Unifying the universe : the physics of heaven and earth / Hasan S. Padamsee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Padamsee, Hasan, 1945-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Physics--History.

Physics.

Cosmology--History.

Cosmology.

History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 667 pages, 14 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), 1 map ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Bristol ; Philadelphia : IOP, [2003]

Summary:

Providing a solid background in basic physics, this book shows how science is significant for more than its technological consequences. The book includes clear and well-planned links to the arts and philosophies of relevant historical periods to bring science and the humanities together. Professor David Lee (Nobel Laureate in Physics) of Cornell University calls the book" a beautiful discussion of the progression of our understanding of the physical world and universe." and Professor Brian Greene of Columbia University says it is" a masterful synthesis of humanity's long search to understand the deep workings of the universe."

Contents:

Pt. 1. The earth. The shapes of nature: beginnings of scientific thought

Matter in motion, an elementary quest: beyond reason and observation

Science lost, science regained: the rise of empiricism

Terrestrial motion: dynamic symmetries

pt. 2. The heavens. Celestial motion: a heavenly romance with the solar system

Spherical models: scaling the cosmos

Reformation and revolution: changing perspectives

Laws of motion in the heavens: opening new doors through precision

A new heaven: a wide-open universe

pt. 3. Synthesis. Rise of the mechanical universe: unifying space and time

Universal gravitation: the first synthesis

Epilogue: Unity in physics.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 646-653) and index.

ISBN:

0750307587

OCLC:

51619048