Textbook in PDF format
Unlike many textbooks or popular science books, A Simple Guide to Popular Physics has truly been crafted for the uninitiated or those spooked by the subject's complexity.
Inviting and illuminating, this introduction to physics truly targets the reader who is entirely new to the subject.
Harris's inviting guide promises to give "absolute beginners" from "teens to centenarians" a basic grounding in particle physics, quantum physics, and cosmology-all without making readers do math. With the goal of introducing the basics and encouraging readers to explore more deeply afterwards, Harris notes "Like the fish we have no notion of what is beyond the boundaries of our knowledge, but unlike the fish, we know there is something." He starts by presenting those boundaries, the fundamentals of classic physics (Newton's law, states of matter, types of energy), with crisp clarity before laying out an accessible explanation of Einstein's theory of relativity, the structure of the atom, the mysteries of quantum mechanics and cosmology.
Readers will not need to search online for key terms or explanations of concepts that have been glossed over. Instead, one by one, with patience and good humor, Harris introduces each of these building blocks of our universe, taking a little time to invite readers to contemplate the momentousness of the information, as in the chapter titled nothing less than "What Is Reality?"
The watchword, here, is clarity, which Harris offers throughout, with professional illustrations and illuminating accounts of experiments and breakthroughs, offering a solid foundation for understanding and future reading.
Introduction
The Professo’s Diamond
Some Basics of Classical Physics
What is Reality?
Einstein
The Atom
Quantum Matters. The electron cloud model
Cosmology
The cosmic microwave background
Conclusion |
