Synopsis
Physics is a complex and daunting topic, but it is also deeply satisfying--even thrilling. And it is absolutely one you can understand. Absolutely Small develops your intuition for the very nature of things at their most basic and intriguing levels by demystifying the world of quantum science. Just as we can understand the concept of gravity without solving a single equation, author Michael D. Fayer, professor of chemistry at Stanford University, uses examples from the everyday world to help you understand quantum science like never before. Exploring a range of scientific concepts--from particles of light, to probability, to states of matter, to what makes greenhouse gases bad--in considerable depth, he provides readers the answers to questions like: What makes blueberries blue and strawberries red? Does sound really travels in waves? and Why does light behave so differently from any other phenomenon in the universe? Challenging without being intimidating and accessible but not condescending, Absolutely Small liberates physics from its mathematical underpinnings so anyone with curiosity and imagination can explore its beauty.
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Book Description
Physics is a complex, even daunting topic, but it is also deeply satisfying—even thrilling. And liberated from its mathematical underpinnings, physics suddenly becomes accessible to anyone with the curiosity and imagination to explore its beauty. Science without math? It’s not that unusual. For example, we can understand the concept of gravity without solving a single equation. So for all those who may have pondered what makes blueberries blue and strawberries red; for those who have wondered if sound really travels in waves; and why light behaves so differently from any other phenomenon in the universe, it’s all a matter of quantum physics.
Absolutely Small presents (and demystifies) the world of quantum science like no book before. It explores scientific concepts—from particles of light, to probability, to states of matter, to what makes greenhouse gases bad—in considerable depth, but using examples from the everyday world.
Challenging without being intimidating, accessible but not condescending, Absolutely Small develops the reader’s intuition for the very nature of things at their most basic and intriguing levels.
From the Back Cover
What gives objects their color? Why does copper conduct electricity, but glass does not? Why is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas while oxygen and nitrogen are not? These are basic questions about how our world works that can’t be answered with the usual explanations.
Instead, we must turn to the fascinating field of quantum theory. Absolutely Small investigates the counterintuitive world of the tiniest particles on earth—photons, electrons, atoms, and molecules—that act nothing like objects in our human-sized world and actually upend conventional notions of physics.
Absolutely Small opens up this extraordinary field to nonscientists, as it presents complex ideas without the complex equations. You’ll finally “get it” about quantum physics and quantum chemistry, now made accessible and understandable like never before—the math-drenched bestsellers of Stephen Hawking don’t even come close!
Advance Praise for Absolutely Small
“There are a few books that I always keep near at hand, and constantly come back to. The Feynman Lectures on Physics and Dirac’s classic textbook on quantum mechanics are among them. Michael Fayer’s wonderful new book, Absolutely Small, is about to join them. Whether you are a scientist or just curious about how the world works, this is the book for you.” — Leonard Susskind, Professor of Physics, Stanford University; author of The Black Hole War: My Battle With Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics (Professor Susskind is widely regarded as one of the fathers of string theory.)
“Absolutely Small by Professor Michael Fayer provides us with a clear way of visualizing the strange world of the quantum, and provides a deep understanding of many of its bizarre features; features that often on first encounter seem to defy our everyday experiences.”— Richard N. Zare, Professor in Natural Science at Stanford University; and Chairman, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University (Professor Zare is renowned for his research in the area of laser chemistry, resulting in a greater understanding of chemical reactions at the molecular level. He has received numerous honors and awards.)
“Most lay readers think of the world of quantum mechanics as abstruse stuff accessible only to highly trained scientists. In this absolutely terrific book, Michael Fayer seemingly breaks one of the iron laws of science by making this material both lively and accessible.”— Richard A. Epstein, James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law, The University of Chicago
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