The Quest for Unity - The Adventure of Physics (Hardcover)

At one level, this is a fairly run-of-the-mill account of the historical development of science, from the ancient Greeks to the present search for a grand unified theory. The two particularly appealing things about this version of the story are its brevity (assuming you already know a little physics, it puts a lot of things in a historical context) and the fact that it comes from a non-Anglo Saxon culture (the authors work for the French Atomic Energy Commission). The snag about this is that the inevitable delays associated with translation mean that it is already out of date, and makes no mention of the latest big idea - membranes. But on the plus side, the translation is first class, and Axel Reisinger has produced a very easily read English text, in spite of the intrusion of a few equations. Nothing profound, but a pleasing light read. (Kirkus UK)

Quantum physicist Etienne Klein and astrophysicist Marc Lachieze-Rey present and comment on the successive unifications that have marked the fundamental advances in physics. A good deal of modern theoretical physics is lightly and gracefully explained, rooted in a philosophical examination of the motivations that drive physicists and physics. The book is a discourse on the nature of elegance and beauty in physics, seeking to explain how and why beauty is a reliable guide in the ongoing search for Truth in physics.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	July 1999
First published:	May 1999
Authors:	Etienne Klein • Marc Lachieze-Rey
Translators:	Axel Reisinger
Dimensions:	244 x 162 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	176
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-512085-1
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Mathematics > History of mathematics Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Popular science Books > Professional & Technical > Technology: general issues > History of engineering & technology
LSN:	0-19-512085-X
Barcode:	9780195120851

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