The Physics Book: From the Big Bang to Quantum Resurrection, 250 Milestones in the History of Physics (Union Square & Co. Milestones) by Clifford A. Pickover (PDF)

Description

Following the hugely successful The Science Book and The Math Book comes a richly illustrated chronology of physics, containing 250 short, entertaining, and thought-provoking entries. In addition to exploring such engaging topics as dark energy, parallel universes, the Doppler effect, the God particle, and Maxwells demon, the books timeline extends back billions of years to the hypothetical Big Bang and forward trillions of years to a time of “quantum resurrection.” Like the previous titles in this series, The Physics Book helps readers gain an understanding of major concepts without getting bogged down in complex details.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Clifford A. Pickover received his PhD from Yale in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and has written more than 40 books and over 200 articles on such topics as computers and creativity, art, mathematics, black holes, human intelligence, time travel, alien life, religion, and the history of science. . Currently, he is an associate editor for several scientific journals and holds over 60 U.S. patents for inventions dealing with computer graphics and interfaces. His research has received considerable attention from such media outlets as CNN, the Discovery Channel, The New York Times, and WIRED, and his Web site, www.pickover.com, has received millions of visits.

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

⭐”The Physics Book” is Clifford Pickover’s latest version of the illuminated scientific manuscript. This stunning, visually impressive work is a beautiful companion piece to its award winning predecessor, ”

⭐.” In this effort the principles of physics (250 in all) are distilled into single pages of text with accompanying illustrations on the pages to the right. As in “The Math Book” you have an opportunity to focus upon the matter at hand as it etches its essence into your memory without your becoming distracted by other brain teasers that comprise the field of physics (or mathematics) in its totality. And as soon as you feel myopia setting in, you can simply turn the page and it’s as if a new episode of “Star Trek” has begun.The waters run pretty deep as you peruse the pages, but difficult-to-fathom concepts are skillfully explained. “Pauli’s Exclusion Principle” (page 340) is a perfect example. Most descriptions I’ve read of it are rather abstruse, unless you are a physicist. But Pickover provides a wonderful illustration that says it all, one that clearly demonstrates that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. You’ll find this artwork quite humorous if you love dogs.Then, as you scan page after page, the fundamental importance of physics in our everyday lives becomes increasingly obvious. The mystery of the “Baseball Curveball” is explained (page 238). It really does curve (which is explained scientifically by Bernoulli’s Law of Fluid Dynamics), but it also tricks the batter’s eye by distorting his perception of it as the position of the ball shifts from direct to peripheral vision, making it that much more difficult to hit.As the abovementioned demonstrates, Cliff Pickover works very hard to engage the non-specialist, often by choosing topics that already have a large following. Golf, for instance. Did you know that “Golf Ball Dimples” are intended to increase the ball’s flight characteristics as it is driven down the fairway? A ball could be designed that would enable more of us to play like Arnold Palmer. But then, all the old records would be shattered with the new, scientifically engineered balls. This is deftly explained on page 298.Speaking of balls, Buckyballs (page 480) have become objects of intense interest in science. They are named after Buckminister Fuller, the famous engineer, inventor, and philosopher who “created cage like structures, like the geodesic dome, that reminded the C60 discoverers of the buckyball.” Buckyballs may have a future as “superionic’ batteries. They may also have “biological, electrical, optical, and magnetic applications…” This is just another example of the fractal nature of physics and its potential to spawn new technologies from previous archetypes of our understanding.Going deeper, “The Special Theory of Relativity” (STR) on page 292 becomes accessible in an instant as you gaze into the face of a clock that resembles the spiral vortex of the Fibonacci curve. The relativity of space and time is right before your eyes as you swirl down into the infinitesimal center like “Alice in Wonderland.”Think about this for a moment as you listen to Pink Floyd or Vangelis. Then, as your “Lava Lamp” (page 444) turns your brain into “Silly Putty” (page 384) and “Maxwell’s Demon” (page 234) and the “Drinking Bird” (page 386) make you think that you can build a perpetual motion machine, lean back and pet “Schrodinger’s Cat” (page 376) as your mind drifts into “Parallel Universes” (page 418) where you can contemplate “Quantum Immortality” (page 482), and after numerous thermal fluctuations occur over a period of 100 trillion years or more, you might just attain “Quantum Resurrection” (page 516) and float through the universe as one of Boltzmann’s Brains.All of the above is but a thin slice of the wonders that await you within the confines of “The Physics Book!” From the sublime to the everyday, from the noetic to the poetic, it’s all in there, somewhere.

⭐The story of physics is entertaining and thought provoking? Yes!The Physics Book, and author Clifford Pickover, tell the engaging and fascinating story of one of our oldest academic studies, along with the people and brilliant ideas that have shaped our current understanding of the world we live in.Infused with stunning imagery, such as Kepler’s six-cornered snowflake, The Physics Book sparks curiosity and wonder at the very first chapter on Big Bang and left me wanting to read more.Let’s face it, the topic of physics is often perceived as being too difficult to understand. In fact, a popular catch phrase ‘it’s not rocket science,’ suggests that fundamental sciences are beyond our intellectual capacity, and famous physicists, such as Albert Einstein, can be inscrutable. In The Physics Book, Pickover writes his chapters on quantum mechanics or dark matter with the same sense of awe and clarity as the entries on dimples on a golf ball or the slipperiness of ice. A general reader seeking a baseline of scientific knowledge will be equally enthralled with this book, alongside educators or those with a scientific background. Worthy of mention is the book’s impressive final section with Pickover’s notes for further reading.Lastly, what shines through in The Physics Book is the author’s passion for the profound and curious, along with a clear regard for various brilliant minds of the past. It is this contagious fervor that makes this book more than a read, but also a fantastic experience. To quote Cliff Pickover, “…physics cultivates a perpetual state of wonder about the limits of thoughts, the workings of the universe, and our place in the vast space-time landscape that we call home.”

⭐A good survey of interesting topics

⭐Have you ever wondered about physics? What it is, and why it’s important? This book is a great introduction to the various aspects of physics. It is engaging and interesting, while educational and entertaining. As all of Clifford Pickover’s other books, it is put together well and very easy to follow along. To those who have stated any negative comments about it’s “simplicity,” they miss the point that this isn’t an encyclopedia of all knowledge, but more of an eye-opener to give insight to the world of physics. It’s meant to give a subtle introduction, and a push for the reader to get excited about the subject and search elsewhere for expanded explanations and information. And in that, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in how the world works, and what physics has to do with it all.

⭐This series of books are very good introductions to the subjects, yet still of interest to those with a good degree of expertise. They are all similar in format: 9″ tall, 7.5″ wide and some 330 pages thick. At a weight of 3 pounds, they are probably not your first choice for airplane reading, but they are excellent on a living-room or bedside table. Each presents 250 topics in the chosen subject matter, with 250 beautiful full-page photos or illustrations and a full page of text. I have purchased several for myself and friends. There is some overlap between the Physics and Space volumes; Astrophysics is now a large part of astronomy and space physics. There is less overlap and more history in theMath volume. All are highly recommended.

⭐This was an interesting book. It by no means teaches you physics but does give insights into the subject by brief discussions of major events, discoveries, and concepts in physics. It shows how physics is a part of our everyday lives by relating it to such ordinary things as Silly Putty, Superballs, and lava lamps as well as more far-reaching topics as dark energy, lasers, radar, etc. Each two page spread has text on one side and an illustration or photo on the other. While not a deep study of the subject, it is certainly a revealing and enlightening overview of its relevance.

⭐I cannot imagine a better coffee table book. It recounts discoveries in physics through time, from oldest times to now, page by page, discovery by discovery, a whole page dedicated to expose and often explain every discovery, the opposite page with a very well picked illustration, often immensely interesting and pleasent to the eye.Buy it, get it today rather than tomorrow. It’s sister book on mathematics too! A page a day while breakfasting will do easily.

⭐A coffee table book written by a non-physicist who doesn’t know the difference between physics and engineering. Attractive and quite fun and stimulating at times but heavy to hold and only the very keenest teenager is likely to read it right through.

⭐I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in scientific knowledge and inventions.It is ideal to browse through and presents the information in an easy to understand format.

⭐love it, got the book in the living room and every visitor picks it up and finds something amazing in it.

⭐what a book, must have

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