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Title
Facts of matter and light : ten physics experiments that shaped our understanding of nature / Christian Maes.
ISBN
9783031333347 electronic book
3031333349 electronic book
3031333330
9783031333330
Published
Cham, Switzerland : Springer, [2023]
Language
English
Description
1 online resource (xiii, 175 pages) : illustrations (some color)
Item Number
10.1007/978-3-031-33334-7 doi
Call Number
QC33 .M34 2023
Dewey Decimal Classification
530.078
Summary
The main aim of this book is to shine a spotlight on key experiments and their crucial importance for advancing our understanding of physics. Physics is an empirical science, and experiments have always been a driving force in the development of our understanding of nature. Facts matter. In that sense, the book attempts to be complementary to the many popularizations of theoretical physics, and to counterbalance the frequent emphasis there on more speculative ideas. Experimental physics is also an essential pillar in physics teaching, as well as helping broader audiences to better understand important concepts, particularly in challenging fields such as relativity or quantum physics, where our common sense intuition often fails. Readers are taken on an historical journey, starting with Free Fall and culminating in Spooky Action at a Distance. En route they will encounter many important branches of physics, whose main ideas and theoretical description will be given a more empirical meaning. At the end, the reader is invited to reflect on what could be exciting and important directions for fundamental physics. All readers with an undergraduate degree in physical sciences or engineering will enjoy and learn much from this stimulating and original text.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on August 25, 2023).
Available in Other Form
Print version: 9783031333330
Chapter 1. The Winners Are
Chapter 2. Free Fall
Chapter 3. Electromagnetic and Optical Unification
Chapter 4. Looking at Fluctuations
Chapter 5. Quantization
Chapter 6. Wave-like Nature
Chapter 7. Finding Structure: Scattering and Fission
Chapter 8. Light in the Universe and the Invariance of Proper Time
Chapter 9. Dynamical Activity of the Vacuum
Chapter 10. Phase Transitions
Chapter 11. Nonlocality: Spooky Action at a Distance
Chapter 12. Future Experiments.