The Constants of Nature
The Constants of Nature

Author: John Barrow

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2009-05-06

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0307555356

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Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants—numbers and values that dictate the strengths of forces like gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge Professor and bestselling author John D.Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles. Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe’s infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.

A Fortunate Universe
A Fortunate Universe

Author: Geraint F. Lewis

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-10-06

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 1316715221

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Over the last forty years, scientists have uncovered evidence that if the Universe had been forged with even slightly different properties, life as we know it - and life as we can imagine it - would be impossible. Join us on a journey through how we understand the Universe, from its most basic particles and forces, to planets, stars and galaxies, and back through cosmic history to the birth of the cosmos. Conflicting notions about our place in the Universe are defined, defended and critiqued from scientific, philosophical and religious viewpoints. The authors' engaging and witty style addresses what fine-tuning might mean for the future of physics and the search for the ultimate laws of nature. Tackling difficult questions and providing thought-provoking answers, this volumes challenges us to consider our place in the cosmos, regardless of our initial convictions.

Just Six Numbers
Just Six Numbers

Author: Martin Rees

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2008-08-04

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 0786723580

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How did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble -- here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds -- into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe?This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "big bang," determine the essential features of our entire physical world. Moreover, cosmic evolution is astonishingly sensitive to the values of these numbers. If any one of them were "untuned," there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our universe, our place in it, and the nature of physical laws.

The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook
The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook

Author: Luke A. Barnes

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-02-04

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1108486703

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Presents the observations that helped establish our theories of the cosmos, from a unique and engaging perspective.

Euclidean Quantum Gravity
Euclidean Quantum Gravity

Author: G. W. Gibbons

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 604

ISBN-13: 9789810205164

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The Euclidean approach to Quantum Gravity was initiated almost 15 years ago in an attempt to understand the difficulties raised by the spacetime singularities of classical general relativity which arise in the gravitational collapse of stars to form black holes and the entire universe in the Big Bang. An important motivation was to develop an approach capable of dealing with the nonlinear, non-perturbative aspects of quantum gravity due to topologically non-trivial spacetimes. There are important links with a Riemannian geometry. Since its inception the theory has been applied to a number of important physical problems including the thermodynamic properties of black holes, quantum cosmology and the problem of the cosmological constant. It is currently at the centre of a great deal of interest.This is a collection of survey lectures and reprints of some important lectures on the Euclidean approach to quantum gravity in which one expresses the Feynman path integral as a sum over Riemannian metrics. As well as papers on the basic formalism there are sections on Black Holes, Quantum Cosmology, Wormholes and Gravitational Instantons.

The Little Book of Cosmology
The Little Book of Cosmology

Author: Lyman Page

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-04-07

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 0691201692

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The cutting-edge science that is taking the measure of the universe The Little Book of Cosmology provides a breathtaking look at our universe on the grandest scales imaginable. Written by one of the world's leading experimental cosmologists, this short but deeply insightful book describes what scientists are revealing through precise measurements of the faint thermal afterglow of the Big Bang—known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB—and how their findings are transforming our view of the cosmos. Blending the latest findings in cosmology with essential concepts from physics, Lyman Page first helps readers to grasp the sheer enormity of the universe, explaining how to understand the history of its formation and evolution in space and time. Then he sheds light on how spatial variations in the CMB formed, how they reveal the age, size, and geometry of the universe, and how they offer a blueprint for the formation of cosmic structure. Not only does Page explain current observations and measurements, he describes how they can be woven together into a unified picture to form the Standard Model of Cosmology. Yet much remains unknown, and this incisive book also describes the search for ever deeper knowledge at the field's frontiers—from quests to understand the nature of neutrinos and dark energy to investigations into the physics of the very early universe.

Nature's Numbers
Nature's Numbers

Author: Ian Stewart

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2008-08-04

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 0786723920

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"It appears to us that the universe is structured in a deeply mathematical way. Falling bodies fall with predictable accelerations. Eclipses can be accurately forecast centuries in advance. Nuclear power plants generate electricity according to well-known formulas. But those examples are the tip of the iceberg. In Nature's Numbers, Ian Stewart presents many more, each charming in its own way.. Stewart admirably captures compelling and accessible mathematical ideas along with the pleasure of thinking of them. He writes with clarity and precision. Those who enjoy this sort of thing will love this book."—Los Angeles Times

Global Earth Physics
Global Earth Physics

Author: Thomas J. Ahrens

Publisher: American Geophysical Union

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0875908519

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A standard reference that provides, in accessible form, selected critical data for professional and student solid Earth and planetary geophysicists. It represents the third version of the popular "Handbook of Physical Constants" (the first was published in 1942, the second in 1966). The present version reflects the enormous growth of scientific knowledge of the Earth and planets since 1966, spurred by the discovery and verification of plate tectonics and the systematic exploration of the solar system. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

The Determination of Ionization Constants
The Determination of Ionization Constants

Author: Adrien Albert

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 9400955480

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This practical manual is devised for organic chemists and biochemists who, in the course of their researches and without previous experience, need to determine an ionization constant. We are gratified that earlier editions were much used for this purpose and that they also proved adequate for the in service training of technicians and technical officers to provide a Department with a pK service. The features of previous editions that gave this wide appeal have been retained, but the subject matter has been revised, extended, and brought up to date. We present two new chapters, one of which describes the determination of the stability constants of the complexes which organic ligands form with metal cations. The other describes the use of more recently introduced techniques for the determination of ionization constants, such as Raman and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermometric titrations, and paper electro phoresis. Chapter 1 gives enhanced help in choosing between alternative methods for determining ionization constants. The two chapters on potentiometric methods have been extensively revised in the light of newer understanding of electrode processes and of the present state of the art in instrumen tation.