Void
Subtitle: the strange physics of nothing
By: James Owen Weatherall
Series: Foundational Questions in Science; Foundational questions in science
Publisher: Yale University Press; Templeton Press
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 196
ISBN-13: 9780300209983
Subjects: Nothing (Philosophy); Philosophy; Physics; Theoretical physics; Space
Description: James Owen Weatherall's previous book, The Physics of Wall Street, was a New York Times best-seller and named one of Physics Today's five most intriguing books of 2013. In his newest volume, he takes on a fundamental concept of modern physics: nothing. The physics of stuff--protons, neutrons, electrons, and even quarks and gluons--is at least somewhat familiar to most of us. But what about the physics of nothing? Isaac Newton thought of empty space as nothingness extended in all directions, a kind of theater in which physics could unfold. But both quantum theory and relativity tell us that Newton's picture can't be right. Nothing, it turns out, is an awful lot like something, with a structure and properties every bit as complex and mysterious as matter. In his signature lively prose, Weatherall explores the very nature of empty space--and solidifies his reputation as a science writer to watch.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 139-187) and index.
Table of contents: title: Prologue: Much ado about nothing; title: The plenum and the void; title: Waves of space itself; title: The nothing nothings; title: Epilogue: Why nothing really matters: quantum gravity and beyond.