Best of
Physics
1984
The Fourth Dimension: A Guided Tour of the Higher Universes
Rudy Rucker - 1984
and now, The Fourth Dimension is this handy paperback. The result is a fantastic, enlightening, and mind-expanding reading experience. In text, pictures, and puzzles, master science and science fiction writer Rudy Rucker immerses his readers in an amazing exploration of a mysterious realm — a realm once seen only by mystics, physicists, and mathematicians. More accessible than Gödel, Escher, Bach and more playful than The Tao of Physics, Rucker's The Fourth Dimension is the most engaging tour of other dimensions since Flatland.David Povilaitis' 200 drawings illustrate Rucker's heady insights while dozens of puzzles and problems make the book a delight to the eye and mind. As Eileen Pollack has written in her rave review, The Fourth Dimension is "magical ... Its effects persist beyond its covers." That's because, like everything else in the fourth dimension, this is more than a book, it is a mental spaceship capable of grand tours of universes far beyond our own.
General Relativity
Robert M. Wald - 1984
The book includes full discussions of many problems of current interest which are not treated in any extant book, and all these matters are considered with perception and understanding."—S. Chandrasekhar "A tour de force: lucid, straightforward, mathematically rigorous, exacting in the analysis of the theory in its physical aspect."—L. P. Hughston, Times Higher Education Supplement"Truly excellent. . . . A sophisticated text of manageable size that will probably be read by every student of relativity, astrophysics, and field theory for years to come."—James W. York, Physics Today
Relativity Visualized: The Gold Nugget of Relativity Books
Lewis Carroll Epstein - 1984
By replacing equations with diagrams, the book allows non-specialist readers to fully understand the concepts in relativity without the slow, painful progress so often associated with a complicated scientific subject. It allows readers not only to know how relativity works, but also to intuitively understand it.
In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality
John Gribbin - 1984
It is so important that it provides the fundamental underpinning of all modern sciences. Without it, we'd have no nuclear power or nuclear bombs, no lasers, no TV, no computers, no science of molecular biology, no understanding of DNA, no genetic engineering—at all. John Gribbin tells the complete story of quantum mechanics, a truth far stranger than any fiction. He takes us step-by-step into an ever more bizarre and fascinating place—requiring only that we approach it with an open mind. He introduces the scientists who developed quantum theory. He investigates the atom, radiation, time travel, the birth of the universe, superconductors and life itself. And in a world full of its own delights, mysteries and surprises, he searches for Schrödinger's Cat—a search for quantum reality—as he brings every reader to a clear understanding of the most important area of scientific study today—quantum physics.
Solutions of Selected Problems for Mathematical Methods in the Physical
Mary L. Boas - 1984
Intuition and computational abilities are stressed. Original material on DE and multiple integrals has been expanded.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
David R. Lide - 1984
This edition contains NEW tables on Properties of Ionic Liquids, Solubilities of Hydrocarbons in Sea Water, Solubility of Organic Compounds in Superheated Water, and Nutritive Value of Foods. It also updates many tables including Critical Constants, Heats of Vaporization, Aqueous Solubility of Organic Compounds, Vapor Pressure of Mercury, Scientific Abbreviations and Symbols, and Bond Dissociation Energies. The 88th Edition also presents a new Foreword written by Dr. Harold Kroto, a 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.
Theoretical Concepts in Physics: An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics
Malcolm S. Longair - 1984
Highlights include three new chapters on Newton's laws (one on ancient astronomy up to the time of Galileo, one on Galileo, and one on Newton); a new chapter on dimensional methods, chaos and self-organized criticality; and a new chapter on the technology of cosmology. Although all the arguments are presented precisely in physical and mathematical terminology, the book is written in a relatively non-technical manner, intended to convey a deep understanding and appreciation of the incredible achievements of theorists in creating the structure of modern physics. First Edition Hb (1984): 0-521-25550-3 First Edition Pb (1984): 0-521-27553-9
Spinors and Space-Time: Volume 1, Two-Spinor Calculus and Relativistic Fields
Roger Penrose - 1984
This is the first detailed exposition of this technique which leads not only to a deeper understanding of the structure of space-time, but also provides shortcuts to some very tedious calculations. Many results are given here for the first time.
Arithmetic for Entertainment
Yakov Perelman - 1984
It does not only study the arithmetic topics studied in school, but also analyzes how these ones can be used in various other areas and in solving real life problems. Additionally, it does not try to turn enjoyable and entertaining problems into tedious tasks that are often fruitless for serious work. It avoids difficult problems and selects only the material that is accessible for the majority of the readers.
Gauge Theory of Elementary Particle Physics
Ta-Pei Cheng - 1984
It explains technique and methodology with simple exposition backed up by many illustrative examples. Derivations, some of well known results, are presented insufficient detail to make the text accessible to readers entering the field for the first time. The book focuses on the strong interaction theory of quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak interaction theory of Glashow, Weinberg, and Salam, as well as the grand unification theory, exemplified bythe simplest SU(5) model. Not intended as an exhaustive survey, the book nevertheless provides the general background necessary for a serious student who wishes to specialize in the field of elementary particle theory. Physicists with an interest in general aspects of gauge theory will also findthe book highly useful.
Order Out of Chaos: Man's New Dialogue with Nature
Ilya Prigogine - 1984
Stengers and Prigogine show how the two great themes of classic science, order and chaos, which coexisted uneasily for centuries, are being reconciled in a new and unexpected synthesis.
Calculations For A Level Physics (Calculations For A Level Physics)
T.L. Lowe - 1984
A revised edition of the best-selling, most widely used and respected physics calculations book.
Theoretical Concepts in Physics: An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics for Final-Year Undergraduates
M.S. Longair - 1984
Professor Longair gives the basic insights, attitudes, and techniques that are the tools of the professional physicist, in a manner that conveys the intellectual excitement and beauty of the subject. The book is intended to be a supplement to more traditional courses for physics undergraduates, and the author assumes that his readers already have some knowledge of the main branches of physics. As the story unfolds, much of the core material of an undergraduate course in physics is reviewed from a more mature point of view. This is not, in fact, a substitute for existing texts. Rather it goes beyond them by improving the student's appreciation of the subject.
Semi-Simple Lie Algebras and Their Representations
Robert N. Cahn - 1984
Author Robert N. Cahn, who is affiliated with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, has provided a new preface for this edition. Subjects include the killing form, the structure of simple Lie algebras and their representations, simple roots and the Cartan matrix, the classical Lie algebras, and the exceptional Lie algebras. Additional topics include Casimir operators and Freudenthal's formula, the Weyl group, Weyl's dimension formula, reducing product representations, subalgebras, and branching rules. 1984 edition.
Basic Notions of Condensed Matter Physics
Philip Warren Anderson - 1984
The general principles of many-body physics and perturbation theory are emphasised, providing supportive mathematical structure. This is an expansion and restatement of the second half of Nobel Laureate Philip Anderson's classic Concepts in Solids.
Clifford Algebra to Geometric Calculus: A Unified Language for Mathematics and Physics
David Hestenes - 1984
We think the basis for a better arithmetic has long been available, but its versatility has hardly been appreciated, and it has not yet been integrated into the mainstream of mathematics. We refer to the system commonly called 'Clifford Algebra', though we prefer the name 'Geometric Algebm' suggested by Clifford himself. Many distinct algebraic systems have been adapted or developed to express geometric relations and describe geometric structures. Especially notable are those algebras which have been used for this purpose in physics, in particular, the system of complex numbers, the quatemions, matrix algebra, vector, tensor and spinor algebras and the algebra of differential forms. Each of these geometric algebras has some significant advantage over the others in certain applications, so no one of them provides an adequate algebraic structure for all purposes of geometry and physics. At the same time, the algebras overlap considerably, so they provide several different mathematical representations for individual geometrical or physical ideas.
Incompressible Flow
Ronald L. Panton - 1984
Beginning with basic principles, this Third Edition patiently develops the math and physics leading to major theories. The book provides a unified presentation of physics, mathematics, and engineering applications, along with a liberal supplement of helpful exercises and example problems. New features include chapters on the modern measurements of the pipe flow friction factor, expanded details on the mathematics of E2E2Y operator, the Jeffrey-Hamel solution and its limits with Reynolds number, and more. Complete with new problems, solvable with such PC-based calculation software as MathCAD and MATLAB, Incompressible Flow, Third Edition is a valuable resource for professionals in the mechanical, aerospace, civil, and chemical engineering fields.