The Matter of Everything

Twelve Experiments that Changed Our World

The Matter of Everything
Suzie Sheehy
RRP:
NZ$ 42.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 34.39
Hardback
h234 x 153mm - 336pg
28 Apr 2022 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781526618962
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The astonishing story of twentieth-century physics, told through the twelve experiments that changed our world' A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously' PHILIP PULLMAN' Fascinating and highly readable . . . An all-action thriller, laced with some of the most profound ideas humans have ever had' BRIAN ENO' A magical tour of the great experiments defining the most incredible century in physics' ANDREW STEELE, bestselling author of Ageless-----------For millennia, people have asked questions about the nature of matter. In the twentieth century, this curiosity led to an unprecedented outburst of scientific discovery that changed the course of history. In The Matter of Everything, accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the people who, through a combination of genius, persistence and luck, staged these ground-breaking experiments. From the physicists who soared in hot air balloons on the trail of new particles, to the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German lab; and from the race to split open the atomic nucleus to the quest to find the third generation of matter, Sheehy shows how these experiments informed innumerable aspects of how we live today. Radio, TV, the chips in our smartphones, MRI scanners, radar equipment and microwaves, to name a few: these were all made possible by our determination to understand, and control, the microscopic. Pulling physics down from the theoretical and putting it in the hands of the people, The Matter of Everything is a celebration of human ingenuity, creativity and curiosity: a powerful reminder that progress relies on the desire to know.
This is a book about the fundamental problems of physics written from a viewpoint I hadn' t come across before: that of the experimenter. Someone first thought of the cloud chamber, or the cyclotron, or the MRI scanner, and that person (or that team) had to build one: you couldn' t buy one off the shelf. The actual sequence of experiments, and failures, and more experiments, and success, is a fascinating one, especially for any readers excited, as I am, by the thought of making things. A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously -- Philip Pullman This fascinating and highly readable book captures the radical excitement of experimental science as it' s being made. It' s an all-action thriller, laced with some of the most profound ideas humans have ever had -- Brian Eno A wonderful telling of the history of particle physics . . . Suzie has written a book that makes these important stories and ideas from the history of science accessible, and genuinely enjoyable to read -- Alom Shaha A magical tour of the great experiments defining the most incredible century in physics . . . Sheehy seamlessly weaves the science and history with why this matters to all of us: as she expertly illustrates, our quest to understand the tiniest of particles has had an enormous impact on technology, health and society, reaching far beyond the lab -- Andrew Steele, bestselling author of AGELESS An impassioned, elegant history of particle physics and its applications. Dr Sheehy adroitly brings together a glittering cast of characters - from the famous giants of the field to the unjustly overlooked scientists whose shoulders they stood on - to tell the story of the most fundamental of all sciences -- Ananyo Bhattacharya, author of THE MAN FROM THE FUTURE A fabulous read, tracing the history of twelve experiments in particle physics from idea to impact, critically through the eyes of the scientists. The stories in and of themselves are fascinating, and together illustrate a larger story about science: the power of international collaboration and competition, the generations its takes for science to translate from the lab to social benefit, the interdependency between basic and applied and the unwritten contribution of many women scientists -- Jonathan Grant, Director of Different Angles and author of THE NEW POWER UNIVERSITY This is storytelling at its very best and why I fell in love with physics. Sheehy' s attention to detail shines through every story and yet there' s a lightness of touch in the way she highlights the passion, drive, ingenuity and, ultimately, the sheer triumph of science in unlocking nature' s secrets -- Jim Al-Khalili
Dr Suzie Sheehy is a physicist, academic and science communicator who divides her time between her research groups at the University of Oxford (where she is a Royal Society University Research Fellow) and the University of Melbourne (where she is Senior Lecturer). Her research focuses on developing new particle accelerators for future applications in areas such as medicine and energy.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781526618962
Published: 28 Apr 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Hardback
Height: 234mm
Width: 153mm
Pages: 336

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