Now in paperback, this grand Gothic novel is about the outer reaches of passion--of the body and of the mind--and about the betrayals that so often breed in that perilous place. Properties of Light carries the reader into the very heart of a physics problem so huge it thwarted even Einstein: the nature of light.

An exploration of mankind's fascination with worlds beyond our own-by the bestselling author of The Physics of Star Trek Lawrence Krauss -an international leader in physics and cosmology-examines our long and ardent romance with parallel universes, veiled dimensions, and regions of being that may extend tantalizingly beyond the limits of our perception. Krauss examines popular culture's current embrace (and frequent misunderstanding) of such topics as black holes, life in other dimensions, strings, and some of the more extraordinary new theories that propose the existence of vast extra dimensions alongside our own. BACKCOVER: "An astonishing and brilliantly written work of popular science." -Science a GoGo "A brilliant, thrilling book . . . You'll have so much fun reading that you'll hardly notice you're getting a primer on contemporary physics and cosmology." -Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

For sophomore-level courses in modern physics. This comprehensive text provides a clear, correct, and up-to-date introduction and survey of the topics of importance to tomorrow's engineers and scientists. The presentation includes the description of the history of the topics, to show students how we got to where we are; it stresses the importance of observation and experiment; and it emphasizes numbers, so that students develop a feel for the magnitudes involved and for when different principles become important.

Aerodynamics by Theodore Von Karman is a classic textbook that provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of aerodynamics. The book covers the fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics, including the behavior of gases and liquids, the equations of motion, and the principles of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. It also explores the physics of aerodynamic forces, such as lift and drag, and the role of viscosity and turbulence in the flow of fluids. The book includes detailed discussions of various aerodynamic phenomena, such as boundary layers, shock waves, and vortices, and their impact on aircraft design and performance. It also covers the design and analysis of airfoils, wings, and other aerodynamic components, as well as the principles of aircraft stability and control. Written by one of the most renowned figures in the field of aerodynamics, this book is an essential resource for students and professionals in the aerospace industry, as well as anyone interested in the science of flight. With its clear explanations, extensive illustrations, and practical examples, Aerodynamics is a valuable reference for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the principles that govern the behavior of fluids in motion.Selected Topics In The Light Of Their Historical Development.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This book is about how the wonderful diversity of the universe can arise out of a set of fairly simple basic laws. It is written by an expert in both the fundamental laws and the complex structures that they can produce.' Stephen Hawking's acclaim of Murray Gell-Mann's literary debut is typical of the reception the book received on first publication in 1994. From one of the twentieth century's greatest scientists comes this unique, highly personal vision of the connections between the basic laws of physics and the complexity and diversity of the natural world. THE QUARK AND THE JAGUAR - the simple and the complex - is an irresistibly engaging and rewarding introduction to the life's work of physicist, polymath and Nobel Laureate Murray Gell-Mann.

The subtitle of this volume is exact, for Leo Szilard's work ranged from physics to biology; he crossed over with ease from the world of neutrons to that of neurons, from the nuclei of atoms to the nuclei of cells. At a deeper level, all of these research activities converge, unified as they are by Szilard's interest in the fundamental ideas of order and organization that underlie them all. It is no accident, as Jacques Monod notes in this foreword, that this interest should appear explicitly as the subject of one of his very first papers, and of his last. In the former, concerning the operations of an intelligent being on a thermodynamic system, Szilard anticipated by many years the entropic formulation of information theory, while the latter, "On Memory and Recall," is concerned with the organization of the central nervous system. Szilard's spontaneous, unrepressed flow of ideas was followed by a critical process of selection and refinement, which may account for the relatively small number of published papers—under thirty—found in this collection. The papers are arranged chronologically, and their ordering comprises a resume of Szilard's scientific life. The first group of papers, 1925-1939, all deal with various aspects of physics—thermodynamics, x-ray crystallography, and nuclear physics. The work in this last area includes studies of neutron bombardment and of the possibilities of nuclear fission and chain reactions, which Szilard was among the first to envision. The second group, 1940-1945, comprises the first publication of documents relating to the Manhattan Project, and reflect Szilard's part in it. Most of these documents were previously classified. There are no scientific papers from the years 1946-1948. These were years when Szilard was intensely active in the political and social arena, attempting to bring the atomic bomb under international control. Documents relating to this struggle, and to his earlier leadership in efforts both to undertake the atomic project and to prevent the bomb's use without warning against Japan, will be collected in another volume. It was also during these critical years that Szilard's interest decisively turned from physics to biology. The third group covers the years 1949-1964, when Szilard's interest centered around biological problems. Among these are the regulation of cellular metabolism, antibody formation, the aging process, and the functioning of the central nervous system. A final section of the book reproduces patents and patent applications of historic importance dating from 1923 to 1959, and ranging from the invention of a refrigerator, jointly with Albert Einstein; an application anticipating the cyclotron in 1928; and the general concepts of a nuclear chain reaction in 1934 to the first patent on the nuclear reactor granted jointly to Fermi and Szilard.

This exploration of the mathematical methods of physics takes a careful look at mathematical entities and explains their elementary properties. Its examples, drawn from the physical sciences, illustrate the application of concepts. The theory of distributions is introduced early and employed throughout the text. Concise rather than comprehensive, this text states only essential results in its proofs. Topics include preliminary results in the integral calculus, elementary theory of distributions, convolution, Fourier series and the Fourier transform, the Laplace transform, wave and heat conduction equations, the gamma function, and Bessel functions. Prerequisites include a familiarity with linear algebra and functions of a complex variable.

From Simon & Schuster, The Eagles Quest is a story of a physicist finding the scientific truth at the heart of the Shamanic world. The Eagle's Quest is an exploration of shamanism and its interaction with quantum physics examines natural healing, shape shifting, fire walking, near-death and out-of body experiences, lucid dreaming, and time traveling.

Analyzes the theoretical questions related to electron and photon interactions at high energies.

Prologue.- A. Fall Quarter: Quantum Kinematics.- 1 Measurement Algebra.- 2 Continuous q, p Degree of Freedom.- 3 Angular Momentum.- 4 Galilean Invariance.- B. Winter Quarter: Quantum Dynamics.- 5 Quantum Action Principle.- 6 Elementary Applications.- 7 Harmonic Oscillators.- 8 Hydrogenic Atoms.- C. Spring Quarter: Interacting Particles.- 9 Two-Particle Coulomb Problem.- 10 Identical Particles.- 11 Many-Electron Atoms.- 12 Electromagnetic Radiation.

In these essays Heinz von Foerster discusses some of the fundamental principles that govern how we know the world and how we process the information from which we derive that knowledge. Included are path- breaking articles concerning the principles of computation in neural nets (1967), the definition of self-organizing systems (1960), the nature of cognition (1970), as well as recent expansions on these themes (e.g. "How recursive is communication," 1993). Working with Norbert Wiener, Warren McCullough, and others in the 1960s and 1970s, von Foerster was one of the founders of the science of cybernetics, which has had profound effects both on modern systems theory and on the philosophy of cognition. At the Biological Computer Laboratory at the University of Illinois he produced the first parallel computers and contributed to many other developments in the theory of computation and cognition.

The material presented in this invaluable textbook has been tested in two courses. One of these is a graduate-level survey of statistical physics; the other, a rather personal perspective on critical behavior. Thus, this book defines a progression starting at the book-learning part of graduate education and ending in the midst of topics at the research level. To supplement the research-level side the book includes some research papers. Several of these are classics in the field, including a suite of six works on self-organized criticality and complexity, a pair on diffusion-limited aggregation, some papers on correlations near critical points, a few of the basic sources on the development of the real-space renormalization group, and several papers on magnetic behavior in a plain geometry. In addition, the author has included a few of his own papers.

Unlock the mysteries of the universe with this guide that makes one of the most complex fields of science both accessible and as mind-blowing as a great poem. Quantum theory forms the foundation of modern physics, explaining everything from the tiniest particles to the vast expanse of the cosmos. Yet, for many, it remains a perplexing enigma. In this engaging and informative book, physicists Lederman and Hill break down the complexities of quantum physics for curious minds, weaving together history, science, and storytelling to illuminate the breakthroughs of renowned figures like Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrödinger. The book explores the bizarre realities of quantum mechanics—particles that can exist in multiple places at once, waves that shift when observed, and the paradoxes that even confounded Einstein. It also delves into the latest developments in field theory and string theory, offering readers a glimpse into quantum physics’ most fascinating frontiers. With clear analogies, vivid examples, and a touch of humor, Quantum Physics for Poets reveals how this science shapes everything from groundbreaking technologies to the fundamental nature of reality itself. Whether you're a science enthusiast or a curious reader, this book invites you to savor the wonders of the quantum world. "A sparkling and articulate new account of how the quantum revolution changed 20th century science – and, as a further delight, how physics and poetry can speak the same language." ― Chicago Tribune

Fear of Physics is a lively, irreverent, and informative look at everything from the physics of boiling water to cutting-edge research at the observable limits of the universe. Rich with anecdotes and accessible examples, it nimbly ranges over the tools and thought behind the world of modern physics, taking the mystery out of what is essentially a very human intellectual endeavor.