Void: The Strange Physics Of Nothing

Author: James Owen Weatherall

Stock information

General Fields

  • : 42.00 NZD
  • : 9780300209983
  • : Yale University Press
  • : Yale University Press
  • :
  • : 0.399161
  • : October 2016
  • : 210mm X 140mm
  • : United States
  • : February 2017
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • :
  • : James Owen Weatherall
  • : Foundational Questions in Science Ser.
  • : Hardback
  • : 1
  • :
  • : English
  • : 530.01
  • : 224
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Barcode 9780300209983
9780300209983

Description

The rising star author of The Physics of Wall Street explores why "nothing" may hold the key to the next era of theoretical physics

James Owen Weatherall's previous book, The Physics of Wall Street, was a New York Times best-seller and named one of Physics Today's five most intriguing books of 2013. In his newest volume, he takes on a fundamental concept of modern physics: nothing. The physics of stuff--protons, neutrons, electrons, and even quarks and gluons--is at least somewhat familiar to most of us. But what about the physics of nothing? Isaac Newton thought of empty space as nothingness extended in all directions, a kind of theater in which physics could unfold. But both quantum theory and relativity tell us that Newton's picture can't be right. Nothing, it turns out, is an awful lot like something, with a structure and properties every bit as complex and mysterious as matter. In his signature lively prose, Weatherall explores the very nature of empty space--and solidifies his reputation as a science writer to watch.

Reviews

"The scholarship is excellent ... useful, educational, and entertaining."-Matthew Stanley, New York University -- Matthew Stanley

Author description

James Owen Weatherall is associate professor of logic and philosophy of science at the University of California, Irvine, and author of The Physics of Wall Street. He lives in Irvine, CA, with his wife and twin daughters.