The Lightness of Being: Big Questions, Real Answers - Hardcover

Wilczek, Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846142458 ISBN 13: 9781846142451

Verlag: Allen Lane, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

What's the meaning of it all? Or rather: what exactly is 'it'? Here Frank Wilczek, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and legend, examines the very nature of reality itself, showing how almost everything we think we know about 'it' is wrong.

The Lightness of Being is an engaging tour de force, revealing a universe where matter is the hum of strange music, mass doesn't weigh, and empty space is a multilayered, multicoloured superconductor. Physicists' understanding of the essential nature of reality changed radically over the past quarter century. And Frank Wilczek has played a lead role in establishing the new paradigms. Transcending the clash and mismatch of older ideas about what matter and space is, Wilczek presents some brilliant and clear syntheses. Extraordinarily readable and authoritative, The Lightness of Being is the first book to unwrap these exciting new ideas for the general public. It explores their implications for basic questions about space, mass, energy, and the longed-for possibility of a fully unified theory of Nature.

Pointing to new directions where great discoveries in fundamental physics are likely, and providing a visionary context for the experiments in CERN, he envisions a new Golden Age in physics.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Born in New York, Frank Wilczek studied at the University of Chicago and gained his Ph.D. in physics at Princeton University. Frank won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004 for work he did as a twenty-one-year-old graduate student. His writing has featured twice in Best American Science Writing and his exposition of modern physics, Longing for the Harmonies was named New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Frank is currently Herman Feshbach Professorship of Physics at MIT. He lives in Massachusetts, with his wife, Betsy Devine.

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What's the meaning of it all? Or rather: what exactly is 'it'? Here Frank Wilczek, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and science legend, examines the very nature of reality itself, showing how almost everything we think we know about 'it' is wrong.

Physicists' understanding of the essential nature of reality has changed radically over the past quarter century. The Lightness of Being unwraps these exciting new ideas, exploring fundamental questions about space, mass, energy, and the longed-for possibility of a fully unified theory of Nature.

Providing a visionary context for the experiments in CERN, Wilczek points to where the next great discoveries in physics will be.

'The Lightness of Being takes the reader on a mind-stretching journey, providing a revolutionary new vision of the universe. Frank Wilczek is an extraordinarily accomplished and creative scientist who has the rare ability to communicate scientific ideas and insights with exceptional clarity - but also with a delightful playfulness'
Jerome I. Friedman, Nobel Laureate, MIT

'Deep, simple and incredibly well-written ... Professor Wilczek leads the reader to an understanding of the most profound ideas and accomplishments in physics today'
T. D. Lee, Nobel Laureate, Columbia University

''A delightful celebration of the wonders of physics, told by one who has helped define the current frontiers. Wilczek's lightness of touch and wry humour make this book a joy to read'
Frank Close, author of The Void

'Frank Wilczek takes readers on an enjoyable and enlightening voyage that starts with the deep insights that won him a Nobel Prize, and moves on to the more speculative realms that physicists are now investigating'
Peter Woit, author of Not Even Wrong

'Vintage Wilczek - fun, simple and right'
Robert Laughlin, author of A Different Universe

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Allen Lane
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2009
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1846142458
• ISBN 13: 9781846142451
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Anzahl der Seiten: 292
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar