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List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £3.56
Author:
Alastair I.M. Rae
By Oneworld Publications
 How quantum devices work., 2008-02-02
"Beginners Guide" is about the relevance of quantum physics to everyday technology: semiconductors and transistors; energy sources and greenhouse gases; some not-so-everyday phenomena like superconductivity and SQUIDS; even the cutting edge stuff of quantum computing and quantum encryption. All are explained in terms of a few precisely stated properties of matter at the atomic scale or smaller. The weirdness of wave-particle duality and indeterminacy become accessible with minimal recourse to mathematics.
In successive chapters an insight is given into how materials acquire their large-scale chemical, physical and electrical properties by reason of what is going on at the level of electron, photon or atom. The way these particles are able to act with a concerted weirdness then seems just as reasonable as their bizarre individual behaviour.
The maths would be even easier to follow if more care had been taken with proofreading. Errors are confined mostly to the panels of mathematical details (where parameters annoyingly come and go like quantum particles) but there are also some in the main text.
Historical background is sketchy. We read: "James Clerk Maxwell . . . around 1860 showed the aether postulate was unnecessary". Arguably, it was he who started this entire goose chase; Michelson and Morley were still on the trail in 1887 and famously drew a blank; a kludge was proposed in 1892 by Lorentz; Einstein cleared things up a bit in 1905 - but the hunt ran and ran.
A brief analysis of how quantum indeterminacy might actually come about is presented in a well-argued short chapter at the end. If this stimulates further interest, then get the excellent companion volume Quantum Physics - Illusion or Reality. Both books are rewarding reads.
List Price: £20.00
Our Price: £10.99
Author:
Stephen William Hawking
By Bantam Press
The Universe in a Nutshell attempts to address the relative difficulty of Hawking's first foray into popular science, A Brief History of Time. While this sold in its millions, few readers got past the first few chapters. Helpfully, this new work is full of beautifully prepared colour illustrations and decorations, and has a "tree-like" structure, so that readers can skip from chapter to chapter without losing the thread. In 200 highly illustrated pages, Hawking is pushing the frontiers of popular physics beyond relativity and quantum theory, past superstring theory and imaginary time, into a dizzying new world of M-theory and branes. It's a colossal venture--one Hawking is uniquely qualified to undertake--but it is crammed into far too small a space. When you consider the other rather good tomes being written on the nature of consciousness these days, the decision to limit The Universe in a Nutshell to the dictates of publishing rather than to the natural parameters of the material is an unfortunate one. Worse, Hawking tries to paper over the complexity of his field. He rushes over the very concepts he should be helping us understand, only to belabour sim...
Universe in a Nutshell review, 2005-01-14
I think this book has a broad appeal for all readers that have an interest in science. When I first bought the book I was worried thet it would be too complicated because my area of expertise is law not science, but it is explained in an interesting and simple way with illustrations and minimal use of maths! Not only will you get an idea of the science behind this book but it will also leave you with philisophical thoughts about the universe and the mysteries that are incomprehensable and yet to be solved.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £4.70
Author:
John Gribbin
By Black Swan
Part history book and part remedial physics text for those who lost interest when the equations started getting unintuitive, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat explains quantum physics in a way that's not only clear, but also enjoyable. Gribbin opens with the subjects that most physics professors have just started to examine by the end of term: the mysterious character of light; the valence concept in Nils Bohr's atomic model; radioactive decay; and the physics of life-defining DNA all get clear, comprehensive and witty coverage. This book reveals the beauty and mystery that underlies everything in the universe. Does this book claim to explain quantum physics without maths? No. Maths is too central to physics to be bypassed. But if you can do basic algebra, you can understand the equations in In Search of Schrödinger's Cat. Gribbin is the physics teacher everyone should have in high school or college: kind without being a pushover, knowledgeable without being condescending, and clearly expressive without being boring. Gribbin's book belongs on the shelf of every pre-calculus student. It also deserves a place in the library of everyone who was scared ...
A great basic text, 2008-08-05
By its very nature physics is a a complex subject and I am always a little dubious of any review that claims to take the uninitiated from ignorance to a full understanding of the universe in less than 300 pages.
In this respect I dont think John Gribbin entirely succeeds either but In search of Scrodingers cat certainly takes a good stab at it. I defy anyone to read even half the book and not come away with a very different view of how the world or indeed worlds work. I would certainly recomend this book to any student about to embark on a Physics degree - Much lighter reading than the standard texts but at the same time provides powerful (and more importantly memorable) illustrations of all the basic principles.
List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £4.26
Author:
Peter Atkins
By OUP Oxford
clarity depth and economy, 2008-02-28
Introduction
This remarkably slim volume primer for basic principles of `Thermodynamics' shows great clarity and economy in its descriptions. If you saw this on a shelf you might consider its of a low academic quality, but i.m.h.o this is a mistake. However please note, this does not contain explicit mathematical descriptions, such as Partial derivatives equations using Vector Calculus e.g. DIV, GRAD, Curl or anything approaching this, so please bear this in mind.
What does it cover?
The Prof. begins by defining energy principles that allow for the quickest, clearest comprehension. The mathematical supporting these statements is largely removed to give an orientating guide to understanding of the reader in the main features of this topic. Topics described with superb clarity are the 'Zeroth Law', and the concept of temperature and work, the conservation of energy, descriptive features about the second law with regard to entropy and work in `Carnot heat engines', and finishing with the unattainably nature of zero k and how this follows into basic quantum theory.
Summary
For what's its worth I have seen a Dr. Engineering (I will not name) use this book as the basis for his lectures. He regarded this volume possessing "deep understanding for a new students perspective" and "is the model of clarity often used by senior tutors to compare their own teaching styles".
List Price: £12.99
Our Price: £2.98
Author:
Marcus Chown
By Faber and Faber
Quantum theory with a bonus., 2008-04-13
This is an absolutely brilliant book and a fine example to any budding science writers. The subject matter is explained in such a straight forward manner that anyone with an interest in the subject should be able to follow it. As a bonus, not only do you get an explanation of "special relativity" which many authors have tackled but in addition a clear and concise explanation of "general relativity" which very few authors have attempted and none of which, to my knowledge, successfully. Whoever designed that childish dust cover should be fired however the contents are absolutely top notch. Diagrams, who needs them when you can write like that. Marcus Chown you have a new fan !
List Price: £17.50
Our Price: £16.62
Author:
Tim Kirk
By OUP Oxford
Good revision Book, 2003-10-06
It is a very good book, it contains everything that you need for the syllabus. It is a good study guide, but not as a text book, it doesn't go in very detail, you might not understand what is says by just reading this book, it just gives you the main points.
List Price: £8.99
Our Price: £3.65
Author:
Richard P. Feynman
By Penguin Books Ltd
Finally, a book about what is known, 2007-01-30
Unlike many books relating to quantum mechanics, and the strange universe that exists on the quantum scale, this book is dedicated to a subject that is known and (as far as can be said about anything relating to the quantum scale) understood.
This book does a superb job of explaining to the layman (such as myself) what quantum electrodynamics is, and restricts itself to doing just that job and doing it well.
List Price: £6.99
Our Price: £2.33
Author:
Frank Close
By OUP Oxford
An excellent book, 2004-09-29
An excellent introduction into this fascinating subject. Starting with basic principles (such as what is matter, its constituents, what we mean by energy, and which are the physical forces in the universe), it leads the reader into the latest experiments of particle physics. This transition is done very smoothly, without confusing the reader. The book does not contain unecessary complicated information or mathematics. It is aimed at the non-specialist who has an interest in the subject and wants to comprehend a few things quickly and easily. I found this book very interesting and well written. I highly recommend it.
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