Best of
Physics

1991

Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character


Richard P. Feynman - 1991
    In the phenomenal national bestsellers and the Nobel Prize-winning physicist recounted in an inimitable voice his adventures trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek, painting a naked female toreador, accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums, solving the mystery of the disaster, and much else of an eyebrow-raising, hugely entertaining, and astounding nature. One of the most influential and creative minds of recent history, Feynman also possessed an unparalleled ability as a storyteller, a delightful coincidence celebrated in this special omnibus edition of his classic stories. Now packaged with an hour-long audio CD of the 1978 "Los Alamos from Below" lecture, offers readers a chance to finally hear a great tale in the orator's own voice.

Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos


Isaac Asimov - 1991
    If you've been searching for a basic text on how the atom works, this is it." --Booklist "A masterpiece."--OmniThe legendary Isaac Asimov starts what is perhaps the most fascinating of all his books with a simple query: how finely can a piece of matter be divided? But like many simple questions, this one leads us on a far-flung quest for a final answer, a search that becomes a series of beautifully structured building blocks of knowledge.It begins with the earliest speculations and investigations by the Greeks and Romans, and then, step by step and century by century, it traces the path of discovery that revealed more and more of the nature of the atom, of light, of gravity, of the electromagnetic force--and even the nature and structure of the universe.Atom also encompasses such phenomena as light and electricity; the protons, neutrons and quarks that are the fundamental units of the universe; hard-to-observe "anti-particles"; and other strange bits of matter that challenge our assumptions about the very nature of space and time.Atom is the only book of its kind, by the renowned author whose genius for bringing clarity and excitement to complex subjects has made him the most celebrated science author of our time.

The Holographic Universe


Michael Talbot - 1991
    Now, two of the world's most eminent thinkers -- University of London physicists David Bohm, a former protege of Einstein's and one of the world's most respected quantum physicists, and Stanford neurophysiologist Karl Pribram, one of the architects of our modern understanding of the brain -- believe that the universe itself may be a giant hologram, quite literally a kind of image or construct created, at least in part, by the human mind. This remarkable new way of looking at the universe explains not only many of the unsolved puzzles of physics, but also such mysterious occurrences as telepathy, out-of-body and near death experiences, "lucid" dreams, and even religious and mystical experiences such as feelings of cosmic unity and miraculous healings.

The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy & Mathematics from Albert Einstein to Stephen W. Hawking & from Annie Dillard to John Updike


Timothy Ferris - 1991
    Each expresses a perspective on the Sciences.

Physics, Volume 2


David Halliday - 1991
    The Fourth Edition of volumes 1 and 2 is concerned with mechanics and E&M/Optics. New features include: expanded coverage of classic physics topics, substantial increases in the number of in-text examples which reinforce text exposition, the latest pedagogical and technical advances in the field, numerical analysis, computer-generated graphics, computer projects and much more.

The Transformation of Man


Jiddu Krishnamurti - 1991
    They look at the delusions, assumptions and wrong thinking that has led human beings to live in this turmoil, confusion and anguish.

University Physics


Harris Benson - 1991
    This revised edition retains the accurate writing of the first edition and incorporates feedback obtained over five successive printings, resulting in a virtually error-free text.

Matter and Motion


James Clerk Maxwell - 1991
    Though by modern standards this small work covers no new ground, it attests to the logical rigor and powers of elucidation of a scientific genius, whose insights into electromagnetism and the chemistry of gases were pivotal to the great discoveries in physics during the 20th century. Einstein described Maxwell's influence on the scientific understanding of the physical universe as "the most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton." Maxwell's ideas also laid the groundwork for Max Planck's subsequent development of the quantum hypothesis.In seven concise and lucidly written chapters, Maxwell covers all the basic concepts of physics: time, space, matter, mass, force, momentum, velocity, acceleration, laws of motion, work, energy, gravitation, and many other ideas. This edition also includes a chapter on equations of motion from Maxwell's classic Electricity and Magnetism, plus two appendices, one on the relativity of motion and the other on the Principle of Least Action.Complete with many useful illustrations to clarify the concepts discussed in the text, this accessible work is well suited for history of science courses or as a still-relevant introduction to basic physics for the average reader.

Continuum Mechanics for Engineers


G. Thomas Mase - 1991
    With the addition of three new chapters and eight new sections to existing chapters, the authors now provide even better coverage of continuum mechanics basics and focus even more attention on its applications.Beginning with the basic mathematical tools needed-including matrix methods and the algebra and calculus of Cartesian tensors-the authors develop the principles of stress, strain, and motion and derive the fundamental physical laws relating to continuity, energy, and momentum. With this basis established, they move to their expanded treatment of applications, including linear and nonlinear elasticity, fluids, and linear viscoelasticityMastering the contents of Continuum Mechanics: Second Edition provides the reader with the foundation necessary to be a skilled user of today's advanced design tools, such as sophisticated simulation programs that use nonlinear kinematics and a variety of constitutive relationships. With its ample illustrations and exercises, it offers the ideal self-study vehicle for practicing engineers and an excellent introductory text for advanced engineering students.

Fire from Ice: Searcing for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor


Eugene J. Mallove - 1991
    Book by Mallove, Eugene J.

Quarks, Symmetries and Strings: A Symposium in Honor of Dr. Sakita's 60th Birthday


Michio Kaku - 1991
    

Fundamentals of Photonics


Bahaa E.A. Saleh - 1991
    Featuring a logical blend of theory and applications, coverage includes detailed accounts of the primary theories of light, including ray optics, wave optics, electromagnetic optics, and photon optics, as well as the interaction of photons and atoms, and semiconductor optics. Presented at increasing levels of complexity, preliminary sections build toward more advanced topics, such as Fourier optics and holography, guided-wave and fiber optics, semiconductor sources and detectors, electro-optic and acousto-optic devices, nonlinear optical devices, optical interconnects and switches, and optical fiber communications. Each of the twenty-two chapters of the first edition has been thoroughly updated. The Second Edition also features entirely new chapters on photonic-crystal optics (including multilayer and periodic media, waveguides, holey fibers, and resonators) and ultrafast optics (including femtosecond optical pulses, ultrafast nonlinear optics, and optical solitons). The chapters on optical interconnects and switches and optical fiber communications have been completely rewritten to accommodate current technology.Each chapter contains summaries, highlighted equations, exercises, problems, and selected reading lists. Examples of real systems are included to emphasize the concepts governing applications of current interest.

Niels Bohr's Times In Physics, Philosophy and Polity


Abraham Pais - 1991
    When it first appeared in 1982, Christian Science Monitor called it an extraordinary biography of an extraordinary man, and Timothy Ferris, in The New York Times Book Review, said it was the biography of Einstein he himself would have liked best, adding that it is a work against which future scientific biographies will be measured. As a respected physicist himself, Pais was the first biographer to give Einstein's thinking its full due, yet despite the occasional high level of science needed to discuss Einstein's ideas, it was the winner of the 1983 American Book Award for Science. Now Pais turns to Niels Bohr, to illuminate the life and thought of another giant of 20th-century physics. Bohr was the first to understand how atoms were put together. He played a major role in shaping the theory of the atomic nucleus, he decoded the atomic spectrum of hydrogen, an achievement which marks him as the founder of the quantum dynamics of atoms, and his concept of complementarity (which provides the philosophical underpinning for quantum theory) qualifies him as one of the twentieth century's greatest philosophers. Pais covers all of these achievements with sophistication and clarity, but he also reveals the many other facets of the man. Perhaps most important, he shows that Bohr was not only a great scientist, but also a great nurturer of young scientific talent, acting as father figure extraordinaire for several generations of physicists. Bohr's Institute of Theoretical Physics, which he founded in Copenhagen and for which he tirelessly raised funds, was the world's leading center for physics all through the 1920s and 1930s, the birthplace of Heisenberg's papers on the uncertainty relations, Dirac's first paper on quantum electrodynamics, and other pivotal works. And Pais reveals as well the personal side of Bohr, the avid reader and crossword puzzle solver (Bohr loved Icelandic sagas, Goethe and Schiller, Dickens and Mark Twain--while studying in England early in his career, he improved his English by reading The Pickwick Papers with a dictionary to one side); his aid to Jews and other refugees in the 1930s and during the war; the tragic loss of his son Christian (who died in a sailing accident right before Bohr's eyes); and his attempts during and after the war to promote openness between East and West, meeting with both Roosevelt and Churchill (the former was quite courteous, the latter lectured Bohr like a schoolboy). Niels Bohr's Times, is a marvelous biography that captures the essence of one of the best-loved figures of this century

A Course in Mathematics for Students of Physics: 2


Paul Bamberg - 1991
    The course covers principally the theory and physical applications of linear algebra and of the calculus of several variables, particularly the exterior calculus. The authors adopt the 'spiral method' of teaching, covering the same topic several times at increasing levels of sophistication and range of application. Thus the reader develops a deep, intuitive understanding of the subject as a whole, and an appreciation of the natural progression of ideas. Topics covered include many items previously dealt with at a much more advanced level, such as algebraic topology (introduced via the analysis of electrical networks), exterior calculus, Lie derivatives, and star operators (which are applied to Maxwell's equations and optics). This then is a text which breaks new ground in presenting and applying sophisticated mathematics in an elementary setting. Any student, interpreted in the widest sense, with an interest in physics and mathematics, will gain from its study.

The Ideas of Particle Physics: An Introduction for Scientists


G.D. Coughlan - 1991
    It bridges the gap between traditional textbooks on the subject and popular accounts that assume little or no background knowledge. Carefully revised and updated, this edition covers all of the important concepts in our modern understanding of particle physics. The theoretical development of the subject is traced from the foundations of quantum mechanics and relativity through to particle discoveries and the formulation of modern string theory. It includes a full description of the prospects for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which will allow many key ideas to be tested. The book is intended for anyone with a background in the physical sciences who wishes to learn more about particle physics. It is also valuable to students of physics wishing to gain an introductory overview of the subject.

Materials Science of Thin Films


Milton Ohring - 1991
    Ohring has contributed many highly regarded reference books to the AP list, including Reliability and Failure of Electronic Materials and the Engineering Science of Thin Films. The knowledge base is intended for science and engineering students in advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate level courses on thin films and scientists and engineers who are entering or require an overview of the field.Since 1992, when the book was first published, the field of thin films has expanded tremendously, especially with regard to technological applications. The second edition will bring the book up-to-date with regard to these advances. Most chapters have been greatly updated, and several new chapters have been added.

Basic Physics And Measurement In Anaesthesia


Geoffrey Donald Parbrook - 1991
    an eminently readable source of information on the physics of anaesthesia and its associated measurements.'(From a review of the second edition in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.)For almost fifteen years, successive editions of this book have provided a clear and comprehensive understanding of physics and its clinical application for safe and reliable anaesthetic practice and this new edition continues in that tradition.Emphasizing throughout the importance of mastering basic physics and measurement, this book aims to provide an understanding of physics and its clinical applications for safe and reliable anaesthetic practice.

Physical Metallurgy Principles


Robert E. Reed-Hill - 1991
    The approach is largely theoretical, but covers all aspects of physical metallurgy and behavior of metals and alloys. The treatment used in this textbook is in harmony with a more fundamental approach to engineering education.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Geophysics


Robert E. Sheriff - 1991
    Hundreds of terms have been added since publication of the third edition in 1991, reflecting rapid evolution of the science, especially in the areas of engineering and production problems, 3D (including multicomponent) acquisition and processing, visualization, S- and converted waves, interpretation, anisotropy, AVO, geostatistics, geohazards, neural networks, tomography, downhole measurements, horizontal drilling, and deep-water work. Definitions of hundreds of other terms have been updated. The Encyclopedic Dictionary's title has been modified slightly to reflect growth in application of geophysical methods, with the word Applied replacing the word Exploration. The dictionary includes a guide to pronunciation and a list of reference figures and tables. A CD-ROM containing the dictionary in searchable PDF format also is included.Also Available: The Microtremor Survey Method - ISBN 1560801204 Applied Seismic Anisotropy: Theory, background & Field - ISBN 156080095X

Astrophysical Techniques


Christopher R. Kitchin - 1991
    The fifth edition of this well-respected text includes many new instruments and techniques while removing some that have long been unused by both professional and amateur astronomers. New to the Fifth EditionBrief discussion on the invention and development of the telescope New section that describes the attempts to detect dark matter and dark energy Extended and updated discussions on computer, Internet, and spacecraft-based observations and research By covering the instruments, techniques, theory, and data processing of astrophysics in sufficient depth, this text forms a thorough grounding for beginners and is a handy reference for more advanced students and professionals.

Introduction to Mathematical Physics: Methods and Concepts


Chun Wa Wong - 1991
    Introduction to Mathematical Physics explains to the reader why and how mathematics is needed in the description of physical events in space. For undergraduates in physics, it is a classroom-tested textbook on vector analysis, linear operators, Fourier series and integrals, differential equations, special functions and functions of a complex variable. Strongly correlated with core undergraduate courses on classical and quantum mechanics and electromagnetism, it helps the student master these necessary mathematical skills. It contains advanced topics of interest to graduate students on relativistic square-root spaces and nonlinear systems. It contains many tables of mathematical formulas and references to useful materials on the Internet. It includes short tutorials on basic mathematical topics to help readers refresh their mathematical knowledge. An appendix on Mathematica encourages the reader to use computer-aided algebra to solve problems in mathematical physics. To request a copy of the Solutions Manual, visit: http: //www.oup.co.uk/academic/physics/admin/....

A First Course in Mechanics


Mary Lunn - 1991
    The text is based on courses given to first and second year undergraduates and has been written with this audience very much in mind. Prerequisites are only a basic familiarity with vectors, matrices, and elementary calculus. The author's aim is to provide an understanding of Newtonian mechanics using the tools of modern algebra. The first chapters of the book introduce the fundamentals of the motion of rigid bodies: Newton's laws, forces, linear and angular momentum, and the conservation of energy. In the later chapters the theory of Lagrangian mechanics is developed and extended to cover applications to impulsive forces. Throughout the theory is illustrated with many worked examples and numerous exercises (some with solutions) are provided.

The Direction of Time


Hans Reichenbach - 1991
    This final work by the distinguished physicist Hans Reichenbach represents the culmination and integration of a lifetime's philosophical contributions and inquiries into the analysis of time. The result is an outstanding overview of such qualitative, or topological, attributes of time as order and direction.Beginning with a discussion of the emotive significance of time, Reichenbach turns to an examination of the time order of mechanics, the time direction of thermodynamics and microstatistics, the time direction of macrostatistics, and the time of quantum physics. He offers coherent explanations of the analytic methods of scientific philosophy in the investigation of probability, quantum mechanics, the theory of relativity, and causality — methods that he not only applies here but also helped to develop and refine.Physics Today observed that "For a generation Professor Reichenbach has worked as almost no other man to bring to the interpretation of modern physics the critical and reflective thinking of a trained philosopher. Most physicists who retain an interest in philosophy, and many who wanted simply to understand physics, have read some of the earlier books of Reichenbach. This one is . . . the best by a good deal." Introduction. Appendix. Index.

Physics of Space Plasmas: An Introduction


George K. Parks - 1991
    Throughout universities in the United States and abroad-it has proven itself indispensable. In the more than ten years since, an amazing number of new space plasma observations have been made. These more recent observations have revealed new and exciting information about space plasma. Now, incorporating new information from several NASA and ESA space missions, the completely revised second edition is expanded to include kinetic physics so that kinetic features in the plasma data can be explained more clearly. In addition, Parks now includes a clear and simple discussion of how electromagnetic fields behave in rotating frames. This thoroughly revised second edition retains the thoughtful examples and problems of the first edition and expands to include new examples, problem sets, schematic diagrams, and images that complement the new material.

Princeton Problems in Physics with Solutions


Nathan Newbury - 1991
    These problems have been culled from the preliminary and general examinations created by the physics department at Princeton University for its graduate program. The authors, all students who have successfully completed the examinations, selected these problems on the basis of usefulness, interest, and originality, and have provided highly detailed solutions to each one. Their book will be a valuable resource not only to other students but to college physics teachers as well. The first four chapters pose problems in the areas of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, thereby serving as a review of material typically covered in undergraduate courses. Later chapters deal with material new to most first-year graduate students, challenging them on such topics as condensed matter, relativity and astrophysics, nuclear physics, elementary particles, and atomic and general physics.

Microhydrodynamics: Principles and Selected Applications


Sangtae Kim - 1991
    . . an eloquent and enduring statement of significant hydrodynamic principles." — AIChE JournalMicrohydrodynamics concerns the flow and related phenomena pertinent to the motion of small particles suspended in viscous fluids. This text focuses on determining the motion of a particle or particles through a viscous fluid in bounded and unbounded flow. Its central theme is the mobility relation between particle motion and forces.Microhydrodynamics: Principles and Selected Applications functions as a manual that explains methods for solving particulate flows at low-Reynolds number, from analytical to computational methods. The ever-increasing growth in computational power has resulted in a similar growth in the range of solvable problems in microhydrodynamics. Suitable for graduate students in engineering and applied mathematics, this text treats the mathematical foundations and highlights the interplay of both mathematical and physical insights, guiding readers through single particle theory and problems related to multiparticle analyses.