Nucleus: A Trip into the Heart of Matter

by Ray Mackintosh, Jim Al-Khalili, Björn Jonson, Teresa Peña

Overview

The discovery of the nucleus transformed the past century and will revolutionize this one. Nuclear physics is one of the most exciting—and useful—branches of science. In medicine, it helps save lives through innovative medical technologies, such as the MRI, and in nuclear astrophysics, state-of-the-art theoretical and computer models account for how stars shine and describe how the chemical elements in the universe were formed.

Now in its second edition, Nucleus tells the story of the nucleus from the early experimental work of the quiet New Zealander Lord Rutherford to the huge atom-smashing machines of today and beyond. Thoroughly revised and updated, the book includes the most current information on the radio dating of Earth and other planets in the Solar System, heavy-ion therapies, quark-gluon plasma and its relevance to black holes, and clarification of ab initio calculations of atomic nuclei.

Lavishly illustrated and with lively prose and captivating details, this book unravels the scientific mysteries that surround the subject of the nucleus. Anyone with even a passing interest in science will delight in this guide to the nuclear age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421403519
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	12/31/2011
Edition description:	second edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ray Mackintosh is a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at The Open University.

Jim Al-Khalili is a nuclear theorist, author, and broadcaster. He is a professor of physics at the University of Surrey, England, where he also holds a chair in the public engagement of science, and the author of Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed and Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Travel.

Björn Jonson is a faculty member in the Department of Fundamental Physics at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden.

Teresa Peña is an associate professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal.

Editorial Reviews

Beautifully produced. In every lavishly illustrated page, every fascinating aside (did you know, for instance, that there are more atoms in a single glass of water than there are glasses of water in all the earth's oceans?) the book demonstrates the central role of nuclear physics in our exploration of nature.
—Sesame

In this competently written, well-illustrated, and attractively composed book, the history of nuclear physics is explained in a clear but sophisticated manner . . . They have done a very good job presenting the material; illustrations, figures, and photographs are superior in quality to other available works.
—Choice

The authors have produced an attractive book . . . The relaxed, informal style is easy on the reader and the story is told in a way I find appealing.
—Nuclear Physics Review

A valiant attempt to convey the history, subject matter, and applications of subatomic research, and then place them in the context of astronomy . . . Anyone with an interest in the subject matter will want to read Nucleus several times, and the authors make the experience enjoyable.
—Astronomy

From the Publisher

A valiant attempt to convey the history, subject matter, and applications of subatomic research, and then place them in the context of astronomy . . . Anyone with an interest in the subject matter will want to read Nucleus several times, and the authors make the experience enjoyable.

Astronomy

In this competently written, well-illustrated, and attractively composed book, the history of nuclear physics is explained in a clear but sophisticated manner . . . They have done a very good job presenting the material; illustrations, figures, and photographs are superior in quality to other available works.

Choice

The authors have produced an attractive book . . . The relaxed, informal style is easy on the reader and the story is told in a way I find appealing.

Nuclear Physics Review

Beautifully produced. In every lavishly illustrated page, every fascinating aside (did you know, for instance, that there are more atoms in a single glass of water than there are glasses of water in all the earth's oceans?) the book demonstrates the central role of nuclear physics in our exploration of nature.

Sesame

Four European nuclear physicists present a work of popular science that explains the evolution of the scientific understanding of the nucleus of an atom. Profusely illustrated, the work discusses both the basic concepts of nuclear physics and the origins of the concepts in the work of philosophers and scientists. Chapters discuss the discovery of radioactivity, the laws that govern small particles, nuclei measurement, the contents of nuclei, applications of nuclear physics (the bomb is downplayed), the nuclear architecture of things from the hydrogen atom to the neutron star, and the nuclear processes of the Big Bang. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)