Books with category Physics Fun
Displaying 5 books

Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics (Perennial Classics)

2009

by Gary Zukav

Gary Zukav has written the Bible for those who are curious about the mind-expanding discoveries of advanced physics, but who have no scientific background. Like a Wu Li Master who would teach us wonder for the falling petal before speaking of gravity, Zukav writes in beautifully clear language—with no mathematical equations—opening our minds to the exciting new theories that are beginning to embrace the ultimate nature of our universe.


Quantum mechanics, relativity, and beyond to the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen effect and Bell's theorem. At an Esalen Institute meeting in 1976, tai chi master Al Huang said that the Chinese word for physics is Wu Li, "patterns of organic energy." Journalist Gary Zukav and the others present developed the idea of physics as the dance of the Wu Li Masters—the teachers of physical essence.


Zukav explains the concept further: The Wu Li Master dances with his student. The Wu Li Master does not teach, but the student learns. The Wu Li Master always begins at the center, the heart of the matter.... This book deals not with knowledge, which is always past tense anyway, but with imagination, which is physics come alive, which is Wu Li....


Most people believe that physicists are explaining the world. Some physicists even believe that, but the Wu Li Masters know that they are only dancing with it. The "new physics" of Zukav's 1979 book comprises quantum theory, particle physics, and relativity. Even as these theories age they haven't percolated all that far into the collective consciousness; they're too far removed from mundane human experience not to need introduction. The Dancing Wu Li Masters remains an engaging, accessible way to meet the most profound and mind-altering insights of 20th-century science.

Physics of the Impossible

2008

by Michio Kaku

Physics of the Impossible is a fascinating exploration of the science of the impossible—from death rays and force fields to invisibility cloaks—revealing to what extent such technologies might be achievable decades or millennia into the future.

One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.

From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals—and the limits—of the laws of physics as we know them today. He ranks the impossible technologies by categories—Class I, II, and III, depending on when they might be achieved, within the next century, millennia, or perhaps never.

In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains:

  • How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers “downstream.”
  • How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter engines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars.
  • How telepathy and psychokinesis, once considered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, superconductivity, and nanotechnology.
  • Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civilization to actually build one.

Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, Physics of the Impossible takes readers on an unforgettable, mesmerizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains.

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics By Its Most Brilliant Teacher

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher is a publishing first. This set couples a book containing the six easiest chapters from Richard P. Feynman's landmark work, Lectures on Physics—specifically designed for the general, non-scientist reader—with the actual recordings of the late, great physicist delivering the lectures on which the chapters are based.

Nobel Laureate Feynman gave these lectures just once, to a group of Caltech undergraduates in 1961 and 1962. These newly released recordings allow you to experience one of the Twentieth Century's greatest minds—as if you were right there in the classroom.

Power vs. Force

Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins details how anyone may resolve the most crucial of all human dilemmas: how to instantly determine the truth or falsehood of any statement or supposed fact.

Dr. Hawkins, who worked as a healing psychiatrist during his long and distinguished career, uses theoretical concepts from particle physics, nonlinear dynamics, and chaos theory to support his study of human behavior.

This is a fascinating work that will intrigue readers from all walks of life!

In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality

1984

by John Gribbin

In Search of Schrödinger's Cat tells the complete story of quantum mechanics, a truth far stranger than any fiction.

Quantum theory is so shocking that even Einstein could not bring himself to accept it. It is critically important, providing the fundamental underpinning of all modern sciences. Without it, we'd have no nuclear power, no lasers, no TV, and no computers. The science of molecular biology, understanding of DNA, and genetic engineering would be nonexistent.

John Gribbin takes us step-by-step into an ever more bizarre and fascinating place, requiring only an open mind. He introduces the scientists who developed quantum theory and investigates the atom, radiation, time travel, the birth of the universe, superconductors, and life itself.

In a world full of its own delights, mysteries, and surprises, he searches for Schrödinger's Cat—a search for quantum reality—as he brings every reader to a clear understanding of the most important area of scientific study today: quantum physics.

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