Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday WorldAbsolutely Small presents (and demystifies) the world of quantum science like no book before. Physics is a complex, daunting topic, but it is also deeply satisfying?even thrilling. When liberated from its mathematical underpinnings, physics suddenly becomes accessible to anyone with the curiosity and imagination to explore its beauty. Science without math? It’s not that unusual. For example, we can understand the concept of gravity without solving a single equation. So for all those who may have pondered what makes blueberries blue and strawberries red; for those who have wondered if sound really travels in waves; and why light behaves so differently from any other phenomenon in the universe, it’s all a matter of quantum physics. This book explores in considerable depth scientific concepts using examples from everyday life, such as:
Challenging without being intimidating, accessible but not condescending, Absolutely Small develops your intuition for the very nature of things at their most basic and intriguing levels. |
From inside the book
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... 57 Photons, Electrons, and Baseballs 80 Quantum Racquetball and the Color of Fruit 96 The Hydrogen Atom: The History 118 The Hydrogen Atom: Quantum Theory 130 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 v Contents.
... color, why does copper wire conduct electricity but glass doesn't, what is a trans fat anyway, and why is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas while oxygen and nitrogen aren't? This lack of a picture of how things work arises from a ...
... Color is intrinsically dependent on the quantum mechanical description of molecules. Everyday experience does not prepare you to understand the nature of things around you that depend on quantum phenomena. As mentioned here and detailed ...
... colors or why the heating element in an electric stove gets hot and glows red. The motion of baseballs can be described with classical mechanics, but color and electrical heating are quantum phenomena. The differences between classical ...
... colors are absorbed, and therefore, which colors bounce off to make the leaves look green and the petals look red, is a strictly quantum mechanical phenomenon that will be discussed in Chapter 8.) A portion of the light that FIGURE 2.4 ...
Contents
1 | |
8 | |
22 | |
36 | |
Waves or Particles? | 46 |
Chapter 6 How Big Is a Photon and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle | 57 |
Chapter 7 Photons Electrons and Baseballs | 80 |
Chapter 8 Quantum Racquetball and the Color of Fruit | 96 |
Diatomic Molecules | 196 |
The Shapes of Polyatomic Molecules | 221 |
Chapter 15 Beer and Soap | 250 |
Chapter 16 Fat Its All About the Double Bonds | 272 |
Chapter 17 Greenhouse Gases | 295 |
Chapter 18 Aromatic Molecules | 314 |
Chapter 19 Metals Insulators and Semiconductors | 329 |
Chapter 20 Think Quantum | 349 |
The History | 118 |
Quantum Theory | 130 |
Chapter 11 Many Electron Atoms and the Periodic Table of Elements | 151 |
Chapter 12 The Hydrogen Molecule and the Covalent Bond | 178 |
Glossary | 363 |
Index | 375 |
Other editions - View all
Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World Michael D. Fayer No preview available - 2010 |
Absolutely Small: How Quantum Theory Explains Our Everyday World Michael D. Fayer No preview available - 2010 |