Void : The Strange Physics of Nothing / James Owen Weatherall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weatherall, James Owen, Author.

Series:

Foundational questions in science.

Foundational Questions in Science

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Physics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (205 pages)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Prologue: Much Ado about Nothing

1. The Plenum and the Void

2. Waves of Space Itself

3. The Nothing Nothings

Epilogue: Why Nothing Really Matters: Quantum Gravity and Beyond

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Feb 2020)

ISBN:

9780300209983

0300209983

9780300224498

0300224494

OCLC:

961455785