E-Book Content
is a Professor of Particle Physics and Royal Society advance praise for the quantum universe University Research Fellow at the University of Manchester. He also “A scientific match made in heaven. . . as breezily a written accessible works at the CERN laboratory account of the theory of quantum mechanics as you could wish for.” in Geneva. He has received many awards for his —observer work promoting science, including the prestigious British Association Lord Kelvin Award and, in 2010, an OBE. He is also a popular presenter on TV and radio. He lives in London. “Breaks the rules of popular science writing...[and] admirably shies away from dumbing down .... The authors’ love for their subject-matter shines through the book.” jeff forshaw —the economist is Professor B RIAN COX & J E FF FORSHAW brian cox of Theoretical Physics at the $25.00 / $28.00 CAN BRIAN COX & JEFF FORSHAW Authors of the international bestseller WHY DOES E=mc 2 ? the quantum universe The Quantum Universe brings together the authors of the international bestseller Why Does E=mc2? on a brilliantly ambitious mission to show that everyone can understand the deepest questions of science. “This offering from Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw is a solid introduction to the cializing in the physics of elemen- ‘inescapable strangeness’ of the subatomic world.” In Why Does E=mc²? professors Brian Cox and Jeff tary particles. He was awarded —nature Forshaw took readers on a journey to the frontier the Institute of Physics Maxwell Medal in 1999 for outstanding contributions to theoretical physics. He has cowritten an undergraduate textbook on relativity and is the author of an advanced level monograph on particle physics. He lives in Manchester, England. 2 praise for why does e=mc ? “[Cox and Forshaw] have blazed a clear trail into forbidding territory, from the mathematical structure of space-time all the way to atom bombs, astrophysics, and the origin of mass.” —new scientist “I can think of no one, Stephen Hawking included, who more perfectly combines authority, knowledge, passion, clarity, and powers of elucidation than Brian Cox. If you really want to know how Big Science works and why it matters to each of us in the smallest way then be entertained by this da capo press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com dazzlingly enthusiastic man.” —stephen fry the quantum universe University of Manchester, spe- of twenty-first-century science in order to explain and simplify the world’s most famous equation. Now, with the same captivating clarity and infectious enthusiasm, they’ve set out to reveal the keys to understanding one of physics’ most fascinating yet notoriously perplexing theories: quantum mechanics. Just what is quantum mechanics? How does it help us understand the world? How does it connect with the theories of Newton and Einstein? And most importantly, how, despite all its apparent strangeness, can we be sure that it is a good theory? The subatomic realm has a reputation for weirdness, spawning theories that allow for concrete and astonishing predictions about the world around us, but also any number of profound misunderstandings. In The Quantum Universe Cox and Forshaw cut through the confusion to provide an illumina- Jacket design by Alex Camlin Jacket photograph © GettyImages Author photographs: Brian Cox © Vincent Connare; Jeff Forshaw courtesy of the author (and why anything that can happen, does) ting—and accessible —approach to the world of quantum mechanics, revealing not only what it is and how it works, but why it matte