Alice in Quantumland: An Allegory of Quantum Physics

Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation

Joao Magueijo · 278 pages

Publisher's description: Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, and light travels at one fixed speed. This idea is considered a foundation of modern physics, but what if it is wrong? Theoretical physicist Magueijo presents the idea that light traveled faster in the early universe than it does today. The varying speed of light theory solves some of the most intractable problems in cosmolog

Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World

Lisa Randall · 453 pages

"From the one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World"-- and bestselling author of Warped Passages--an exhilarating and readable overview of the latest ideas in physics and a rousing defense of the role of science in our lives"--Provided by publisher.

Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction

Frank Close · 148 pages

Beginning with a guide to what matter is and what it is made of this book discusses everything from quarks and electrons to exotic matter and antimatter. The author concludes by speculating as to the number of dimensions that might be in the universe, and what the next 50 years of research might uncover.

Massive: The Missing Particle That Sparked the Greatest Hunt in Science

Ian Sample · 283 pages

This science story, the biggest of our time, spans four decades, weaving together the personal narratives and international rivalries behind the search for the "God particle," or Higgs boson. A story of grand ambition, intense competition, clashing egos, and occasionally spectacular failures, Massive is the first book that reveals the science, culture, and politics behind the biggest unanswered qu

The Inflationary Universe: The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins

Alan Guth · 358 pages

The classic big bang theory is great at describing what happened after the bang. Yet until recently, particle physicists and cosmologists were stuck on many questions that the big bang theory couldn't answer, including: What made the big bang BANG in the first place? If matter can be neither created nor destroyed, how could so much matter arise from nothing at all? Why can we only see a minute par

Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist's Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature

Steven Weinberg · 340 pages

A Briefer History of Time

Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow · 169 pages

The science classic made more accessible and more concise. Illustrated. Updated with new research.Stephen Hawking's worldwide bestseller, A Brief History of Time, has been a landmark volume in scientific writing. Its author's engaging voice is one reason, and the compelling subjects he addresses is another: the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, the history and future of the un

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos

Michio Kaku · 428 pages

Is our universe dying? Could there be other universes?In Parallel Worlds, world-renowned physicist and bestselling author Michio Kaku--an author who "has a knack for bringing the most ethereal ideas down to earth" (Wall Street Journal)--takes readers on a fascinating tour of cosmology, M-theory, and its implications for the fate of the universe.In his first book of physics since Hyperspace, Michio

About Time: Einstein's Unfinished Revolution

Paul Davies · 316 pages

The traditional association between time and creation is at the heart of science, cosmology, and religion. When scientists began to explore the implications of Einstein's time for the universe as a whole, they discovered that time is elastic, and can be warped by rapid motion or gravitation, that time cannot be meaningfully divided into past, present, and future, nor does time flow in the popular

Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You

Marcus Chown · 224 pages

Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed

Jim Al-Khalili

Spooky Action at a Distance: The Phenomenon That Reimagines Space and Time—and What It Means for Black Holes, the Big Bang, and Theories of Everything

George Musser · 304 pages

"A tour of modern physics that provocatively examines growing understandings about the near-fantastical impact of particles to affect each other across the vastness of space,"--Amazon.com. What is space? It isn't a question that most of us normally ask. Space is the venue of physics; it's where things exist, where they move and take shape. Yet over the past few decades, physicists have discovered

Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity

Carlo Rovelli · 280 pages

Traces how the human image of the world has changed throughout history, demonstrating the evolution of the idea of reality while touching on subjects ranging from the Higgs boson to quantum gravity.

The Evolution of Physics: From Early Concepts to Relativity and Quanta

Albert Einstein, Leopold Infeld · 318 pages

The book is a simple chat between you and us. You may find it boring or interesting, dull or exciting, but our aim will be accomplished if these pages give you some idea of the eternal struggle of the inventive human mind for a fuller understanding of the laws governing physical phenomena. A. E. L. I.

Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life

Helen Czerski · 273 pages

"A physicist explains daily phenomena from the mundane to the magisterial. Take a look up at the stars on a clear night and you get a sense that the universe is vast and untouchable, full of mysteries beyond comprehension. But did you know that the key to unveiling the secrets of the cosmos is as close as the nearest toaster? In Storm in a Teacup, Helen Czerski provides the tools to alter the way

The Einstein Theory of Relativity

Hendrik Antoon Lorentz · 30 pages

Understanding Physics 3 volumes in 1 - Motion, Sound & Heat + Light, Magnetism & Electricity + The Electron, Proton & Neutron

Isaac Asimov · 768 pages

Volume one traces the theoretical exploration of these concepts from an essentially Newtonian viewpoint. Newton's great achievement was in synthesizing the laws of motion and energy and in developing a unifying theory of universal gravitation. Concepts now considered common knowledge were at the time seen as so far fetched that even Newton himself felt that, although they must obey the natural law

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

Richard Feynman · 146 pages

"It was Feynman's outrageous and scintillating method of teaching that earned him legendary status among students and professors of physics. From 1961 to 1963, Feynman delivered a series of lectures at the California Institute of Technology that revolutionized the teaching of physics around the world. 'Six Not-So-Easy Pieces', taken from these famous 'Lectures on Physics' represent some the most s

From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time

Sean Carroll · 451 pages

A rising star in theoretical physics offers his awesome vision of our universe and beyond, all beginning with a simple question: Why does time move forward?Time moves forward, not backward-everyone knows you can't unscramble an egg. In the hands of one of today's hottest young physicists, that simple fact of breakfast becomes a doorway to understanding the Big Bang, the universe, and other univers

Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman

James Gleick · 532 pages

A gem of a book, about the life and mind of one of the most influential and iconoclastic characters in 20th century physics. Really a pleasure to read.

Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe

Martin J. Rees · 185 pages

Using data from very recent scientific discoveries, the author reveals the six numbers upon which all physical reality rests, from atomic structure to human tissue.

Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law

Peter Woit · 304 pages

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

Randall Munroe · 64 pages

The creator of the webcomic "xkcd" uses line drawings and just ten hundred common words to provide simple explanations for how things work, including microwaves, bridges, tectonic plates, the solar system, the periodic table, helicopters, and other essential concepts.

The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality

Richard Panek · 297 pages

In exhilarating and behind-the-scenes detail, Panek takes his readers on a tour of the bitter rivalries and fruitful collaborations, the eureka moments and blind alleys, that have fuelled the search, redefined science, and reinvented the universe. Science journalist Panek (The Invisible Century) offers an insider's view of the quest for what could be the ultimate revelation: the true substance of