The How and the Why

by David Park

Overview

"This is an excellent and stimulating account of the history and development of physics, a pleasure to read and of great value to anyone with an interest in the nature of science."--John Polkinghorne, The Times Higher Education Supplement"A marvelous, technically competent, literate, engagingly written book that every student (whether a science major or not) in a science courseand instructorsshould have to read."--James T. Cushing, American Journal of Physics"Physicists should make every effort to enjoy this well-conducted tour of the history of physics."--John Barrow, New Scientist"A brilliant presentation of the ideas of modern physics presented in a richly painted historical setting. . . . This book contains more physics than most physicists know, and more intellectual history than most historians know, woven together in a thoughtful, erudite, and enthusiastic presentation that is unique in both popular and academic science writing. . . . The rise of statistical physics, quantum mechanics, particle physics, and cosmology are accompanied by trenchant examples that encapsulate the core of current controversy, and the older material is informed by recent sophistications of historical scholarship."--Choice

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691221670
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	530
File size:	61 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations	ix
	List of Tables	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
	Note on References	xvii
	Introduction	xix
Chapter 1	What Is the World?	3
Chapter 2	How Is It Built?	24
Chapter 3	How Should We Think About It?	32
Chapter 4	The Sky Is a Machine	54
Chapter 5	The Christian Cosmos	78
Chapter 6	What Are These Things I See?	95
Chapter 7	The Wider Shores of Knowledge	109
Chapter 8	Illumination	124
Chapter 9	The Spheres Are Broken	142
Chapter 10	Influences	170
Chapter 11	They Move According to Number	202
Chapter 12	Time, Space, and Form	224
Chapter 13	A World of Bronze and Marble	243
Chapter 14	Two Theories of Relativity	275
Chapter 15	Very Small and Far Away	305
Chapter 16	Does It Make Sense?	334
Chapter 17	Moving Down the Scale	352
Chapter 18	And Now the Universe	372
Chapter 19	Order and Law	387
Note A	Hero's Principle	407
Note B	Fermat's Principle	408
Note C	Newton's Theorem	409
Note D	Calculation of the Moon's Period	411
Note E	The Law of Areas	412
Note F	Elliptical Orbits	414
Note G	Derivation of Young's Formula	417
Note H	Of Time and the River	418
Note I	The Mass of a Moving Object	419
Note J	The Two-Slit Experiment in Quantum Mechanics	420
Note K	Quantum Correlations That Suggest Action at a Distance	423
Note L	The Troublesome Question of How Things Look	425
Note M	Theory of the Expanding Universe	427
	Bibliography	433
	Index	453

Editorial Reviews

"A brilliant presentation of the ideas of modern physics presented in a richly painted historical setting. . . . This book contains more physics than most physicists know, and more intellectual history than most historians know, woven together in a thoughtful, erudite, and enthusiastic presentation that is unique in both popular and academic science writing. . . . The rise of statistical physics, quantum mechanics, particle physics, and cosmology are accompanied by trenchant examples that encapsulate the core of current controversy, and the older material is informed by recent sophistications of historical scholarship."

Choice

"This is an excellent and stimulating account of the history and development of physics, a pleasure to read and of great value to anyone with an interest in the nature of science."—-John Polkinghorne, The Times Higher Education Supplement

"A marvelous, technically competent, literate, engagingly written book that every student (whether a science major or not) in a science course and instructors should have to read."—-James T. Cushing, American Journal of Physics

"Physicists should make every effort to enjoy this well-conducted tour of the history of physics."—-John Barrow, New Scientist

From the Publisher

Physicists should make every effort to enjoy this well-conducted tour of the history of physics.

New Scientist - John Barrow

A marvelous, technically competent, literate, engagingly written book that every student (whether a science major or not) in a science course and instructors should have to read.

American Journal of Physics - James T. Cushing

This is an excellent and stimulating account of the history and development of physics, a pleasure to read and of great value to anyone with an interest in the nature of science.

The Times Higher Education Supplement - John Polkinghorne

Physicists should make every effort to enjoy this well-conducted tour of the history of physics.
— John Barrow

New Scientist

A marvelous, technically competent, literate, engagingly written book that every student (whether a science major or not) in a science course and instructors should have to read.
— James T. Cushing

American Journal of Physics

This is an excellent and stimulating account of the history and development of physics, a pleasure to read and of great value to anyone with an interest in the nature of science.
— John Polkinghorne

The Times Higher Education Supplement