Reality in the Shadows (Or) What the Heck's the Higgs?


Book Description

"Chronological explanation of physics from early history through current studies geared to lay readers with limited mathematical training"--




30-Second Universe


Book Description

The universe literally encompasses everything we were, are and will be, everything we knew, know and can know. When we decide to understand the universe as a whole, new truths come to light, and unexpected perspectives illuminate our take on life. 30-Second Universe explains all the tantalising concepts, principles and theories that make up our knowledge - the Higgs particle, gluons, quarks, the multiverse, how certainty itself can be uncertain, and of course, where our world came from, and where we're going and what will happen in the end - and it explains these astrophysical answers succinctly, each entry taking only 30 seconds to read, with further exploration flagged, and key scientists noted. This one small book sheds light on the biggest ideas, concepts and discoveries in life, in the universe, in everything.




The Cosmos Explained


Book Description

The Cosmos Explained is an exciting and beautifully designed book that charts the life of our universe from the Big Bang to the present day and beyond. Starting with the moment of the Big Bang—at exactly one ten-millionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second—this book charts a history of space and time all the way through the evolution of our solar system, the birth of stars and the formation of life on Earth, to the future of our galaxy and beyond. With deeply insightful and fascinating text by Hayden Planetarium Associate Professor Charles Liu, who also hosts the immensely popular StarTalk podcast, this book is an accessible and enthralling gateway into the mysteries of space, time and the universe. Pinpoint exactly where you are in space and time using the timeline at the bottom of every page, and explore the history of the cosmos and the science behind it through beautiful telescope images and striking illustrations. Packaged in a unique retro design that reflects the 1960s cosmonaut era but still feels modern and relevant today, this title is as rich with information as it is with stunning visualisations of the concepts and bodies detailed within. An ideal gift for anyone interested in space or curious about the cosmos, The Cosmos Explained is a unique and entertaining timeline of life, the universe, and everything!




The Many Voices of Modern Physics


Book Description

The Many Voices of Modern Physics follows a revolution that began in 1905 when Albert Einstein published papers on special relativity and quantum theory. Unlike Newtonian physics, this new physics often departs wildly from common sense, a radical divorce that presents a unique communicative challenge to physicists when writing for other physicists or for the general public, and to journalists and popular science writers as well. In their two long careers, Joseph Harmon and the late Alan Gross have explored how scientists communicate with each other and with the general public. Here, they focus not on the history of modern physics but on its communication. In their survey of physics communications and related persuasive practices, they move from peak to peak of scientific achievement, recalling how physicists use the communicative tools available—in particular, thought experiments, analogies, visuals, and equations—to convince others that what they say is not only true but significant, that it must be incorporated into the body of scientific and general knowledge. Each chapter includes a chorus of voices, from the many celebrated physicists who devoted considerable time and ingenuity to communicating their discoveries, to the science journalists who made those discoveries accessible to the public, and even to philosophers, sociologists, historians, an opera composer, and a patent lawyer. With their final collaboration, Harmon and Gross offer a tribute to the communicative practices of the physicists who convinced their peers and the general public that the universe is a far more bizarre and interesting place than their nineteenth-century predecessors imagined.




Proving Einstein Right


Book Description

A thrilling adventure story chronicling the perilous journey of the scientists who set out to prove the theory of relativity--the results of which catapulted Albert Einstein to fame and forever changed our understanding of the universe. In 1911, a relatively unknown physicist named Albert Einstein published his preliminary theory of gravity. But it hadn't been tested. To do that, he needed a photograph of starlight as it passed the sun during a total solar eclipse. So began a nearly decade-long quest by seven determined astronomers from observatories in four countries, who traveled the world during five eclipses to capture the elusive sight. Over the years, they faced thunderstorms, the ravages of a world war, lost equipment, and local superstitions. Finally, in May of 1919, British expeditions to northern Brazil and the island of Príncipe managed to photograph the stars, confirming Einstein's theory. At its heart, this is a story of frustration, faith, and ultimate victory--and of the scientists whose efforts helped build the framework for the big bang theory, catapulted Einstein to international fame, and shook the foundation of physics.




Shadows of Reality


Book Description

Christmas Day, 3:00 a.m., December 25, 2015 The final chapter in man's search for truth began with a single event that took place in the wee hours of Christmas morning, 2015. A crippling blizzard of epic proportion had blanketed the entire northeastern corridor with an opaque shroud of ice and wind-driven snow. All ground and air transportation was at a complete standstill as residents throughout the Atlantic coastal area hunkered down in their homes awaiting a reprieve from nature's fury. This explains why Ray Hodges was fast asleep at his desk in the air traffic control tower of Dulles International Airport. After doing absolutely nothing for the past six hours, he was bored stiff and had planned to rest his eyes for only a moment. Forty-five minutes later, Hodges was awakened by a high-pitched alarm warning him of an incoming bogey. The aircraft's radar signature was that of a TWA Constellation, a prop-driven plane that he had not seen since the early 1960s. The anonymous intruder was flying dangerously close to the high value targets in Washington DC, and Hodges was required to establish immediate radio contact with the inbound aircraft. Using multiple radio frequencies, he tried to hail the pilot, with no response. This perilous situation prompted an urgent call to the Strategic Air Command at Andrews Air Base, and within minutes of notification, a squadron of F18 jets had surrounded the aircraft. The team leader contacted Hodges and reported that he too was unable to communicate with the pilot. Then the pilot said something that made Hodges's skin crawl. "Dulles, there seems to be multiple objects protruding through the fuselage of the plane. Understand the visibility up here is marginal, but those objects look a lot like body parts." Hodges instantly felt a gnawing pain centered in the pit of his stomach. Thus began one young man's journey into the crypts of the unknown. It was a place where all reality was an illusion.




Farewell to Reality


Book Description

From acclaimed science author Jim Baggot, a lively, provocative, and “intellectually gratifying” critique of modern theoretical physics (The Economist). Where does one draw the line between solid science and fairy-tale physics? Jim Baggott argues that there is no observational or experimental evidence for many of the ideas of modern theoretical physics: super-symmetric particles, super strings, the multiverse, the holographic principle, or the anthropic cosmological principle. Unafraid to challenge prominent theorists, Baggott offers engaging portraits of many central figures of modern physics, including Stephen Hawking, Paul Davies, John D. Barrow, Brian Greene, and Leonard Susskind. Informed, comprehensive, and balanced, Farewell to Reality discusses the latest ideas about the nature of physical reality while clearly distinguishing between fact and fantasy, providing essential and entertaining reading for everyone interested in what we know and don’t know about the nature of the universe and reality itself.




Shadow Stitcher


Book Description

Selected as one of the year's most compelling debut novels for Kobo's Emerging Writer Prize, Shadow Stitcher is guaranteed to deliight. This fast paced Noir mystery has a great cast of easily identifiable characters, a plot both easy to follow and intriguing, and an ending that will leave you satisfied. ----- "...a rollicking mystery with a fascinating setting, a magical world with a hardboiled edge. For a novel with noir leanings, it’s a surprisingly bright read; light, airy, and joyous, as if it’s been sprinkled with fairy dust." - Ilana Lucas ----- About the book: Basil Stark isn’t the man he once was. A reformed pirate and private detective, he walks the line between criminal and hero, living in the corners of what was once the island of Neverland, its magic slowly fading into the new world of the 1950s. But when a routine missing-persons case turns into a murder investigation, Basil finds himself pulled into a tale of organized crime, murder, unstitched shadows and dangerous espionage. With only a handful of fellow outcasts and a stubborn determination to bring a killer to justice, will he survive the many people who want him dead? ----- "...a mystery that was complex and satisfying without being convoluted just for the sake of it, a twist that felt earned and didn't come entirely out of left-field, characters who were interesting and whose motivations slowly unspooled in a really satisfying way, and just the right balance of magic and grime." - Wren Handman ----- About the Author: Misha Handman has been involved in writing for most of his life. He started by writing comics for his friends in elementary school and was promptly drawn into the artistic world by their approval, moving on to produce short stories and collaborative works. He has lived in cities across Canada, including Victoria, Ottawa, and Toronto, and refuses to pick a favourite no matter how much his friends bother him about it. For now, Victoria is his home. Praise: "I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy-to-read story that blends mystery, fantasy, action, and a little splash of romance, and I eagerly await the next Everland Mystery." - Jonathan Miller Shadow Stitcher is a must read Noir-Fantasy Novel!




The Physics of Encounter


Book Description

The book introduces fresh concepts into the public debate about the origin of paranormal phenomena, the physical processes underlying consciousness, and the encounter between science and religion.




The Higgs Fake


Book Description

"The book is a merciless critique of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and of the theoretical model on which the world's most expensive experiment is based. Unzicker, a German physicist and award-winning science writer, argues that the greatest physicists such as Einstein, Dirac or Schrödinger would have considered the "discovery" of the Higgs particle ridiculous. According to the author, the standard model has grown unbelievably complicated and doesn't solve any of the great riddles of physics. Moreover, with their increasingly intricate techniques, particle physicists are fooling themselves with alleged results, while their convictions are based on group-think and parroting. Altogether, the data analysis cannot be overseen by anybody"--