Why Things Are the Way They Are 1st Edition by B. S. Chandrasekhar (PDF)

Description

This fascinating book explains why materials behave as they do. In a completely non-technical style, using only basic arithmetic, the author explains how the properties of materials result from the way they are composed of atoms and why they have the properties they do: for example, why copper and rubies are coloured, why metals conduct heat better than glass, why magnets attract iron nails but not brass pins, and how superconductors can conduct electricity without resistance. The book is intended for general readers, and uses mainly words, pictures and analogies, with only a minimum of very simple mathematics. The author explains how it is possible to understand the basic properties of matter, and translates the technical jargon of physics into a language that can be understood by anyone with an interest in science who wants to know why the world around us behaves in the way that it does.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I understood the first chapter or two fairly well but after that it left me behind. Someone smarter than me might get more out of this book but don’t expect to read something that even a child could follow, despite what the simple title might suggest.

⭐PRO: A remarkably well-written and clear book about basic quantum mechanics and its application to solid-state(condensed matter) physics.There’s no discussion on entanglement/Bell’s theorem or quantum interpretation (which are frequently discussed in most quantum books) but it’s near unique in using quantum theory to explain the world at a level accessible to laymen (with only high-school math). The author explains basic principles that I’ve always wondered about (e.g. why the electron in a hydrogen atom doesn’t crash into the nucleus + how the Pauli exclusion principle follows from anti-symmetry). Overall, this is arguably the best book on quantum theory for laymen who want to understand the theory and it’s well-established applications instead of reading about highly speculative theories and philosophical issues. Another similar but less readable book is Fayer’s Absolutely Small (quantum chemistry). For laymen, who want to learn the actual math, Susskind’s Quantum Mechanics is the best introduction.CON: The font-size is relatively small and caused eye strain for me. Cambridge could have easily increased the font-size since the page margins are unnecessarily too wide.

⭐The author’s objective was good, to explain quantum mechanics with no more math thansimple arithmetic but he failed to achieve his goal. Some of his explanations were poor andin some cases he went on and on losing the reader as to what he was trying to explain.

⭐This is very interesting book about somee selected concepts and physics of the materials. There are no formulas, everything is in narrative format. Author starts with crystal structures, particle wave concepts, atom, some quantum mechanical concepts and than application of quantum concepts to heat transfer, magnetism, conduction, electric current and super conductivity.Author provides very nice descriptive pictures and diagrams. Any one who wants to read more about similar subjects with more formulas, still easy reading could also profit from ” Understanding Properties of Matter by De posta”.

⭐The title says it all… This book explains the “Why”: and ties things together. Not a textbook, it explains why things in a textbook are that way.

⭐This book is the worst book I ever purchased I want my money back

⭐The author writes it for layman, but he tries to tell much, in the process complicates things. Also, the font sizes are too small for it to be a good read (because he wants to tell too much, it required more spaces than it should have). All I can say is I’m disappointed.

⭐I was a bit surprised upon reading Chandrasekhar’s book “Why things are the Way they Are.” I expected a book that describes the things we see about us in everyday life, but this is a book about solid-state physics. But solid-state physics is the reason things are the way they are. So, Chandrasekhar hit the nail right on the head.Not only in the title, but throughout the book, Chandrasekhar illustrates that rare ability to understand the deep significance behind the really important things in science. Nonscientists may be inclined to believe that the quantum world is far removed from our lives, and has little effect on our macroscopic world. Chandrasekhar dashes these notions with many examples, from the color of gold, to the bite of an accidentally touched hot plate. The world in which we live would indeed be a much different place if fermions had symmetric wave functions, and bosons had antisymmetric wave functions, and we would not recognize our world if atoms and crystals did not have quantum fluctuations.I could not help wishing I’d had the opportunity to read this book as a young student in High School. This is an excellent text that, without quantitative analysis, introduces almost all the important concepts of solid-state physics with illuminating examples of how these phenomena exhibit themselves in our everyday world. Even for first-year students in college physics, the book has great value in its qualitative, examples-oriented way of presenting the quantum world. For those of us with degrees in science, the book offers additional insight and easy bedtime reading.The topics are broad. Beginning with crystal symmetry, the author introduces, step by step, the concepts of particle-wave duality and isolated electrons bound to protons in the hydrogen atom. There is a brief respite to discuss some elementary issues relating to statistical physics, and then a weaving of the entire tapestry into a qualitative view of the quantum crystal.With this background (which occupies roughly half the book’s volume) Chandrasekhar shows how to use these new tools to understand some of the common phenomena in the world in which we live. He explains electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and the color of metals; why gold is yellow and copper red, and why glass is transmissive. There is a brief discussion about magnets, and his discussion about superconductors is among the best I’ve seen for the lay audience.Each chapter has a summary at the end. For the most part these summaries are actually useful, and give a brief review of the information learned in the chapter. Other summaries, however, revert to a type of index, and I found these less useful. The book has a nice index that should help when searching for various subjects, and is organized well, with a logical flow.About the only thing I found wanting was a statement in the introduction to the effect that science isn’t sure if living things can be explained by the laws of physics. The author apparently believes questions about life should not have been addressed in his book, but are rather important matter for philosophers, and theologians as well as scientists. Other than this brief foray into the nebulous realm of superstition, the book is an excellent read. I highly recommend it.Duwayne Anderson

⭐No, other than technical I was told it’s bit spiritual and inspiring..But I couldn’t find any such instance

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