The World According to Physics

Product Information

in this book prof Jim Al-khaliliy discussed how physics shape and explains our reality and how can we understand our universe better from the lenses of physics. A quantum physicist and BBC host introduces modern physics by explaining its fundamental concepts of space, time, energy, and matter, then describing the field’s three pillars—quantum theory, relativity, and thermodynamics."— Publishers Weekly Al-Khalili begins by introducing the fundamental concepts of space, time, energy, and matter, and then describes the three pillars of modern physics—quantum theory, relativity, and thermodynamics—showing how all three must come together if we are ever to have a full understanding of reality. Using wonderful examples and thought-provoking analogies, Al-Khalili illuminates the physics of the extreme cosmic and quantum scales, the speculative frontiers of the field, and the physics that underpins our everyday experiences and technologies, bringing the reader up to speed with the biggest ideas in physics in just a few sittings. Physics is revealed as an intrepid human quest for ever more foundational principles that accurately explain the natural world we see around us, an undertaking guided by core values such as honesty and doubt. The knowledge discovered by physics both empowers and humbles us, and still, physics continues to delve valiantly into the unknown.

I wouldn’t say disputes. There are other areas of science where people get much more competitive and aggressive in promoting and pushing their own theory or hypothesis, but there’s certainly different camps in physics. Al-Khalili begins by introducing the fundamental concepts of space, time, energy, and matter, and then describes the three pillars of modern physics-quantum theory, relativity, and thermodynamics-showing how all three must come together if we are ever to have a full understanding of reality. Using wonderful examples and thought-provoking analogies, Al-Khalili illuminates the physics of the extreme cosmic and quantum scales, the speculative frontiers of the field, and the physics that underpins our everyday experiences and technologies, bringing the reader up to speed with the biggest ideas in physics in just a few sittings. Physics is revealed as an intrepid human quest for ever more foundational principles that accurately explain the natural world we see around us, an undertaking guided by core values such as honesty and doubt. The knowledge discovered by physics both empowers and humbles us, and still, physics continues to delve valiantly into the unknown. Shining a light on the most profound insights revealed by modern physics, Jim Al ‑ Khalili invites us all to understand what this crucially important science tells us about the universe and the nature of reality itself. Al ‑​​​​​​​ Khalili begins by introducing the fundamental concepts of space, time, energy, and matter, and then describes the three pillars of modern physics—quantum theory, relativity, and thermodynamics—showing how all three must come together if we are ever to have a full understanding of reality. CF: Exactly. In the letterforms of the title’s three Os: W ORLD, ACC ORDING, T O. A clear motif presented itself: a sun or nucleus as the central point of illumination, expanding into three concentric layers of knowledge. Three orbits. Three planets/electrons. Three Os. Three pillars. Appropriately, the third circle from the center symbolizes Earth. With the words of the title arranged outward from the center, the “Earth” aligns with “WORLD.” Awal tahun 2023 diawali dgn membaca buku Dunia Menurut Fisika. Buku ini sebenarnya lebih seperti pengantar fisika, di mana penulisnya mengajak kita utk memahami fenomena-fenomena dunia melalui kacamata Ilmu Fisika.disclosure: I am a colleague of the author and I read a draft for comment before its final publication. I am reviewing the published version here] It depends how much you want to understand. I used to think that anything can be explained, provided you use the right language, remove the jargon and find the right analogies and examples and metaphors. To a large extent, I think that is still true. Good science communicators should be able to get across the basics of any idea. But, actually, there are concepts in physics that are tough. They require a lot of investment of effort and thinking to get your head around. Sometimes, getting an idea simplistically can confuse people even more, particularly with things like quantum mechanics. I like the way that in the preface you write, “I have no particular theory to plug.” Are there a lot of things causing disputes within the field at the moment? I suppose that I am not the target audience for this book: I'm a physics professor and spend my days thinking about the physical theories that govern the Univerise, and while I would have eagerly sought out this book as a teenager, now I tend not to feel I have the time to read such popular accounts of what is my day job. Ketika menamatkan buku ini, saya jadi teringat dua buku (yang juga kebetulan disebut oleh Jim Al-Khalili di buku ini: Yang Jauh Tersembunyi: Fisika Kuantum dan Teori Banyak-Dunia dan Relativitas: Teori Khusus dan Umum. Dua buku ini adalah yang membahas dua dari tiga sokoguru fisika, realivitas dan mekanika kuantum. Dan selalulah, saya yang tidak memahami banyak hal soal fisika terutama yang "sungguh dasar" begini terpukau dan terusik isi kepala saya.

Let’s turn to first book on your list, which is Subtle is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein by Abraham Pais.The second chapter is about scales. The world of physics only really came of age in the seventeenth century, thanks to a large extent to the invention of the two most important instruments in all of science: the telescope and the microscope. If we were only able to understand the world we can see with our naked eyes, then physics would not have got very far. once the microscope and the telescope were invented, they opened up windows on the world that dramatically increased our understanding, magnifying the very small and bringing closer the very far away. I really enjoyed his very short section on life and physics. Al-Khalili co-authored a 2014 book Johnjoe McFadden titled Life on the Edge. It's been too long since I read that book but it almost felt to me as if maybe he has newer or different ideas than the ones of focus in his previous book. I would really love it if he wrote a current book on physics and life. He almost apologized for physics dipping their toes in the water or first life research. I think this is the *only* way we will come to truly understand how life emerged. Yes. You cannot say for sure where an atom is until you look at it. Looking at it makes it decide. Only when you look at it is it in one place.

Update: It took me a while to find the video linked below, but when i was reading this book, I kept thinking of this video and thought it would be good to include in the review for anyone still struggling with the idea of infinite mass. Jim Al-Khalili is justly celebrated as a leading expositor of science. In this book, he distills the nature and limits of our scientific knowledge and highlights how the scientific mindset can help us in everyday life. His wise precepts are especially welcome at a time when, despite science’s triumphs, public discourse is bedeviled more than ever by fake news and conspiracy theories. We’d all be better citizens if we took his message to heart—this book deserves wide readership.”—Martin Rees, author of On the Future Being a big fan of Jim Al-Khalili's radio programme/podcast “The Life Scientific", I decided to read The World According to Physics. From the preface to the book's end you can feel the author's enthusiasm. As he says, "This book is an ode to physics". He wants to inspire other people with physics, just as he was inspired when he first started learning about it as a teenager. Let’s talk about the third book on your list which is Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character. This is an autobiography of sorts, of the Nobel-prize winning physicist Richard Feynman, as told to Ralph Leighton.

Follow us on social

So, can you give a summary of what is currently so exciting in research at the forefront of physics?