college physics will be able to read the book with pleasure. -Engagingly written -Easily understandable by both the general reader and the seasoned physicist -Covers a diversity of subjects from "hot" topics in contemporary physics to less widely known but subtle and intriguing issues in physics -Discusses real physical systems whose behavior provokes, surprises and challenges the imagination -This second edition is newly revised and updated

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387954370
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	10/01/2002
Edition description:	2nd ed. 2002
Pages:	418
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.04(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Fire Within / 1. The Wirbelrohr's Roar / 2. Musical Bottles, Flying Balloons, and Hot Stoves: The Uncommon Physics of Common Things / 3. The Unimaginably Strange Behavior of Free Electrons / 4. Quantum Beats and Giant Atoms / 5. And Yet It Moves: Exotic Atoms and the Invariance of Charge / 6. Reflections on Light / 7. Two Worlds, Large and Small: Earth and Atom / 8. Computers, Coins, and Quanta: Unexpected Outcomes of Random Events / 9. A Universe of Atoms: Symmetry, Unity, Gravity, and the Problem of 'Missing Mass' / 10. Science and Wonder

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews of the second edition:

"Mark Silverman has written a collection of very wide ranging essays for a very specialized audience. The title does justice to the breadth of topics, which range from physics toys to radioactive statistics, from planetary atoms to dark matter and the fate of the Universe. … the book has something for everyone … ." (Dr. B. Sauer, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 45 (6), 2005)

"This book is the second, revised and enlarged, edition of Silverman’s ‘And Yet it Moves’. … This book is a real tour de force in that it presents, without unnecessary mathematical equations, a journey into many fields of both classical and modern physics. … Undergraduate, graduate, and even post-graduate students will enjoy this book of beautifully written essays. I warmly recommend this book." (André Hautot, Physicalia, Vol. 26 (1), 2004)

"This collection of essays is the second edition of the And Yet It Moves, updated and enlarged by several additional chapters. … the best choice is advanced level students and the general research and teaching readership in physics and related fields. Those interested in the epistemology of science … will find a lot of points helpful in clarifying and systematizing. … The book is well written … . Each chapter ends with references, and the book concludes with the relevant bibliographies and index of authors." (Petar V. Grujic, Europhysics News, Vol. 36 (2), March/April, 2005)

From the Publisher