Facts And Mysteries In Elementary Particle Physics by Martinus J G Veltman (PDF)

Description

New Edition: Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics (Revised Edition)This book provides a comprehensive overview of modern particle physics accessible to anyone with a true passion for wanting to know how the universe works. We are introduced to the known particles of the world we live in. An elegant explanation of quantum mechanics and relativity paves the way for an understanding of the laws that govern particle physics. These laws are put into action in the world of accelerators, colliders and detectors found at institutions such as CERN and Fermilab that are in the forefront of technical innovation. Real world and theory meet using Feynman diagrams to solve the problems of infinities and deduce the need for the Higgs boson.Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics offers an incredible insight from an eyewitness and participant in some of the greatest discoveries in 20th century science. From Einstein’s theory of relativity to the elusive Higgs particle, this book will fascinate and educate anyone interested in the world of quarks, leptons and gauge theories.This book also contains many thumbnail sketches of particle physics personalities, including contemporaries as seen through the eyes of the author. Illustrated with pictures, these candid sketches present rare, perceptive views of the characters that populate the field.The Chapter on Particle Theory, in a pre-publication, was termed “superbly lucid” by David Miller in Nature (Vol. 396, 17 Dec. 1998, p. 642).

User’s Reviews

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

⭐I borrowed this beautifully color-illustrated book on particle physics through my local library, and found it so interesting that I ordered a used copy through Amazon. Reviewers have indicated that other printings are not in color or of the quality of the First Edition, Copyright 2003 version that I purchased, so be careful when placing your order. A very interesting book that includes information about the personalities of the scientists involved over the years in research leading to what has become the Standard Model. Great addition to a library of those interested in physics.

⭐This is the best popular science book I’ve read in a long time. It is a wonderfully clear journey through the odd and complex world of elementary physics.There are two things I particularly like about this book. While it is aimed at a lay audience, it does not attempt to dumb down the topic beyond the constraint of removing the maths that is the usual vehicle for the topic. The other thing is the human element that Veltman brings, with the little vignettes and anecdotes of about those responsible.A potential weakness is the timing of the book, published just before the large hadron collider and the verification of the Higgs boson (Hi to Prof. Bose!). This is not the fault of the author and in a way reinforces the careful approach required to gain an understanding of the topic. There is certainly room for a follow up that is as carefully argued as this volume. I can’t comment on the accuracy or otherwise of the science. The balanced and nuanced text leaves me with a lot of confidence that the science is correct.This book is a hard read. Not because of the language, but because of the topic. Veltman has written a terrific book that is accessible to a non-technical audience that is willing to do a bit of thinking.

⭐This is a unique book.First of all, the paper, font, diagrams, and cover are wonderful. It’s really a nice looking book cover to cover.Next, the author includes biographies of people involved in the field. The writing is candid and humorous. The biographies don’t read like a textbook at all. They include his own opinions, as well as interesting anecdotes about the people.Finally, the author includes some of his own personal story in the book, regarding his work in particle physics. It’s nice to see a first-hand account. I enjoy his commentary.All these things make this a special book, and worth reading.The author can be somewhat grumpy, but you have to take that with a sense of humor. Consider that physicists (I am one) tend to be literal and often TOO honest, at the risk of being blunt or awkward. So try not to be put off.Some parts of the book are a bit tedious. If you really want to understand the topic, read some other books along with this one. If there’s only one book to get, try Oerter’s “Theory of Almost Everything”. But if you want a few books, then definitely include this one.

⭐Veltman, a Nobel-prizewinning theorist, has written an engagingly personalized account of the interplay between experiment and theory that underlies our current understanding of particle physics. The description is thorough and yet -with a lay reader in mind- is about as non-mathematical as can be managed in this subject.Some reviewers have complained about a lack of rigor in copy editing, but the occasional infelicities seem quite minor and do not diminish the book’s intellectual valueVeltman’s account is unusual in giving generous credit to those experimentalists who conceive, build, and make measurements with accelerators and detectors. He describes the manner in which the data from those measurement affect the work of theorists. His vigorously expressed views on the physics and on the physicists give Veltman’s book an unusual zing. It should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the substance or the sociology of contemporary physics.

⭐This is a general and easily readable narrative of the main points of the Standard Model particle physics. Read if you would like a pleasant and mildly humorous, here and there, overview of the topic and some history of how it came about. Avoid if you’re too advanced and would really like more depth and lots of equations. Having learned a bit before, I felt it a nice read to remind me of how the discoveries came about and as a reminder of the main topics.

⭐I learned a lot from this book. The only reason i gave it four stars is because it was more advanced than I was looking for. If you really want to learn, then this book would be great. For a beginner non scientist like myself, I really liked “Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction” by Frank Close, and the chapter on the Standard Theory in “The Particle Garden” by Gordon Kane. I can’t wait to read “Particle Physics: A Beginner’s Guide by Brian Martin”, since it has good reviews.

⭐I am not a particle physicist but I am aspiring to work in the field. So, I wanted to learn, at least at the undergraduate level some more on the theory of particle physics. Now, this book is almost entirely narrative and you need to start making lists of things like quark transactions in order for it to make logical sense. This subject can’t be treated strictly in narrative. After you read it its not likely that you will be able to quantify anything but that defect is offset by the low price of the book. The kindle edition is only 15.00. So if you are the kind of person that just wants a cursory understanding of the subject its good, but if you are a serious student of the subject I would pass it up.

⭐Excellent book on modern and particle physics and those who made it.

⭐As one Nobel Prize winning reviewer wrote this is a truly amazing masterpiece’. It has very clear discussions on the wave-particle duality, two-slit interference, the ‘particle zoo’ including lots on quarks, Feynman diagrams, octets, etc, etc. With some good illustrations, almost no maths and around 200 mini biographies of particle physicists it is of great interest.

⭐I have entirely enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it.

⭐I have not finished the whole book yet but I can tell you it is possibly the best book on the topic – at this level – ever written so far (and I think I have read most of the books on particle physics for non specialists).The biographical snapshots and pictures are really interesting. I have seen Veltman a few times when I was myself working at CERN (as an engineer, not a physicist) and he struck me as a no-nonsense kind of fellow. This shines through this marvellous book.If you ever buy only one overview book on particle physics, make it this one (maybe together with the one from his co-Nobel winner and “best enemy”: t’Hooft – publ. by Cambridge Un. press).

⭐I kept this on my wish list for sometime and when I placed order I received within stated time and quality of the book is as new. Very pleased.

⭐Good

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