Nothing

A Very Short Introduction

Price: 350.00 INR

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ISBN:

9780199225866

Publication date:

12/08/2009

Paperback

176 pages

174.0x111.0mm

Nothing View larger

Price: 350.00 INR

We sell our titles through other companies
Amazon
Go to Amazon website arrow-frwd
Flipkart
Go to Flipkart website arrow-frwd
Disclaimer :You will be redirected to a third party website.The sole responsibility of supplies, condition of the product, availability of stock, date of delivery, mode of payment will be as promised by the said third party only. Prices and specifications may vary from the OUP India site.

ISBN:

9780199225866

Publication date:

12/08/2009

Paperback

176 pages

174.0x111.0mm

Part of Very Short Introduction

Frank Close

  • This Very Short Introduction tells you everything about 'nothing' - it is the story of how scientists have been puzzled by the physical problem of what remains when you take all the matter away.
  • A lively and stimulating guide, taking the reader from ancient ideas and cultural superstitions about the void, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to the frontiers of current research in today's powerful particle accelerators
  • Reveals how the vacuum is far from being empty - that in fact it seethes with particles that spontaneously erupt into being - and how this provides fascinating clues about how the universe began, and what was there before
  • Tells the tale of the mysterious 'aether' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void - how Einstein did away with it, and how the latest research into the 'Higgs field' may mean it is making a comeback
  • Asks fascinating questions such as: Would nothing exist if there was no one to observe it? Where did everything come from? What lies outside the universe, and what is it expanding into?

Rights:  OUP UK (Indian Territory)

Nothing View larger

Part of Very Short Introduction

Frank Close

Description

What is 'nothing'? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - a void - exist? This Very Short Introduction explores the science and the history of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and why they can tell us extraordinary things about the cosmos.

Frank Close tells the story of how scientists have explored the elusive void, and the rich discoveries that they have made there. He takes the reader on a lively and accessible history through ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research. He describes how scientists discovered that the vacuum is filled with fields; how Newton, Mach, and Einstein grappled with the nature of space and time; and how the mysterious 'aether' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void may now be making a comeback with the latest research into the 'Higgs field'.

We now know that the vacuum is far from being empty - it seethes with virtual particles and antiparticles that erupt spontaneously into being, and it also may contain hidden dimensions that we were previously unaware of. These new discoveries may provide answers to some of cosmology's most fundamental questions: what lies outside the universe, and, if there was once nothing, then how did the universe begin?

About the Author

Frank Close, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Fellow of Exeter College, University of Oxford

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Nothing View larger

Part of Very Short Introduction

Frank Close

Table of contents

1: Much Ado About Nothing
2: How Empty is an Atom?
3: Space
4: Waves in What?
5: Travelling on a Light Beam
6: The Cost of Free Space
7: The Infinite Sea
8: The Higgs Vacuum
9: The New Void
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Nothing View larger

Part of Very Short Introduction

Frank Close

Nothing View larger

Part of Very Short Introduction

Frank Close

Review

Review from previous edition All in all, this book makes for some fascinating reading. - Chemistry World, Dennis Rouvray.

An accessible and entertaining read for layperson and scientist alike. - Physics World

The Void is well worth reading. - Robert Cailliau. CERN Courier.

It covers very complicated concepts in a mostly accessible way. - Lawrence Rudnick, Nature

A fascinating subject covered by a fascinating book. - Marcus Chown, Focus

Nothing View larger

Part of Very Short Introduction

Frank Close

Description

What is 'nothing'? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - a void - exist? This Very Short Introduction explores the science and the history of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and why they can tell us extraordinary things about the cosmos.

Frank Close tells the story of how scientists have explored the elusive void, and the rich discoveries that they have made there. He takes the reader on a lively and accessible history through ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research. He describes how scientists discovered that the vacuum is filled with fields; how Newton, Mach, and Einstein grappled with the nature of space and time; and how the mysterious 'aether' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void may now be making a comeback with the latest research into the 'Higgs field'.

We now know that the vacuum is far from being empty - it seethes with virtual particles and antiparticles that erupt spontaneously into being, and it also may contain hidden dimensions that we were previously unaware of. These new discoveries may provide answers to some of cosmology's most fundamental questions: what lies outside the universe, and, if there was once nothing, then how did the universe begin?

About the Author

Frank Close, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Fellow of Exeter College, University of Oxford

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Read More

Reviews

Review from previous edition All in all, this book makes for some fascinating reading. - Chemistry World, Dennis Rouvray.

An accessible and entertaining read for layperson and scientist alike. - Physics World

The Void is well worth reading. - Robert Cailliau. CERN Courier.

It covers very complicated concepts in a mostly accessible way. - Lawrence Rudnick, Nature

A fascinating subject covered by a fascinating book. - Marcus Chown, Focus

Read More

Table of contents

1: Much Ado About Nothing
2: How Empty is an Atom?
3: Space
4: Waves in What?
5: Travelling on a Light Beam
6: The Cost of Free Space
7: The Infinite Sea
8: The Higgs Vacuum
9: The New Void
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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