Physics Books - Page 5

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next

Lee Smolin

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Mariner Books Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $4.79

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Physics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 108 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Brilliant account of the present state of physics 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Theoretical physicist Lee Smolin notes, "One question that has bedeviled the [quantum] theory from the beginning is the question of the relationship between reality and the formalism", that is, between the real material world and our ideas about it. Smolin backs materialism against idealism writing, "It cannot be that reality depends on our existence."

He attacks the idea that it is 'as though the universe had been designed to accommodate us'. The universe has evolved in a way that has produced the conditions that make our lives possible. This does not mean that it was designed, still less that it was designed for us.

Smolin tells the story of how the American physicist Freeman Dyson in 1947 read Einstein's efforts to construct a unified-field theory and decided that they were junk. Unfortunately he didn't have the nerve to tell Einstein this - but he should have done, because it might have helped Einstein to do better.

Currently, string theory is the leading paradigm in physics. But its research programme has found no grounding in experimental results or mathematical formulation. As one of its pioneers, Daniel Friedan, later wrote, "String theory cannot give any definite explanations of existing knowledge of the real world and cannot make any definite predictions. The reliability of string theory cannot be evaluated, much less established. String theory has no credibility as a candidate theory of physics." Smolin writes, "the existence of a population of other universes is a hypothesis that cannot be confirmed by direct observation; hence, it cannot be used in an explanatory fashion."

Fortunately, there are approaches other than string theory, new theoretical and experimental developments, like doubly special relativity, which claims that in the early universe the speed of light was faster.

Smolin argues that there was continual progress in physics between 1780 and 1980, but none since. University physics departments have become dominated by conventional research programmes, threatening both academic freedom and progress. Original minds are dismissed as 'too intellectually independent'.

He argues that physics needs a revolution questioning the basic assumptions of relativity, quantum theory and the foundations of space and time. He ends by urging young people never to let others do their thinking for them.

Editorial Review:

In this illuminating book, the renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin argues that fundamental physics -- the search for the laws of nature -- losing its way. Ambitious ideas about extra dimensions, exotic particles, multiple universes, and strings have captured the public's imagination -- and the imagination of experts. But these ideas have not been tested experimentally, and some, like string theory, seem to offer no possibility of being tested. Yet these speculations dominate the field, attracting the best talent and much of the funding and creating a climate in which emerging physicists are often penalized for pursuing other avenues. As Smolin points out, the situation threatens to impede the very progress of science. With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin offers an unblinking assessment of the troubles that face modern physics -- and an encouraging view of where the search for the next big idea may lead.

Conceptual Physics

Paul G. Hewitt

Amazon Price: $108.80 List Price: $136.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Addison Wesley Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 149 new & used starting at $74.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Physics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Beware that the lab book comes with package edition 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my high school daughter so I can't really rate it. But be aware that the lab book comes with the package edition so don't order it separately or you'll have to send it back like I did.

I was actually looking for a replacement to this book 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

...When I bumped into it during my search for a new physics book.

I'm a high schooler taking Physics. My teacher never uses this book.I decided to crack it open one day because my teacher doesn't explain things well so I thought maybe I could teach myself through the textbook. Too bad it friggin sucks. Everything is explained horribly, and one of the most confusing things, projectile motion, is totally left out. This is just the beginning of the school year so I am unsure how many other important subjects are left out of this book.

Plus, although this might not bother you as much as it did me, there are really crappy kiddy cartoons throughout the book. They are not funny nor helpful.
Worst textbook I've ever received.

Editorial Review:

Written for students of introductory physics, this best-selling text offers students an upbeat, non-threatening overview of the discipline which focuses on concepts and critical thinking rather than number-crunching. It presents physics in a language students can comprehend, using analogies and mental imagery based on real world situations. Mathematical equations, formulas, and calculations appear as a footnote on the page to reference and supplement chapter concepts and help students see the connection between math and science.

Physics: Principles with Applications

Douglas C. Giancoli

Amazon Price: $131.46 List Price: $174.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 139 new & used starting at $95.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Physics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

outstanding 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 22 people found this review helpful.

I used Giancoli as my primary text in high school, and found it to be a superb text. I think those complaining of a lack of worked problems are missing the entire point of this text and the essence of studying physics. This book is about understanding physics principles and the equations you use to solve physics problems. You will find that with this understanding (certainly provided by this excellent text), the need for mindless ploughing through physics problems is lost. You will be able to solve physics problems on the basis of your conceptual understanding of the problems. So many students rely on rote learning and repetition by doing hundreds of questions. Sure, you might be able to attack similar problems for the next week or so, but as soon as you stop practicing, the skill is lost. True mastery of physics comes from appreciation of principles, not mere recognition of patterns in problems...this text will help you achieve such an appreciation.

Editorial Review:

For algebra-based introductory physics courses taken primarily by pre-med, agricultural, technology, and architectural students. This best-selling algebra-based physics text is known for its elegant writing, engaging biological applications, and exactness. Physics: Principles with Applications, 6e retains the careful exposition and precision of previous editions with many interesting new applications and carefully crafted new pedagogy. It was written to give students the basic concepts of physics in a manner that is accessible and clear. The goal is for students to view the world through eyes that know physics.

Mechanics of Materials

Ferdinand Beer, Jr.,E. Russell Johnston, John DeWolf, David Mazurek

Amazon Price: $142.19 Usually ships in 7 to 11 days By: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $142.19

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Civil -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Civil -> General AAS
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Materials Science -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Don't waste your money... 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Don't waste your money purchasing the PDF files here, as they are likely from someone who downloaded them for free as a torrent.

Editorial Review:

At McGraw-Hill, we believe Beer and Johnston�s Mechanics of Materials is the uncontested leader for the teaching of solid mechanics. Used by thousands of students around the globe since it�s publication in 1981, Mechanics of Materials, provides a precise presentation of the subject illustrated with numerous engineering examples that students both understand and relate to theory and application..

.

The tried and true methodology for presenting material gives your student the best opportunity to succeed in this course. From the detailed examples, to the homework problems, to the carefully developed solutions manual, you and your students can be confident the material is clearly explained and accurately represented. .

.

If you want the best book for your students, we feel Beer, Johnston�s Mechanics of Materials, 5th edition is your only choice.. . . . .

Four Laws That Drive the Universe

Peter Atkins

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $11.57

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> Thermodynamics
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal, and from the unfurling of a leaf to the course of life itself--everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. They establish fundamental concepts such as temperature and heat, and reveal the arrow of time and even the nature of energy itself.
Written by Peter Atkins, one of the worlds leading authorities on thermodynamics, this powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics. Guiding the reader a step at a time, Atkins begins with Zeroth (so named because the first two laws were well established before scientists realized that a third law, relating to temperature, should precede them--hence the jocular name zeroth), and proceeds through the First, Second, and Third Laws, offering a clear account of concepts such as the availability of work and the conservation of energy. Atkins ranges from the fascinating theory of entropy (revealing how its unstoppable rise constitutes the engine of the universe), through the concept of free energy, and to the brink, and then beyond the brink, of absolute zero.
C.P. Snow once remarked that not knowing the second law of thermodynamics is like never having read a work by Shakespeare. This brief but brilliant book introduces general readers to one of the cornerstones of modern science, four laws that are as integral to the well-educated mind as such great dramatic works as Hamlet or Macbeth.

The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe

Roger Penrose

Amazon Price: $17.16 List Price: $26.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Vintage Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $13.15

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Astronomy -> Astrophysics & Space Science
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Astronomy -> Cosmology
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> Mathematical Physics

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 162 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

If Albert Einstein were alive, he would have a copy of The Road to Reality on his bookshelf. So would Isaac Newton. This may be the most complete mathematical explanation of the universe yet published, and Roger Penrose richly deserves the accolades he will receive for it. That said, let us be perfectly clear: this is not an easy book to read. The number of people in the world who can understand everything in it could probably take a taxi together to Penrose's next lecture. Still, math-friendly readers looking for a substantial and possibly even thrillingly difficult intellectual experience should pick up a copy (carefully--it's over a thousand pages long and weighs nearly 4 pounds) and start at the beginning, where Penrose sets out his purpose: to describe "the search for the underlying principles that govern the behavior of our universe." Beginning with the deceptively simple geometry of Pythagoras and the Greeks, Penrose guides readers through the fundamentals--the incontrovertible bricks that hold up the fanciful mathematical structures of later chapters. From such theoretical delights as complex-number calculus, Riemann surfaces, and Clifford bundles, the tour takes us quickly on to the nature of spacetime. The bulk of the book is then devoted to quantum physics, cosmological theories (including Penrose's favored ideas about string theory and universal inflation), and what we know about how the universe is held together. For physicists, mathematicians, and advanced students, The Road to Reality is an essential field guide to the universe. For enthusiastic amateurs, the book is a project to tackle a bit at a time, one with unimaginable intellectual rewards. --Therese Littleton

507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices (Dover Science Books)

Henry T. Brown

Amazon Price: $7.95 List Price: $7.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $4.20

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems -> Machinery
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> Mechanical -> Machinery
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Engineering -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

just o.k. 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The illustrations are well done, many of the mechanisms are repeated. The descriptions are dated. All in all, I would not buy this book again.

It is just important. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What more can be said about this essential book for all gizmologists? This is a great book just to get the brain working.

Good, but could be better. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Keep in mind that this book 1) is paperback, 2) measures 6 1/4 inches wide by 7 1/8 inches tall, and 3) most every illustration is less than 2" square. All the illustrations are clear - printed in a grid on the left handside with a SHORT explanation of what it does on the right. The movements are described, but a lot of them leave me wondering what the heck you'd use them for in the real world. Certainly not as detailed of a book as I was expecting, but a nice LITTLE reference. On with a search for something more detailed!

Editorial Review:

This 1868 compendium of ingenious mechanisms employs simple drawings to explain 507 of the small components that constitute complex machinery. Left-hand pages feature illustrations, and facing pages offer brief descriptions of use and operation. Ranging from simple to complex, the mechanisms include cranks, pulleys, drills, wheels, and screws.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Vintage Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $7.18

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Historical -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Historical -> General AAS
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Professionals & Academics -> Scientists

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 74 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In American Prometheus, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin delve deep into J. Robert Oppenheimer's life and deliver a thorough and devastatingly sad biography of the man whose very name has come to represent the culmination of 20th century physics and the irrevocable soiling of science by governments eager to exploit its products. Rich in historical detail and personal narratives, the book paints a picture of Oppenheimer as both a controlling force and victim of the mechanisms of power.

By the time the story reaches Oppenheimer's fateful Manhattan Project work, readers have been swept along much as the project's young physicists were by fate and enormous pressure. The authors allow the scientists to speak for themselves about their reactions to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, avoiding any sort of preacherly tone while revealing the utter, horrible ambiguity of the situation. For instance, Oppenheimer wrote in a letter to a friend, "The thing had to be done," then, "Circumstances are heavy with misgiving."

Many biographies of Oppenheimer end here, with the seeds of his later pacifism sown and the dangers of mixing science with politics clearly outlined. But Bird and Sherwin devote the second half of this hefty book to what happened to Oppenheimer after the bomb. For a short time, he was lionized as the ultimate patriot by a victorious nation, but things soured as the Cold War crept forward and anti-communist witchhunts focused paranoia and anti-Semitism onto Oppenheimer, destroying his career and disillusioning him about his life's work. Devastated by the atom bomb's legacy of fear, he became a vocal and passionate opponent of the Strangelovian madness that gripped the world because of the weapons he helped develop.

Twenty-five years of research went into creating American Prometheus, and there has never been a more honest and complete biography of this tragic scientific giant. The many great ironies of Oppenheimer's life are revealed through the careful reconstruction of a wealth of records, conversations, and ideas, leaving the clearest picture yet of his life. --Therese Littleton

Universe

Robert Dinwiddie, Philip Eales, David Hughes, Ian Nicholson, Ian Ridpath, Giles Sparrow, Pam Spence, Carole Stott, Kevin Tildsley, Martin Rees

Amazon Price: $31.50 List Price: $50.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Penguin Group (USA) Inc. - Model: 0756613647 Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $20.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Astronomy -> Astronomy
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Astronomy -> Astrophysics & Space Science
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Astronomy -> Cosmology

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Binding of the book broke 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The information and illustrations inside the book are wonderful. Every page you turn to has something that sparks your interest. Only downfall was that I purchased this for my husband for Christmas and the second time he opened the book to read out of it the binding broke.

Binding unglued 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After the second or third time I opened the book [hardcover edition] the textblock came completely unglued from the mull (i.e., binding failure). This is such a disappointment given that the contents of the book look to be superb. I'll be returning this book.

Nov. 24, 2008 Update:
I received a second copy of this book today to give as a gift but it has the same problem as above.

Editorial Review:

Unparalleled look at the Universe and all its wonder! -- Setting off from the heart of the Solar System to the outer limits of the known cosmos, this comprehensive visual guide by Robert Dinwiddie takes an unparalleled look at the Universe and all its wonders. -- You'll learn about the forces and processes that underpin the cosmos, and consider such fundamental questions as when and how the Universe began and what the future may hold. -- Universe boasts spectacular star charts that provide the clearest possible reference to the planets, stars and other heavenly bodies that can be seen from Earth. -- Hardcover, 512 pages.

Conceptual Physical Science (4th Edition)

Paul G. Hewitt, John Suchocki, Leslie A. Hewitt

Amazon Price: $113.09 List Price: $140.00 By: Addison Wesley Amazon Marketplace: 75 new & used starting at $96.88

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General
Subjects -> Professional & Technical -> Professional Science -> Physics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Science -> Physics -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Conceptual Physical Science, 4/e takes learning physical science to a new level by combining Hewitt's leading conceptual approach with a friendly writing style, stronger integration of the sciences, more quantitative coverage, and a wealth of media resources to help readers. This engaging book provides a conceptual overview of basic, essential topics in physics, chemistry, earth science, and astronomy with optional quantitative analyses. Equilibrium and Linear Motion, Newton's Laws of Motion, Momentum and Energy,Gravity, Projectiles, and Satellites, Projectile and Satellite Motion,Temperature, Heat, and Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Change of Phase, Electrostatics and Electric Current, Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction, Waves and Sound, Light, Atoms and the Periodic Table, The Atomic Nucleus, Elements of Chemistry, How Atoms Bond and Molecules Attract, Mixtures, How Chemicals React ,Two Types of Chemical Reactions, Organic Compounds, Rocks and Minerals, Geologic Time–Reading the Rock Record, Plate Tectonics and Earth’s Interior, Shaping Earth’s Surface, The Oceans, Atmosphere, and Climatic Effects, Driving Forces of Weather, The Solar System, The Stars, Cosmology. For all readers interested in learning the basics of Physical Science.