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Bezig met laden... The Theory of Almost Everything: The Standard Model, the Unsung Triumph of Modern Physics (2006)door Robert Oerter
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Minireview: A slim and somewhat sketchy popular introduction to the Standard Model of elementary particle physics. While Oerter emphasizes that this is not a history, logical development often leads him to follow a roughly historical route, making the book suffer in comparison to Crease and Mann's excellent history, The Second Creation. This work also seems to be pitched at a somewhat lower level than Crease and Mann, though it does address some issues they gloss over (and vice versa). The strangest omission I noticed was the lack of mention of the electroweak hierarchy problem (the cosmological hierarchy problem is brought up briefly). While primarily an aesthetic 'problem', this is one of the main motivations for developing theories beyond the Standard Model. This leads to supersymmetry being introduced just "because-it's-there" (260), then justified through the possibility of coupling constant unification in supersymmetric grand unified theories. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
"The Standard Model is the most important theory in modern physics. It is the tried-and-true theory of all known physical interactions, with the exception of gravity. Outside of scientific circles it is not nearly as well known as string theory or chaos theory. But it is more important than both, and it is absolutely essential to understanding where we are heading next in physics. Physicist Robert Oerter reveals the Standard Model to the general public." "Making use of rich analogy and metaphor, Oerter illuminates the quantum world of the Standard Model. He shows that although the theory seems absurd from a common-sense point of view, it nonetheless fully agrees with experiment. Oerter explores the conceptual framework of the Standard Model - what he considers its most fascinating aspect. He shows that different types of symmetry are at the heart of the theory." "After explaining the Standard Model's implications for the universe as a whole, Oerter takes readers to the edge of physics. He shows how new developments could alter the Standard Model. Experiments now running are searching for neutrino mass and the holy grail of particle physics, the Higgs boson. Grand unified theories, super-symmetry, preon theories, and string theory - although not verified by experiment - could be the next steps in theory."--BOOK JACKET. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)539.72Natural sciences and mathematics Physics Matter; Molecular Physics; Atomic and Nuclear physics; Radiation; Quantum Physics Atomic and nuclear physics Particle PhysicsLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Its style is at times rather personal and irreverent, which I always love in a popular science book - why hide your own personality behind ideas? Let it out and use it as a hook to further engage the reader. Oerter at times shies away from taking a historical view of the subject, but breaks this rule frequently when it will help explain the science, or even just add some context to it. I was very happy for this somewhat flexible approach as well.
Much of the science is explained clearly, with little or no mathematics, but my only gripe with the book was that there were some ideas that were just too obscure and difficult to follow. This is more true of the latter part of the book than the former. I was left wondering if there is any hope for a layperson to grasp these ideas without the maths, or if Oerter could have made these concepts clearer.
Still, despite the odd somewhat impenetrable passage, I think this is a wonderful book for expanding one's knowledge about modern physics. And it's made me feel confident enough now to search for deeper explanations, either in popular science books with more maths, or physics text books.
(Any recommendations for the next stage would be greatly received!) ( )