Physics Reading for Non-Physicists
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:30 pm
Hi all,
Just thought I'd tell you about a book I've just read, Collider, by Paul Halpern. The sleeve note says "Halpern starts you off with a crash course in the essentials of physics. With clear explanations of the Standard Model, the four forces that govern the universe (weak, strong, gravity, and electromagnetism), and the vast array of particles already discovered using colliders, he helps you understand why scientists might be on the verge of confirming or disproving some of the predictions of string theory and how the LHC could help unlock the mysteries of dark matter, dark energy, supersymmetry, and portals to higher dimensions. You'll also find out why the theoretical Higgs boson is often referred to as the God particle and how its discovery could change our understanding of the universe".
I found the whirlwind tour of physics, particles and collider development quite easy to digest, with no maths apart from the usual E=mc2 (and even that is explained very well!). Great for the untrained / amateur physicist.
232 pages of text, plus detailed Notes, exhaustive further reading list, and an index. Published mid-2009, so quite timely and still relevant.
ISBN 978-0-470-28620-3
PS. Absolutely no mention whatsoever of "magnetic holes", whatever the heck they are!
Just thought I'd tell you about a book I've just read, Collider, by Paul Halpern. The sleeve note says "Halpern starts you off with a crash course in the essentials of physics. With clear explanations of the Standard Model, the four forces that govern the universe (weak, strong, gravity, and electromagnetism), and the vast array of particles already discovered using colliders, he helps you understand why scientists might be on the verge of confirming or disproving some of the predictions of string theory and how the LHC could help unlock the mysteries of dark matter, dark energy, supersymmetry, and portals to higher dimensions. You'll also find out why the theoretical Higgs boson is often referred to as the God particle and how its discovery could change our understanding of the universe".
I found the whirlwind tour of physics, particles and collider development quite easy to digest, with no maths apart from the usual E=mc2 (and even that is explained very well!). Great for the untrained / amateur physicist.
232 pages of text, plus detailed Notes, exhaustive further reading list, and an index. Published mid-2009, so quite timely and still relevant.
ISBN 978-0-470-28620-3
PS. Absolutely no mention whatsoever of "magnetic holes", whatever the heck they are!