The Infinity Puzzle (Paperback)

Frank Close

ISBN 10: 0465063829 / ISBN 13: 9780465063826

Published by Basic Books, 2013

About this Item

Paperback. Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But there's more at stake,what we're really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable. Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesn't make sense,its outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to renormalize" field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world. The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it. "Mr Close's magisterial work is sure to become the definitive account"-The Economist Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780465063826

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Infinity Puzzle (Paperback)
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465063829
• ISBN 13: 9780465063826
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But there's more at stake -- what we're really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable.

Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesn't't make sense -- its outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to "renormalize" field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world.

The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it.

About the Author

Frank Close is a professor of physics at the University of Oxford. A longtime science writer, Close is the author of many books, including The Infinity Puzzle, Neutrino, Nothing, The Void, and The Cosmic Onion. He lives in Abingdon, England.