Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, 2nd Edition - Softcover

Spielberg, Nathan; Anderson, Bryon D.

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9780471306061: Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe, 2nd Edition

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471306061 ISBN 13: 9780471306061

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1995

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A fascinating look at seven of the most important and revolutionary ideas of physics. The authors have updated the material in view of recent developments and expanded their discussion of the impact of developments in physics on philosophy, literature and the arts. Mathematical explanations of concepts are provided as well as the addition of more questions and several algebra-based problems.

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From the Back Cover:

Before Einstein Began His Career As A Pop Icon, He Dabbled A Bit In The Inner Workings Of The Universe. Albert Einstein has had a pretty good career since his death. Just look around— in the 1990s you’ll find him selling PCs, guest-starring on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and popping up in uncounted New Yorker cartoons. Although it is gratifying that Einstein is a household word today, many people have an unclear understanding of what he actually did. The same is true for Galileo, Newton, and many others. What these scientific luminaries did is no less than totally restructure the basic assumptions and understandings of philosophers, scientists, educators, and religious leaders of their day! Now, you can discover seven scientific revolutions that shook the very foundation of human understanding of the physical world! This fascinating book explores seven of the most important themes in physics:

The Earth is not the center of the universe (Copernican astronomy)
The universe is a mechanism run by rules (Newtonian mechanics and causality)
Energy is what makes it go (the concept of energy)
Entropy tells it where to go (entropy and probability)
The facts are relative but the law is absolute (relativity)
You can’t predict or know everything (quantum theory and the end of causality)
Fundamentally, things never change (conservation principles and symmetry)

The authors put each of these ideas into its historical and philosophical context, and explains how it came about. They present historical facts and connections to literature and philosophy, and assess each idea’s impact on the way we think about time, space, and matter. Whether you’re a science devotee, a lover of ideas, or just plain curious, Seven Ideas that Shook the Universe will immerse you in the inside story of scientific discovery and development, and help you understand the fundamental ideas of physics that shape the modern view of our physical universe!

About the Author:

NATHAN SPIELBERG and BRYON D. ANDERSON are physics professors at Kent State University.

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