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A First Course in Dimensional Analysis by Juan G. SantiagoAn introduction to dimensional analysis, a method of scientific analysis used to investigate and simplify complex physical phenomena, demonstrated through a series of engaging examples. This book offers an introduction to dimensional analysis, a powerful method of scientific analysis used to investigate and simplify complex physical phenomena. The method enables bold approximations and the generation of testable hypotheses. The book explains these analyses through a series of entertaining applications; students will learn to analyze, for example, the limits of world-record weight lifters, the distance an electric submarine can travel, how an upside-down pendulum is similar to a running velociraptor, and the number of Olympic rowers required to double boat speed. The book introduces the approach through easy-to-follow, step-by-step methods that show how to identify the essential variables describing a complex problem; explore the dimensions of the problem and recast it to reduce complexity; leverage physical insights and experimental observations to further reduce complexity; form testable scientific hypotheses; combine experiments and analysis to solve a problem; and collapse and present experimental measurements in a compact form. Each chapter ends with a summary and problems for students to solve. Taken together, the analyses and examples demonstrate the value of dimensional analysis and provide guidance on how to combine and enhance dimensional analysis with physical insights. The book can be used by undergraduate students in physics, engineering, chemistry, biology, sports science, and astronomy.
Call Number: QC20.7.D55 S26 2019
Introductory Solid State Physics with MATLAB Applications by Javier E. Hasbun (Editor)Solid state physics, the study and prediction of the fundamental physical properties of materials, forms the backbone of modern materials science and has many technological applications. The unique feature of this text is the MATLAB®-based computational approach with several numerical techniques and simulation methods included. This is highly effective in addressing the need for visualization and a direct hands-on approach in learning the theoretical concepts of solid state physics. The code is freely available to all textbook users. Additional Features: Uses the pedagogical tools of computational physics that have become important in enhancing physics teaching of advanced subjects such as solid state physics Adds visualization and simulation to the subject in a way that enables students to participate actively in a hand-on approach Covers the basic concepts of solid state physics and provides students with a deeper understanding of the subject matter Provides unique example exercises throughout the text Obtains mathematical analytical solutions Carries out illustrations of important formulae results using programming scripts that students can run on their own and reproduce graphs and/or simulations Helps students visualize solid state processes and apply certain numerical techniques using MATLAB®, making the process of learning solid state physics much more effective Reinforces the examples discussed within the chapters through the use of end-of-chapter exercises Includes simple analytical and numerical examples to more challenging ones, as well as computational problems with the opportunity to run codes, create new ones, or modify existing ones to solve problems or reproduce certain results
Call Number: QC176.5 .H37 2020
Group Theory for Physicists by Zhongqi MaThis textbook explains the fundamental concepts and techniques of group theory by making use of language familiar to physicists. Calculation methods in the context of physics are emphasized. New materials drawn from the teaching and research experience of the author are included. The generalized Gel'fand's method is presented to calculate the matrices of irreducible representations of the simple Lie algebra and its Clebsch-Gordan coefficients. This book is for graduate students and young researchers in physics, especially theoretical physics. It is also for graduate students in theoretical chemistry.
Call Number: QC20.7.G76 M29 2019
Something Deeply Hidden by Sean CarrollINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Science News favorite science book of 2019 As you read these words, copies of you are being created. Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist and one of this world's most celebrated writers on science, rewrites the history of 20th century physics. Already hailed as a masterpiece, Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time. His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of relativity changes, well, everything. Most physicists haven't even recognized the uncomfortable truth: physics has been in crisis since 1927. Quantum mechanics has always had obvious gaps--which have come to be simply ignored. Science popularizers keep telling us how weird it is, how impossible it is to understand. Academics discourage students from working on the "dead end" of quantum foundations. Putting his professional reputation on the line with this audacious yet entirely reasonable book, Carroll says that the crisis can now come to an end. We just have to accept that there is more than one of us in the universe. There are many, many Sean Carrolls. Many of every one of us. Copies of you are generated thousands of times per second. The Many Worlds Theory of quantum behavior says that every time there is a quantum event, a world splits off with everything in it the same, except in that other world the quantum event didn't happen. Step-by-step in Carroll's uniquely lucid way, he tackles the major objections to this otherworldly revelation until his case is inescapably established. Rarely does a book so fully reorganize how we think about our place in the universe. We are on the threshold of a new understanding--of where we are in the cosmos, and what we are made of.
Call Number: QC174.12 .C365 2019
Origins of 21st-Century Space Travel by Glen Asner; Stephen GarberAs early as April 1999, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin established the Decadal Planning Team (DPT), to provide a forum for future Agency leaders to begin considering goals more ambitious than sending humans on missions to near-Earth destinations and robotic spacecraft to far-off destinations, with no relation between the two. Goldin charged DPT with devising a long-term strategy that would integrate the entire range of the Agency's capabilities, in science and engineering, robotic and human spaceflight, to reach destinations beyond low-Earth orbit.When the Bush administration initiated interagency discussions in 2003 to consider a new spaceflight strategy, NASA was prepared with technical and policy options, as well as a team of individuals who had spent years preparing for the moment. Although elements of the policy that President Bush announced at NASA Headquarters in January 2004, the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), differed from the plans developed by DPT and its successor, the NASA Exploration Team (NeXT), the benefits of preparation were unmistakable. From the moment President Bush announced the VSE, NASA stood ready to implement it. Key decisions, such as setting a termination date for Shuttle flights and initiating development of technologies for deep space exploration, heralded a paradigm shift, allowing both NASA and the U.S. space community to move beyond the infrastructure, technologies, and institutional arrangements that had sustained low-Earth orbit operations for more than two decades. This book provides a detailed historical account of the plans, debates, and decisions that opened the way for a new generation of spaceflight at the start of the 21st Century.
Call Number: TL789.8.U5 A77 2019
Mathematical Methods in Physics, Engineering and Chemistry by Brett Borden; James LuscombeA concise and up-to-date introduction to mathematical methods for students in the physical sciences Mathematical Methods in Physics, Engineering and Chemistry offers an introduction to the most important methods of theoretical physics. Written by two physics professors with years of experience, the text puts the focus on the essential math topics that the majority of physical science students require in the course of their studies. This concise text also contains worked examples that clearly illustrate the mathematical concepts presented and shows how they apply to physical problems. This targeted text covers a range of topics including linear algebra, partial differential equations, power series, Sturm-Liouville theory, Fourier series, special functions, complex analysis, the Green's function method, integral equations, and tensor analysis. This important text: Provides a streamlined approach to the subject by putting the focus on the mathematical topics that physical science students really need Offers a text that is different from the often-found definition-theorem-proof scheme Includes more than 150 worked examples that help with an understanding of the problems presented Presents a guide with more than 200 exercises with different degrees of difficulty Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of physics, materials science, and engineering, Mathematical Methods in Physics, Engineering and Chemistry includes the essential methods of theoretical physics. The text is streamlined to provide only the most important mathematical concepts that apply to physical problems.
Call Number: QC20 .B67 2020
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Spin-Label Epr Spectroscopy by Derek MarshSpin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a versatile molecular probe method that finds wide application in molecular biophysics and structural biology. This book provides the first comprehensive summary of basic principles, spectroscopic properties, and use for studying biological membranes, protein folding, supramolecular structure, lipid-protein interactions, and dynamics. The contents begin with discussion of fundamental theory and practice, including static spectral parameters and conventional continuous-wave (CW) spectroscopy. The development then progresses, via nonlinear CW-EPR for slower motions, to the more demanding time-resolved pulse EPR, and includes an in-depth treatment of spin relaxation and spectral line shapes. Once the spectroscopic fundamentals are established, the final chapters acquire a more applied character. Extensive appendices at the end of the book provide detailed summaries of key concepts in magnetic resonance and chemical physics for the student reader and experienced practitioner alike. Key Features: Indispensable reference source for the understanding and interpretation of spin-label spectroscopic data in its different aspects. Tables of fundamental spectral parameters are included throughout. Forms the basis for an EPR graduate course, extending up to a thorough coverage of advanced topics in Specialist Appendices. Includes all necessary theoretical background. The primary audience is research workers in the fields of molecular biophysics, structural biology, biophysical chemistry, physical biochemistry and molecular biomedicine. Also, physical chemists, polymer physicists, and liquid-crystal researchers will benefit from this book, although illustrative examples used are often taken from the biomolecular field. Readers will be postgraduate researchers and above, but include those from other disciplines who seek to understand the primary spin-label EPR literature.
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Einstein on the Run by Andrew RobinsonThe first account of the role Britain played in Einstein's life--first by inspiring his teenage passion for physics, then by providing refuge from the Nazis In autumn 1933, Albert Einstein found himself living alone in an isolated holiday hut in rural England. There, he toiled peacefully at mathematics while occasionally stepping out for walks or to play his violin. But how had Einstein come to abandon his Berlin home and go '"on the run"? In this lively account, Andrew Robinson tells the story of the world's greatest scientist and Britain for the first time, showing why Britain was the perfect refuge for Einstein from rumored assassination by Nazi agents. Young Einstein's passion for British physics, epitomized by Newton, had sparked his scientific development around 1900. British astronomers had confirmed his general theory of relativity, making him internationally famous in 1919. Welcomed by the British people, who helped him campaign against Nazi anti-Semitism, he even intended to become a British citizen. So why did Einstein then leave Britain, never to return to Europe?
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Introduction to Galaxy Formation and Evolution by Andrea Cimatti; Filippo Fraternali; Carlo NipotiPresent-day elliptical, spiral and irregular galaxies are large systems made of stars, gas and dark matter. Their properties result from a variety of physical processes that have occurred during the nearly fourteen billion years since the Big Bang. This comprehensive textbook, which bridges the gap between introductory and specialized texts, explains the key physical processes of galaxy formation, from the cosmological recombination of primordial gas to the evolution of the different galaxies that we observe in the Universe today. In a logical sequence, the book introduces cosmology, illustrates the properties of galaxies in the present-day Universe, then explains the physical processes behind galaxy formation in the cosmological context, taking into account the most recent developments in this field. The text ends on how to find distant galaxies with multi-wavelength observations, and how to extract the physical and evolutionary properties based on imaging and spectroscopic data.
Call Number: QB857 .C56 2020
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Statistics, Data Mining, and Machine Learning in Astronomy by Željko Ivezić; Andrew J. Connolly; Jacob T. VanderPlas; Alexander GrayStatistics, Data Mining, and Machine Learning in Astronomy is the essential introduction to the statistical methods needed to analyze complex data sets from astronomical surveys such as the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, the Dark Energy Survey, and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Now fully updated, it presents a wealth of practical analysis problems, evaluates the techniques for solving them, and explains how to use various approaches for different types and sizes of data sets. Python code and sample data sets are provided for all applications described in the book. The supporting data sets have been carefully selected from contemporary astronomical surveys and are easy to download and use. The accompanying Python code is publicly available, well documented, and follows uniform coding standards. Together, the data sets and code enable readers to reproduce all the figures and examples, engage with the different methods, and adapt them to their own fields of interest. An accessible textbook for students and an indispensable reference for researchers, this updated edition features new sections on deep learning methods, hierarchical Bayes modeling, and approximate Bayesian computation. The chapters have been revised throughout and the astroML code has been brought completely up to date. Fully revised and expanded Describes the most useful statistical and data-mining methods for extracting knowledge from huge and complex astronomical data sets Features real-world data sets from astronomical surveys Uses a freely available Python codebase throughout Ideal for graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and working astronomers
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When the Earth Had Two Moons by Erik AsphaugAn astonishing exploration of planet formation and the origins of life by one of the world's most innovative planetary geologists. In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 took the first photos of the far side of the moon. Even in their poor resolution, the images stunned scientists: the far side is an enormous mountainous expanse, not the vast lava-plains seen from Earth. Subsequent missions have confirmed this in much greater detail. How could this be, and what might it tell us about our own place in the universe? As it turns out, quite a lot. Fourteen billion years ago, the universe exploded into being, creating galaxies and stars. Planets formed out of the leftover dust and gas that coalesced into larger and larger bodies orbiting around each star. In a sort of heavenly survival of the fittest, planetary bodies smashed into each other until solar systems emerged. Curiously, instead of being relatively similar in terms of composition, the planets in our solar system, and the comets, asteroids, satellites and rings, are bewitchingly distinct. So, too, the halves of our moon. In When the Earth Had Two Moons, esteemed planetary geologist Erik Asphaug takes us on an exhilarating tour through the farthest reaches of time and our galaxy to find out why. Beautifully written and provocatively argued, When the Earth Had Two Moons is not only a mind-blowing astronomical tour but a profound inquiry into the nature of life here--and billions of miles from home.
Call Number: QB603.O74 A86 2019
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The New International System of Units (SI) by Ernst O. Göbel; Uwe SiegnerThe International System of Units, the SI, provides the foundation for all measurements in science, engineering, economics, and society. The SI has been fundamentally revised in 2019. The new SI is a universal and highly stable unit system based on invariable constants of nature. Its implementation rests on quantum metrology and quantum standards, which base measurements on the manipulation and counting of single quantum objects, such as electrons, photons, ions, and flux quanta. This book explains and illustrates the new SI, its impact on measurements, and the quantum metrology and quantum technology behind it. The book is based on the book ?Quantum Metrology: Foundation of Units and Measurements? by the same authors. From the contents: -Measurement -The SI (Système International d?Unités) -Realization of the SI Second: Thermal Beam Cs Clock, Laser Cooling, and the Cs Fountain Clock -Flux Quanta, Josephson Effect, and the SI Volt -Quantum Hall Effect, the SI Ohm, and the SI Farad -Single-Charge Transfer Devices and the SI Ampere -The SI Kilogram, the Mole, and the Planck constant -The SI Kelvin and the Boltzmann Constant -Beyond the present SI: Optical Clocks and Quantum Radiometry -Outlook
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A Closer Look at Dark Energy by Davood Sadatian (Editor)The universe is in a period of accelerated expansion; and the observational evidence such as supernova of Ia type, Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB) and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) confirm this accelerating expansion [1-3]. Despite the great number of observational evidence, the responsible mechanism for this accelerating expansion is still unknown, and thus several models have been proposed for this phenomenon[4-18]. The simplest proposed model in the general relativity is a cosmic model with a dominant component that is considered as a fluid with negative pressure and constant density[8] (means Dark Energy component) . In this book, we consider effects of Dark Energy content on the universe. Accordingly, structure of discussions in the present book was on four chapters as follows: chapter 1 : Dark Energy, Motivation and Candidates, chapter 2 : The Equivalence Principle Applicability Boundaries,Measurability, Gravity and Dark Energy Problem, chapter 3 : The Behaviors of a Candidate for Dark Energy from ur-Higgs Boson , and chapter 4 : Non-equilibrium Evolution of Quantum Fields During Inflation and Late Accelerating Expansion . However, I hope this collection of context will be useful for readers to understand more accurately the dark energy idea.
Call Number: QB791.3 .C56 2019
Imagined Life by James Trefil; Michael SummersIt is now known that we live in a galaxy with more planets than stars. The Milky Way alone encompasses 30 trillion potential home planets. Scientists Trefil and Summers bring readers on a marvelous experimental voyage through the possibilities of life--unlike anything we have experienced so far--that could exist on planets outside our own solar system. Life could be out there in many forms- on frozen worlds, living in liquid oceans beneath ice and communicating (and even battling) with bubbles; on super-dense planets, where they would have evolved body types capable of dealing with extreme gravity; on tidally locked planets with one side turned eternally toward a star; and even on "rogue worlds," which have no star at all. Yet this is no fictional flight of fancy- the authors take what we know about exoplanets and life on our own world and use that data to hypothesize about how, where, and which sorts of life might develop.Imagined Lifeis a must-have for anyone wanting to learn how the realities of our universe may turn out to be far stranger than fiction.
Call Number: QB54 .T74 2019
End Times by Bryan WalshNewsweek and Bloomberg popular science and investigative journalist Bryan Walsh explores the history of extinction and offers a cutting-edge examination of existential risk, the dangerous mistakes we have yet to pay for, and concrete steps we can take to protect ourselves and future-proof our civilization. What is going to cause our extinction? How can we save ourselves and our future? End Times answers the most important questions facing humankind End Times is a compelling work of skilled reportage that peels back the layers of complexity around the unthinkable-and inevitable-end of humankind. From asteroids and artificial intelligence to volcanic supereruption to nuclear war, 15-year veteran science reporter and TIME editor Bryan Walsh provides a stunning panoramic view of the most catastrophic threats to the human race. In End Times, Walsh examines threats that emerge from nature and those of our own making: asteroids, supervolcanoes, nuclear war, climate change, disease pandemics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial intelligence. Walsh details the true probability of these world-ending catastrophes, the impact on our lives were they to happen, and the best strategies for saving ourselves, all pulled from his rigorous and deeply thoughtful reporting and research. Walsh goes into the room with the men and women whose job it is to imagine the unimaginable. He includes interviews with those on the front lines of prevention, actively working to head off existential threats in biotechnology labs and government hubs. Guided by Walsh's evocative, page-turning prose, we follow scientific stars like the asteroid hunters at NASA and the disease detectives on the trail of the next killer virus. Walsh explores the danger of apocalypse in all forms. In the end, it will be the depth of our knowledge, the height of our imagination, and our sheer will to survive that will decide the future.
Call Number: QB638.8 .W35 2019
Wave Propagation by James H. WilliamsAn engineering-oriented introduction to wave propagation by an award-winning MIT professor, with highly accessible expositions and mathematical details--many classical but others not heretofore published. A wave is a traveling disturbance or oscillation--intentional or unintentional--that usually transfers energy without a net displacement of the medium in which the energy travels. Wave propagation is any of the means by which a wave travels. This book offers an engineering-oriented introduction to wave propagation that focuses on wave propagation in one-dimensional models that are anchored by the classical wave equation. The text is written in a style that is highly accessible to undergraduates, featuring extended and repetitive expositions and displaying and explaining mathematical and physical details--many classical but others not heretofore published. The formulations are devised to provide analytical foundations for studying more advanced topics of wave propagation. After a precalculus summary of rudimentary wave propagation and an introduction of the classical wave equation, the book presents solutions for the models of systems that are dimensionally infinite, semi-infinite, and finite. Chapters typically begin with a vignette based on some aspect of wave propagation, drawing on a diverse range of topics. The book provides more than two hundred end-of-chapter problems (supplying answers to most problems requiring a numerical result or brief analytical expression). Appendixes cover equations of motion for strings, rods, and circular shafts; shear beams; and electric transmission lines.
Call Number: QC174.2 .W55 2019
An Introduction to Radio Astronomy by Bernard F. Burke; Francis Graham-Smith; Peter N. WilkinsonRadio astronomy is an active and rapidly expanding field due to advances in computing techniques, with several important new instruments on the horizon. This text provides a thorough introduction to radio astronomy and its contribution to our understanding of the universe, bridging the gap between basic introductions and research-level treatments. It begins by covering the fundamentals physics of radio techniques, before moving on to single-dish telescopes and aperture synthesis arrays. Fully updated and extensively rewritten, the fourth edition places greater emphasis on techniques, with detailed discussion of interferometry in particular, and comprehensive coverage of digital techniques in the appendices. The science sections are fully revised, with new author Peter N. Wilkinson bringing added expertise to the sections on pulsars, quasars and active galaxies. Spanning the entirety of radio astronomy, this is an engaging introduction for students and researchers approaching radio astronomy for the first time.
Call Number: QB476.5 .B87 2019
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Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics by Gregory J. GburHow do cats land on their feet? Discover how this question stumped brilliant minds and how its answer helped solve other seemingly impossible puzzles The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In this playful and eye‑opening history, physicist and cat parent Gregory Gbur explores how attempts to understand the cat‑righting reflex have provided crucial insights into puzzles in mathematics, geophysics, neuroscience, and human space exploration. The result is an engaging tumble through physics, physiology, photography, and robotics to uncover, through scientific debate, the secret of the acrobatic performance known as cat‑turning, the cat flip, and the cat twist. Readers learn the solution but also discover that the finer details still inspire heated arguments. As with other cat behavior, the more we investigate, the more surprises we discover.
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At the Edge of Time by Dan HooperA new look at the first few seconds after the Big Bang--and how research into these moments continues to revolutionize our understanding of our universe Scientists in the past few decades have made crucial discoveries about how our cosmos evolved over the past 13.8 billion years. But there remains a critical gap in our knowledge: we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang. At the Edge of Time focuses on what we have recently learned and are still striving to understand about this most essential and mysterious period of time at the beginning of cosmic history. Taking readers into the remarkable world of cosmology, Dan Hooper describes many of the extraordinary and perplexing questions that scientists are asking about the origin and nature of our world. Hooper examines how we are using the Large Hadron Collider and other experiments to re-create the conditions of the Big Bang and test promising theories for how and why our universe came to contain so much matter and so little antimatter. We may be poised to finally discover how dark matter was formed during our universe's first moments, and, with new telescopes, we are also lifting the veil on the era of cosmic inflation, which led to the creation of our world as we know it. Wrestling with the mysteries surrounding the initial moments that followed the Big Bang, At the Edge of Time presents an accessible investigation of our universe and its origin.
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Modern Optics Simplified by Robert D. GuentherThis textbook reduces the complexity of the coverage of optics to allow a student with only elementary calculus to learn the principles of optics and the modern Fourier theory of diffraction and imaging. Students majoring in sciences or engineering and taking a standard physics course onoptics will find this text useful. Examples of a variety of applications dependent on optics allow the student to connect this course to their particular field of interest. Topics covered include aberrations with experimental examples, correction of chromatic aberration, explanation of coherence andthe use of interference theory to design an antireflection coating. Fourier transform optics and its application to diffraction and imaging, use of Gaussian wave theory, and fiber optics make the text of interest to those in electrical and bioengineering as well as physics and medical science.The text includes hundreds of photos, figures and diagrams to provide readers with strong visual insights into optics. More difficult, optional topics are highlighted throughout, and the need for experience with differential equations and extensive use of vector theory are avoided by using a onedimensional theory where possible. Maxwell's equations are introduced only to determine the properties of a light wave, and the boundary conditions are introduced to characterize reflection and refraction. Most discussion is limited to reflection. The book also introduces Fourier transforms as theyare needed in the discussion of diffraction and imaging.
Call Number: QC355.3 .G84 2020
Physical Kinetics by Marian ApostolThis book presents the subject of physical kinetics from an original and unique angle, by deriving the Boltzmann equation from atomic motion, making extensive use of Landau� (TM)s concept of elementary excitations. It includes external forces, besides statistical motion, in its treatment of the subject wherever relevant. It also details the kinetic theory of classical gas and its transport, devoting special attention to the classical plasma. In addition, the book emphasises the role played by the anharmonic interactions in the lifetime of phonons, and presents the basic features of superconductivity and superfluidity.
Call Number: QC175 .A66 2020
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Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets by Fred WatsonWhat happens to space and matter near a black hole? Where did the moon come from? How do we know what stars are made of? Are we alone in the universe? In Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets, Fred Watson, an award-winning astronomer, presents the most up-to-date knowledge on hot topics in astronomy and space science, providing a fascinating and entertaining account of the latest research. Watson explains how to find invisible planets around other stars, why dark matter matters, and the future of citizen space travel, all while recounting the seismic shifts in understanding that have taken place during his illustrious career. The book features illuminating discussions of microbes in space; the dividing line between day and night; exploding stars and light echoes; fast radio bursts and signals from space; meteors, meteorites, and space dust; what happened to the Martian ocean; the seas and lakes of Titan; and the birth of the universe.
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Physics by Sidney PerkowitzPhysics, the fundamental science of matter and energy, encompasses all levels of nature from the subatomic to the cosmic, and underlies much of the technology around us. Understanding the physics of our universe is an essential aspect of humanity's quest to understand our environment and ourplace within it. Doing physics enables us to explore the interaction between environment and human society, and can help us to work towards the future sustainability of the planet.This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of how this pervasive science came to be and how it works: who funds it, how physicists are trained and how they think, and how physics supports the technology we all use. Sidney Perkowitz presents the theories and outcomes of pure and appliedphysics from ideas of the Greek natural philosophers to modern quantum mechanics, cosmology, digital electronics and energy production. Considering its most consequential experiments, including recent results in elementary particles, gravitational waves and materials science, he also discussesoutside the lab, the effects of physics on society, culture, and humanity's vision of its place in the universe.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, andenthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Call Number: QC7 .P44 2019
Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers by Youji KotsukaAddresses the importance of EM wave absorbers and details pertinent theory, design, and applications Demands for various EM-wave absorbers are rapidly increasing along with recent trends toward complicated electromagnetic environments and development of higher-frequency communication equipment, including AI technology. This book provides a broad perspective on electromagnetic wave absorbers, as well as discussion of specific types of absorbers, their advantages and disadvantages, their applications, and performance verification. Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers: Detailed Theories and Applications presents the theory behind wave absorbers and their practical usage in design of EM-wave absorber necessary particularly for EMC environments, and similar applications. The first half of the book contains the foundations of electromagnetic wave engineering, specifically the transmission line theories necessary for EM-wave absorber analysis, the basic knowledge of reflection, transmission, and absorption of electromagnetic waves, derivation of Maxwell's equations and computer analysis. The second half describes special mediums, absorber application examples, simplified methods of absorber design, autonomously controllable EM-wave absorber, and more. This valuable text: Provides detailed explanations of basic theory and applied theory for understanding EM-wave absorbers Discusses the material constant measurement methods of EM-wave absorption characteristics that are necessary for designing EM-wave absorbers Includes examples of novel EM-wave absorber configurations Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers: Detailed Theories and Applications is an ideal read for researchers and students concerned with electromagnetic wave engineering. It will also appeal to computer software engineers and electromagnetic field theory researchers.
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Here comes the sun : how it feeds us, kills us, heals us and makes us what we are by Steve JonesOur sun drives the weather, forms the landscape, feeds and fuels - but sometimes destroys - the creatures that live upon it, controls their patterns of activity, makes chemicals in the skin that cheer up those who bask in its rays, and for the ancients was the seat of divine authority. In Here Comes the Sun, Steve Jones shows how life on Earth is ruled by our nearest star. It is filled with unexpected connections; between the need to stay cool and man's ability to stand upright, between the power of memory and the onset of darkness, between the flow of solar energy through the plants and animals and of wealth through society, and between Joseph Goebbel's 1938 scheme to make Edinburgh the summer capital of a defeated Britain and the widening gap in the life expectancy of Scottish men compared to that of other European men brought on by thnat nation's cloudy climate. Its author charts some of his own research in places hot and cold across the globe on the genetic and evolutionary effects of sunlight on snails, fruit-flies and people and shows how what was once no more an eccentric specialism has grown to become a subject of wide scientific, social and political significance. Stunningly evocative, beautifully written and packed full of insight, Here Comes the Sun is Steve Jones's most personal book to date.
Call Number: QB521 .J66 2019
ISBN: 9781408711316
Fundamentals of Soft Matter Science Second Edition by Linda S. HirstThis revised edition continues to provide the most approachable introduction to the structure, characteristics, and everyday applications of soft matter. It begins with a substantially revised overview of the underlying physics and chemistry common to soft materials. Subsequent chapters comprehensively address the different classes of soft materials, from liquid crystals to surfactants, polymers, colloids, and biomaterials, with vivid, full-color illustrations throughout. There are new worked examples throughout, new problems, some deeper mathematical treatment, and new sections on key topics such as diffusion, active matter, liquid crystal defects, surfactant phases and more. * Introduces the science of soft materials, experimental methods used in their study, and wide-ranging applications in everyday life. * Provides brand new worked examples throughout, in addition to expanded chapter problem sets and an updated glossary. * Includes expanded mathematical content and substantially revised introductory chapters. This book will provide a comprehensive introductory resource to both undergraduate and graduate students discovering soft materials for the first time and is aimed at students with an introductory college background in physics, chemistry or materials science.
Call Number: QC173.458.S62 H57 2020
Schaum's Outline of Physics for Engineering and Science, Fourth Edition by Michael E. BrownePublisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Tough Test Questions? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time? Fortunately, there's Schaum's. More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum's to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills. Schaum's Outline of Physics for Engineering and Science, Fourth Edition is packed with hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills. This updated guide approaches the subject in a more concise, ordered manner than most standard texts, which are often filled with extraneous material. Schaum's Outline of Physics for Engineering and Science, Fourth Edition features: * 788 fully-solved problems * 25 problem-solving videos * Succinct review of physics topics such as motion, energy, fluids, waves, heat, and magnetic fields * Clear, concise explanations of all general physics concepts * Content supplements the major leading textbooks in physics for engineering and science * Content that is appropriate for Principles of Physics, Elements of Physics, Introductory College Physics, General Physics, Physics for Engineering courses PLUS: Access to the revised Schaums.com website and new app, containing 25 problem-solving videos, and more. Schaum's reinforces the main concepts required in your course and offers hundreds of practice exercises to help you succeed. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time--and get your best test scores! Schaum's Outlines--Problem solved.
Call Number: QC31 .B76 2020
Eclipses by Frank Close"Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse?" If the question caused you to search your memory, the correct answer would have been "no." A common response is: "Yes - I saw one, it was about 90% partial eclipse where I lived." A 90% partial eclipse is indeed a remarkable phenomenon, but truetotality leaves all else in the shade, in all senses of the phrase. Ask the question of anyone who has experienced the full sensation of being obliterated by the moon's shadow, and they will reply "yes" - without hesitation - and continue with a monologue describing the overwhelming experiences andunique phenomena that ensued.On 21 August 2017 millions of people across the United States witnessed "The Great American Eclipse" of the Sun. The moment it was over, people around the world were asking questions: what caused the weird shadows and colors in the build up to totality? Were those ephemeral bands of shadows glidingacross the ground in the seconds before totality real or an optical illusion? Why this, what that, but above all: where and when can I see a total solar eclipse again?Eclipses: What Everyone Needs to Know helps explain the profound differences between a 99.99% partial eclipse and true totality, and inform readers how to experience this most beautiful natural phenomenon successfully. It covers eclipses of sun, moon, and other astronomical objects, and theirapplications in science, as well as their role in history, literature, and myth. It describes the phenomena to expect at a solar eclipse and the best ways to record them - by camera, video, or by simple handmade experiments. The book covers the timetable of upcoming eclipses, where the bestlocations will be to see them, and the opportunities for using them as vehicles for inspiration and education.As a veteran of seven total solar eclipses, physicist Frank Close is an expert both on the theory and practice of eclipses. Eclipses: What Everyone Needs to Know is a popular source of information on the physics of eclipses.
Call Number: QB541 .C564 2019
Introduction to Modern Dynamics by David D. NolteThe best parts of physics are the last topics that our students ever see. These are the exciting new frontiers of nonlinear and complex systems that are at the forefront of university research and are the basis of many high-tech businesses. Topics such as traffic on the World Wide Web, thespread of epidemics through globally-mobile populations, or how the synchronization of global economies are governed by universal principles just as profound as Newton's laws. Nonetheless, the conventional university physics curriculum reserves most of these topics for graduate study because of theassumed need for advanced mathematics. However, by using only linear algebra and calculus, combined with exploratory computer simulations, all of these topics become accessible to advanced undergraduate students.The structure of this book combines the three main topics of modern dynamics - chaos theory, dynamics on complex networks, and general relativity - into a coherent framework. By taking a geometric view of physics, concentrating on the time evolution of physical systems as trajectories throughabstract spaces, these topics share a common and simple mathematical language through which any student can gain a unified physical intuition. Given the growing importance of complex dynamical systems in many areas of science and technology, this text provides students with an up-to-date foundationfor their future careers.This second edition has an updated introductory chapter and has added key topics to help students prepare for their GRE physics subject exam. It also has expanded chapters on Hamiltonian dynamics, Hamiltonian chaos, and Econophysics, while increasing the number of homework problems at the end ofeach chapter. The second edition is designed to fulfill the textbook needs of any advanced undergraduate course in mechanics.
Call Number: QC133 .N648 2019
Extraterrestrial Languages by Daniel OberhausIf we send a message into space, will extraterrestrial beings receive it? Will they understand? The endlessly fascinating question of whether we are alone in the universe has always been accompanied by another, more complicated one: if there is extraterrestrial life, how would we communicate with it? In this book, Daniel Oberhaus leads readers on a quest for extraterrestrial communication. Exploring Earthlings' various attempts to reach out to non-Earthlings over the centuries, he poses some not entirely answerable questions: If we send a message into space, will extraterrestrial beings receive it? Will they understand? What languages will they (and we) speak? Is there not only a universal grammar (as Noam Chomsky has posited), but also a grammar of the universe? Oberhaus describes, among other things, a late-nineteenth-century idea to communicate with Martians via Morse code and mirrors; the emergence in the twentieth century of SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), CETI (communication with extraterrestrial intelligence), and finally METI (messaging extraterrestrial intelligence); the one-way space voyage of Ella, an artificial intelligence agent that can play cards, tell fortunes, and recite poetry; and the launching of a theremin concert for aliens. He considers media used in attempts at extraterrestrial communication, from microwave systems to plaques on spacecrafts to formal logic, and discusses attempts to formulate a language for our message, including the Astraglossa and two generations of Lincos (lingua cosmica). The chosen medium for interstellar communication reveals much about the technological sophistication of the civilization that sends it, Oberhaus observes, but even more interesting is the information embedded in the message itself. In Extraterrestrial Languages, he considers how philosophy, linguistics, mathematics, science, and art have informed the design or limited the effectiveness of our interstellar messaging.
Call Number: QB54 .O225 2019
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Horatiu NastaseQuantum Field Theory provides a theoretical framework for understanding fields and the particles associated with them, and is the basis of particle physics and condensed matter research. This graduate level textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to quantum field theory, giving equal emphasis to operator and path integral formalisms. It covers modern research such as helicity spinors, BCFW construction and generalized unitarity cuts; as well as treating advanced topics including BRST quantization, loop equations, and finite temperature field theory. Various quantum fields are described, including scalar and fermionic fields, Abelian vector fields and Quantum ElectroDynamics (QED), and finally non-Abelian vector fields and Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD). Applications to scattering cross sections in QED and QCD are also described. Each chapter ends with exercises and an important concepts section, allowing students to identify the key aspects of the chapter and test their understanding.
Call Number: QC174.45 .N353 2020
Print & e-Book
Lightspeed by John C. H. SpenceThis book tells the human story of one of man's greatest intellectual adventures - how it came to be understood that light travels at a finite speed, so that when we look up at the stars, we are looking back in time. From the ancient Greeks measuring the distance to the sun, to today'ssatellite navigation and Einstein's theory of relativity, the book takes the reader on a gripping historical journey. It looks at how Galileo with his new telescope discovered the moons of Jupiter and used their eclipses as a global clock, allowing travellers to find their Longitude. We are alsotold of how Ole Roemer, noticing that the eclipses were a little late, used this to obtain the first measurement of the speed of light, which takes eight minutes to get to us from the sun. We then move from the remarkable international collaborations to observe the Transits of Venus, includingCook's voyage to Australia, to the extraordinary achievements of Young and Fresnel, whose discoveries eventually taught us that light travels as a wave but arrives as a particle, and all the quantum weirdness which follows. In the nineteenth century, we find Faraday and Maxwell , struggling tounderstand how light can propagate through the vacuum of space unless space is filled with a ghostly vortex Aether foam. We follow the brilliantly gifted experimentalists Hertz, discoverer of radio, Michelson with his search for the Aether wind, and Foucault and Fizeau with their spinning mirrorsand lightbeams across the rooftops of Paris. Messaging faster than light using quantum entanglement, and the reality of the quantum world, conclude this saga.
Online resource - Access Restricted to UC campuses
The Crowd and the Cosmos by Chris LintottThe world of science has been transformed. Where once astronomers sat at the controls of giant telescopes in remote locations, praying for clear skies, now they have no need to budge from their desks, as data arrives in their inbox. And what they receive is overwhelming; projects now being built provide more data in a few nights than in the whole of humanity's history of observing the Universe. It's not just astronomy either - dealing with this deluge of data is the major challenge for scientists at CERN, and for biologists who use automated cameras to spy on animals in their natural habitats. Artificial intelligence is one part of the solution - but will it spell the end of human involvement in scientific discovery? No, argues Chris Lintott. We humans still have unique capabilities to bring to bear - our curiosity, our capacity for wonder, and, most importantly, our capacity for surprise. It seems that humans and computers working together do better than computers can on their own. But with so much scientific data, you need a lot of scientists - a crowd, in fact. Lintott found such a crowd in the Zooniverse, the web-based project that allows hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic volunteers to contribute to science. In this book, Lintott describes the exciting discoveries that people all over the world have made, from galaxies to pulsars, exoplanets to moons, and from penguin behavior to old ship's logs. This approach builds on a long history of so-called "citizen science," given new power by fast internet and distributed data. Discovery is no longer the remit only of scientists in specialist labs or academics in ivory towers. It's something we can all take part in. As Lintott shows, it's a wonderful way to engage with science, yielding new insights daily. You, too, can help explore the Universe in your lunch hour.