TAILIEUCHUNG - HIDDEN UNITY IN NATURE’S LAWS

I have tried to write a non-technical tour through the principles of physics. The theme running through this tour is that progress has often consisted in uncovering “hidden unities”. Let me explain what I mean by this phrase, taking the example (from Chapter 3) of electricity and magnetism. The unity here is hidden, because at first sight there seemed to be no connection between the two. The invention of the electric battery at the beginning of the nineteenth century ushered in a new period of research that showed that elec- tricity and magnetism are interconnected when they change with time. This did notmean that electricity andmagnetismare the same thing. They. | JOHN c. TAYLOR HIDDEN u NIT Y IN NATURE S iv T A A A IP Cambridge more information 052165064X This page intentionally left blank HIDDEN UNITY IN NATURE S LAWS As physics has progressed through the ages it has succeeded in explaining more and more diverse phenomena with fewer and fewer underlying principles. This lucid and wide-ranging book explains how this understanding has developed by periodically uncovering unexpected hidden unities in nature. The author deftly steers the reader on a fascinating path that goes to the heart of physics - the search for and discovery of elegant laws that unify and simplify our understanding of the intricate universe in which we live. Starting with the ancient Greeks the author traces the development of major concepts in physics right up to the present day. Throughout the presentation is crisp and informative and only a minimum of mathematics is used. Any reader with a background in mathematics or physics will find this book provides fascinating insight into the development of our fundamental understanding of the world and the apparent simplicity underlying it. John C. Taylor is professor emeritus of mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge. A pupil of the Nobel Prize-winner Abdus Salam Professor Taylor has had a long and distinguished career. In particular he was a discoverer of equations that play an important role in the theory of the current standard model of particles and their forces. In 1976 he published the first textbook on the subject Gauge Theories of Weak Interactions. He has taught theoretical physics at Imperial College London and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and he has lectured around the world. In 1981 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal .

• Môi trường
• Behind Appearances
• Models and Mathematics
• Conservation
• Thermometers
• Steam Engines
• Randomness