Particle or Wave (eBook)

The Evolution of the Concept of Matter in Modern Physics

Charis Anastopoulos (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2020
432 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-22249-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Particle or Wave is the first popular-level book to explain the origins and development of modern physical concepts about matter and the controversies surrounding them. The dichotomy between particle and wave reflects a dispute--whether the universe's most elementary building blocks are discrete or continuous in nature--originating in antiquity when philosophers first speculated about the makeup of the physical world. Charis Anastopoulos examines two of the earliest known theories about matter--the atomic theory, which attributed all physical phenomena to atoms and their motion in the void, and the theory of the elements, which described matter as consisting of the substances earth, air, fire, and water. He then leads readers up through the ages to the very frontiers of modern physics to reveal how these seemingly contradictory ideas still lie at the heart of today's continuing debates. Anastopoulos explores the revolutionary contributions of thinkers like Nicolas Copernicus, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein. He shows how Einstein's ideas about relativity unify opposing concepts by identifying matter with energy, and how quantum mechanics goes even further by postulating the coexistence of the particle and the wave descriptions. Anastopoulos surveys the latest advances in physics on the fundamental structure of matter, including the theories of quantum fields and elementary particles, and new cutting-edge ideas about the unification of all forces. This book reveals how the apparent contradictions of particle and wave reflect very different ways of understanding the physical world, and how they are pushing modern science to the threshold of new discoveries.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 8.12.2020
• Zusatzinfo: 6 halftones. 61 line illus. 14 tables.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Quantenphysik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Thermodynamik
• Schlagworte: Absolute space • Absolute Time • Absolute time and space • acceleration • Alpha particles • Analogy • analytic geometry • Angular momentum • asymptotic freedom • atomic number • atomic theory • Baryon • baryon number • Black Body Radiation • Boson • bosons • Calculation • cathode rays • classical mechanics • Classical physics • conservation law • Conserved quantity • Contact Interactions • coordinate system • Copenhagen Interpretation • Cosmotron • Coulomb's Law • coupling constant • Degrees of freedom (mechanics) • Democritus • Determinism • Double-slit experiment • Dynamism • Eightfold Way • electric charge • Electric Field • Electromagnetic field • Electromagnetic radiation • electromagnetism • elementary particle • Empiricism • energy level • Entanglement • Epicycles • exclusion principle • Explanation • Fermion • Fermions • fluid mechanics • four-vectors • Free particle • gamma particles • Gauge Theory • General relativity • geometric optics • Geometry • Grand Unified Theory • Gravity • hadrons • Helicity • Hermann Weyl • hypothesis • Inertia • Initial Conditions • Instant • Interpretations of quantum mechanics • Isospin • Kinematics • Kinetic Theory • kinetic theory of gases • Laws of Motion • Lepton • lepton number • Locality • Lorentz transformation • Magnetic field • massive particles • Massless particle • mathematician • Mathematics • Maxwell's equations • Measurement • mechanicism • Mechanics • Meson • Modern Physics • Molecule • Molecules • Muon • Neutrino • Neutron • Newton's law of universal gravitation • Newton's laws of motion • Nuclear Force • nucleus • observables • Orbit • particle beam • Particle physics • Paul Dirac • Pauli Exclusion Principle • periodic table • perturbation theory • phenomenon • Photon • physical body • physical quantity • physicist • Physics • Planck constant • Positivism • positrons • Potentiality and actuality • Prediction • Princeton University Press • Proportionality (mathematics) • qualities in physics • Quantity • quantum entanglement • quantum field theory • Quantum Gravity • quantum mechanics • Quantum phases • quantum state • quantum system • Quark • Reality • reference frames • Regularization • Scientist • Special relativity • Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking • Statistical Mechanics • Strong Interaction • symmetry breaking • Technology • Temperature • Theorem • theoretical physics • theory • Theory of relativity • Time • Uncertainty Principle • wave function • Wavelength • Weak Interaction
• ISBN-10: 0-691-22249-5 / 0691222495
• ISBN-13: 978-0-691-22249-3 / 9780691222493