The universe and the atom / Don Lichtenberg.

Author
Lichtenberg, D. B. (Don Bernett), 1928- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Singapore ; Hackensack, N.J. : World Scientific, ©2007.
Description
xv, 311 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Lewis Library - Stacks QC806 .L53 2007 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    "This is an account of the very large and the very small, from the universe as a whole to subatomic physics. It includes qualitative explanations of quantum mechanics and relativity, the big bang with inflation, the synthesis of elements, atoms, nuclei, subnuclear physics, quarks, leptons, and other elementary particles. It also gives an account of dark matter and dark energy. In summary, it provides an overview of what we know about the universe and what it is made of, and also what we don't know."--Jacket.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-302) and index.
    Contents
    • Preface
    • 1. Early ideas about the universe
    • 1.1 The earth
    • 1.2. The heavens
    • 1.3. The views of Aristotle and Aristarchus
    • 1.4. The Copernican revolution
    • 2. The solar system and beyond
    • 2.1. Elliptical orbits
    • 2.2. Galileo's contributions
    • 2.3. The stars
    • 3. Newton's ideas about space and time
    • 3.1. Infinite space
    • 3.2. Infinite time
    • 3.3. Scalars and vectors
    • 3.4. Four-dimensional spacetime
    • 3.5. Velocity and acceleration
    • 4. Early ideas of motion
    • 4.1. Zeno's paradoxes
    • 4.2. Aristotle's views on motion
    • 4.3. Galileo on motion
    • 5. Newton's laws of motion
    • 5.1. The first law
    • 5.2. The second law
    • 5.3. The third law
    • 5.4. Frames of reference
    • 6. Newton's theory of gravity
    • 6.1. An apple and the moon
    • 6.2. Action at a distance
    • 6.3. Fields
    • 7. Energy and momentum
    • 7.1. Work
    • 7.2. Energy
    • 7.3. Conservation of energy
    • 7.4. Momentum
    • 7.5. Conservation of momentum
    • 7.6. Angular momentum.
    • 8. Electricity and magnetism
    • 8.1. Electricity
    • 8.2. Magnetism
    • 8.3. Electromagnetism
    • 9. Wave motion
    • 9.1. Sound waves
    • 9.2. The Doppler effect for sound
    • 9.3. Light waves
    • 9.4. The Doppler effect for light
    • 10. Relativity
    • 10.1. Limitations of Newton's laws
    • 10.2. New laws of motion
    • 10.3. The twin paradox
    • 10.4. Light as a limiting speed
    • 10.5. The equivalence principle
    • 10.6. Gravity as curved spacetime
    • 10.7. Black holes
    • 11. Atoms
    • 11.1 Early ideas on atoms
    • 11.2. Evidence for the existence of atoms
    • 11.3. The composition of atoms
    • 11.4. The atomic nucleus
    • 12. Early days of quantum theory
    • 12.1. Blackbody radiation
    • 12.2. Photoelectric effect
    • 12.3. Line spectra
    • 12.4. Bohr model of the atom
    • 13. Quantum mechanics
    • 13.1. Particle waves
    • 13.2. Nonrelativistic quantum mechanics
    • 13.3. Heisenberg's uncertainty relations
    • 13.4 Interference in quantum mechanics
    • 13.5. Relativistic quantum mechanics
    • 13.6. Spin and statistics
    • 13.7. Entanglement.
    • 14. The elements
    • 14.1. Quantum restrictions on angular momentum
    • 14.2. Building up the elements
    • 14.3. Compounds
    • 15. Nuclear physics
    • 15.1. The strong force
    • 15.2. Atomic nuclei
    • 15.3. Nuclear fusion
    • 15.4. More about radioactivity
    • 15.5. Nuclear fission
    • 16. Elementary particles
    • 16.1. What is an elementary particle?
    • 16.2. The fundamental strong force
    • 16.3. The weak force
    • 16.4. The standard model
    • 17. The sun and the solar system
    • 17.1. The sun
    • 17.2. The planets
    • 18. The milky way
    • 18.1. The stars
    • 18.2. Stellar evolution
    • 18.3. The galaxy
    • 19. The universe
    • 19.1. Expansion of the universe
    • 19.2. The cosmic microwave background radiation
    • 19.3. The big bang
    • 19.4. Inflation
    • 19.5. What is the universe made of?
    • 20. Speculations
    • 20.1. Supersymmetry
    • 20.2. Superstrings.
    ISBN
    • 9789812706065
    • 9812706062
    • 9789812705617 ((pbk.))
    • 9812705619 ((pbk.))
    LCCN
    2010279232
    OCLC
    148861349
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