Product Description

In this compelling introduction to the fundamental particles that make up the universe, Frank Close takes us on a journey into the atom to examine known particles such as quarks, electrons, and the ghostly neutrino. Along the way he provides fascinating insights into how discoveries in particle physics have actually been made, and discusses how our picture of the world has been radically revised in the light of these developments. He concludes by looking ahead to new ideas about the mystery of antimatter, the number of dimensions that there might be in the universe, and to what the next 50 years of research might reveal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14935 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Frank Close is Professor of Physics at Oxford University and a Fellow of Exeter College. He was formerly the Head of the Theoretical Physics Division at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and Head of Communications and Public Education at CERN. He is the author of several books, including the best-selling Lucifer's Legacy (OUP, 2000), and was the winner of the Kelvin Medal of the Institute of Physics for his 'outstanding contributions to the public understanding of
physics'. His other books include The Cosmic Onion (1983), The Particle Explosion (1987), End (1988), Too Hot to Handle (1991), and The Particle Odyssey (OUP, 2002).

Customer Reviews

An excellent book
An excellent introduction into this fascinating subject. Starting with basic principles (such as what is matter, its constituents, what we mean by energy, and which are the physical forces in the universe), it leads the reader into the latest experiments of particle physics. This transition is done very smoothly, without confusing the reader. The book does not contain unecessary complicated information or mathematics. It is aimed at the non-specialist who has an interest in the subject and wants to comprehend a few things quickly and easily. I found this book very interesting and well written. I highly recommend it.

Good summary
I was once a particle physicist, about 40 years ago, so I didn't come to the subject fresh. I found it a very useful summary of the current state of the subject (or at least of a few years ago) and it served its purpose in bringing me up to date very well.

People new to the topic might find the amount of information a bit daunting, but he does a good job of introducing it to the novice.

A superb synopsis
I am a great fan of this series, partially because I have found most full length books on many of the topics covered in the series are over-padded income generators. They could easily have been summarized in the manner in which this series achieves so admirably. This particular book is remarkable for its clarity as well as its conciseness. In spite of its length, it still has the power to instill wonder regarding the way the sub-atomic world is structured.