This volume tells the tale of cosmology as seen by some of the finest cosmologists in the world. It starts with “Galaxy Formation from Start to Finish” and ends with “Understanding Dark Energy,” having a rich variety of themes in between. Designed for non-cosmological scientists, this up-to-date collection of review articles offers a general introduction to cosmology. If you are at all curious about where we came from and where we are going, this is the book for you.
How high can animals jump? What are the fastest thrown balls? How fast can aeroplanes and butterflies fly? What does the sea level tell us about the sun? What are temperature and heat? What is self-organization? This free colour pdf on introductory physics guarantees to be entertaining, surprising and challenging on every page. The text presents the best stories, images, movies and puzzles in mechanics, gravity and thermodynamics - with little mathematics, always starting from observations of everyday life. This first volume also explains conservation laws and the reversibility of motion, explores mirror symmetry, and presents the principle of cosmic laziness: the principle of least action. This popular series has already more than 160 000 readers. If you are between the age of 16 and 106 and want to understand nature, you will enjoy it! To achieve wonder and thrill on every page, the first volume includes the various "colour of the bear" puzzles and the "picture on the wall" puzzle, explains about the many types of water waves, introduces the art of laying rope, tells about the the dangers of aeroplane toilets, explores the jumping height of different animals, presents the surprising motion of moguls on skiing slopes, explains why ultrasound imaging is not safe for a foetus, gives the ideal shape of skateboard half-pipes, estimates the total length of all capillaries in the human body, explains how it is possible to plunge a bare hand into molten lead, includes a film of an oscillating quartz inside a watch, includes the "handcuff puzzle" and the "horse pulling a rubber with a snail on it" puzzle, explains how jet pilots frighten civilians with sonic superbooms produced by fighter planes, presents the most beautiful and precise sundial available today, shows leap-frogging vortex rings, tells the story of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, mentions the world records for running backwards and the attempts to break the speed sailing record, and tells in detail how to learn from books with as little effort as possible. Enjoy the reading!
"Jess Phoenix's work encompasses science and representation in such a delightful melding that it could only come from as spry and playful a soul as hers! Open this book and jump into the volcano!" —Patton Oswalt As a volcanologist, natural hazards expert, and founder of Blueprint Earth, Jess Phoenix has dedicated her life to scientific exploration. Her career path—hard earned in the male-dominated world of science—has led her into still-flowing Hawaiian lava fields, congressional races, glittering cocktail parties at Manhattan’s elite Explorers Club, and numerous pairs of Caterpillar work boots. It has also inspired her to devote her life to making science more inclusive and accessible. Ms. Adventure skillfully blends personal memoir, daring adventure, and scientific exploration, following Phoenix’s journey from reality television sites deep in Ecuadorian jungles to Andean glaciers, university classrooms to Death Valley in summer. She has even chased down members of a Mexican cartel to retrieve a stolen favorite rock hammer. Readers will delight in her unbelievable adventures, all embarked on for the love of science.
The field of Order and Chaos had a remarkable expansion in the last 50 years. The main reason was the use of computers, and the development of new theoretical methods that we call now 'the theory of chaos'. The author describes this fascinating period in a relaxed and sometimes humorous autobiographical way. He relates his interactions with many people in dynamical astronomy and he quotes several anecdotes from these interactions. He refers also to his experiences when he served in various international positions, such as general secretary of the IAU and chairman of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. In recent years the theory of chaos has been extended to new areas, like relativity, cosmology and quantum mechanics and it continues expanding in almost all branches of physics. The book describes many important ideas in this field in a simple way. It refers also to problems of more general interest, like writing papers and giving lectures and the interaction of authors and referees. Finally it gives some useful prospects for the future of dynamical astronomy and related fields. George Contopoulos, PhD U.Athens1953; Professor of Astronomy U.Thessaloniki 1957-75; U.Athens 1975-96; Emeritus 1996-; Member, Academy of Athens 1997-. Visiting Professor Yale U., Harvard U., MIT, Cornell U., U.Chicago, U.Maryland, U. Florida, Florida State U., U. Milan; Res. Associate, Yerkes Obs., Inst.Adv.Study Princeton, Inst.Space Studies, Goddard Flight Center, Columbia U., ESO. Author or Editor of 15 books, and about 250 papers on Galactic Dynamics, Relativity and Celestial Mechanics. Positions held: Gen.Secretary of the IAU; Director General Nat.Obs.of Greece, Pres.Hellenic Astron.Soc.; Nat.Representative of Greece in NATO, etc. Distinctions: Amer. Astron.Soc. Brouwer Prize; U.Chicago, Honorary Doctor's Degree; IAU, Pres. Commission 33 (Galaxy); Member Academia Europaea; Associate Royal Astron. Soc.; Chairman of the European Journal "Astronomy and Astrophysics"; Assoc. Editor of "Cel. Mech. Dyn. Astron."; Over 4500 citations and 300 acknowledgements.
As soon as you open this book, YOU become the protagonist!You will be catapulted to CERN, one of the most famous laboratories in the world — a real scientific wonderland of underground tunnels, massive experiments and technological marvels.You can choose to play the role of a researcher, a student or a tourist, but keep your eyes open for a threatening dinosaur... Is it coming from the nearby Jura Mountains, the same place that gave Jurassic its name?Prepare yourself for a rather bizarre adventure filled with loads of brain-tickling facts about particles and science wonders. Unfold the story, explore the unsolved mysteries of the Universe, and most importantly, have fun with the games and quizzes!Are you ready to face the huge prehistoric beast and discover the secrets of tiny particles?
An awe-inspiring, unforgettable journey of scientific exploration from Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, the international bestselling authors of Why Does E=MC2? and The Quantum Universe, with 55 black-&-white and 45 full-color pages featuring photographs, diagrams, maps, tables, and graphs. We dare to imagine a time before the Big Bang, when the entire universe was compressed into a space smaller than an atom. And now, as Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw show, we can do more than imagine: we can understand. Universal takes us on an epic journey of scientific exploration. It reveals how we can all come to grips with some of the most fundamental questions about our Earth, Sun, and solar system--and the star-filled galaxies beyond. How big is our solar system? How quickly is space expanding? How big is the universe? What is it made of? Some of these questions can be answered on the basis of observations you can make in your own backyard. Other answers draw on the astonishing information now being gathered by teams of astronomers operating at the frontiers of the known universe. At the heart of all this lies the scientific method. Science reveals a deeper beauty and connects us to each other, to our world, and to our universe. Science reaches out into the unknown. As Universal demonstrates, if we dare to imagine, we can do the same.
Recent discoveries in astronomy have revolutionized the field of cosmology. While many long-standing questions in cosmology have now been answered, the new data pose new mysteries such as the nature of the "dark energy" that dominates the universe. This second edition provides an accessible and thorough text on the physics of cosmology and a lively account of the modern concordance model of the universe, from the big bang to a distant future dominated by dark energy.
