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The Charm of Physics
A dazzling tour of contemporary physics that takes us from the farthest reaches of the universe to the innermost recesses of the atom, & demonstrates how the two come back together in the end. As engrossing as it is entertaining.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Sheldon L. Glashow
14 books10 followersSheldon Lee Glashow
American theoretical physicist who, with Steven Weinberg and Abdus Salam, received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979 "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current".
Glashow was the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia. He and Stephen Weinberg were members of the same classes at the Bronx High School of Science, New York City (1950), and Cornell University (1954). Glashow received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1959. He joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in 1961 and returned to Harvard as a professor of physics in 1967.
He is known for:
Electroweak theory
Georgi–Glashow model
Criticism of Superstring theory
American theoretical physicist who, with Steven Weinberg and Abdus Salam, received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979 "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current".
Glashow was the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia. He and Stephen Weinberg were members of the same classes at the Bronx High School of Science, New York City (1950), and Cornell University (1954). Glashow received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1959. He joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in 1961 and returned to Harvard as a professor of physics in 1967.
He is known for:
Electroweak theory
Georgi–Glashow model
Criticism of Superstring theory
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 2, 2017
Fascinating essays ranging from particle physics and cosmology to the future of physics and the state of the US educational system.
January 6, 2026
This book was interesting, but also dated, aggressively evolutionary, and mathematics heavy. Much of the book focuses on the SSC—a particle-accelerator blueprint which was never completed—which at once sets the tone. Reading it felt like opening a time capsule from the early ‘90s, only to be reminded how much physics has changed—and how much it stubbornly hasn’t.
Yes, we’ve found the bottom quark, nailed down the Higgs boson, and built the LHC. And yet here we are, 30 years later, stuck with the same old Standard Model, chasing superstrings and neutrino mass like the solutions are just around the corner.
What this book forced me to realize was that progress today doesn’t always lead to resolution tomorrow—what seems tantalizingly close to one generation can still elude the next.
Yes, we’ve found the bottom quark, nailed down the Higgs boson, and built the LHC. And yet here we are, 30 years later, stuck with the same old Standard Model, chasing superstrings and neutrino mass like the solutions are just around the corner.
What this book forced me to realize was that progress today doesn’t always lead to resolution tomorrow—what seems tantalizingly close to one generation can still elude the next.
December 4, 2025
A SERIES OF ESSAYS COVERING PARTICLE PHYSICS, BUT MUCH MORE
Sheldon Lee Glashow is a Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Boston University and Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at Harvard University. He (along with two others) was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1991 book, “How did stars group together in galaxies[?]… We do not know what constitutes the very matter of the Universe, for stars, clouds of gas, and dust cannot account for its mass… We do not know why particles exist, why they have a particular mass, or why they are subject to certain forces. Our standard model… tells us that within this context, there are no answers. Moreover, our ‘grand unified theory’ is neither grand (the proton lifetime is wrong), nor unified (gravity is left out), nor is it really theory (it doesn’t solve any of the above puzzles). Quantum field theory… has reached an impasse; the theory simply cannot describe gravity, and is therefore unable to explain the earliest moments of the creation of the universe. Quantum field theory also falls short of answering any of today’s particle puzzles… Superstring theory is an ambitious and fashionable attempt to overcome all obstacles … Who needs the muon? So far, superstring theory cannot begin to answer the question, but has rather led a whole generation of brilliant graduate students into an increasingly intricate ten-dimensional mathematical morass… Particle physicists and cosmologists … are among the last prophets of a scientific revolution. We hope for data that will invalidate the theoretical framework we have so painstakingly built. We look forward to a time when the essays in this collection become obsolete because our successors will have formulated a better theory of how things work and what it all means.” (Pg. xi-xii)
In one essay, he notes, “one thing we do not know is whether the universe is infinite in spatial extent. This is certainly an important question, and it is one scientists will answer in the not-too-distant future. The answer depends upon just what is the average density of matter in the universe. We know this number, but not yet with sufficient precision to decide upon the finiteness of the universe. The betting in the astronomical community is that the universe is indeed infinite…” (Pg. 41)
In another essay, he explains, “Smart aliens, if they exist, live on hypothetical planets of distant stars, at least a few light years down the road… it is infinitely cheaper for such beings to attempt to communicate, rather than pay a visit… Before setting out to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, we might try to convince ourselves that it is at least possible that life is a commonplace occurrence in the Milky Way. Let me stress that I shall deal with life as we know it: life built upon the chemistry of carbon, dependent upon plentiful water. In so doing, we exclude the possible existence of truly exotic life forms… This exclusion is without prejudice. Weird forms of life may exist somewhere, and may be attempting to communicate with us as well.” (Pg. 76-77) Later, he adds, “There is no question SETI is a risky enterprise. It is impossible to conclude with any degree of certitude whether extraterrestrial intelligence exists or not. Nonetheless, it is an essential pursuit.” (Pg. 91)
He admits, “I have gone on to speculate that we have come to the end of the discovery of unexpected new elementary particles or fundamental forces. I have been accused of declaring that the discipline of elementary-particle physics has come to its natural end. I am confident and hopeful that I am wrong. Totally unexpected new things surely remain to be discovered by ingenious experimenters. Nature cannot have exhausted her bag of tricks.” (Pg. 99)
He notes after one article, “This article was written just before the discovery of the tan lepton and the revelation that there is a third family of quarks and leptons. Thus, there are at least three times as many fundamental particles in nature as we seem to need to operate spaceship earth. Is there a fourth family awaiting discovery?” (Pg. 163)
He observes, “How do we explain the construction of accelerators costing hundreds of millions of dollars?... Is it the pure spirit of scientific endeavor, without hope of tangible gain?... Although remote, there is the possibility that particle physicists will stumble onto something ‘useful.’ For a brief time, the false hope was held that muons could be the key to fusion devices… Nonetheless, I believe that my discipline per se will turn out to be utterly ‘useless.’” (Pg. 172)
He suggests, “The Theory of Everything will come in its time if we let it. I am convinced that we still have a lot to learn about the phenomena of nature…. Particle physics has not necessarily come to the end of the road. Astonishing experimental discoveries certainly remain to be made. If, and only if, we look, shall we find. The question is one of perseverence… The Way is clear, but what of the Will?” (Pg. 190-191)
He notes, “I do not believe that the standard theory will long survive as a correct and complete picture of physics… We are still very far from Einstein’s truly grand design. Physics of the past century has been characterized by frequent great but unanticipated experimental discoveries. If the standard theory is correct, this age has come to an end. Only a few important particles remain to be discovered, and many of their properties are alleged to be known in advance. Surely this is not the way things will be… Nevertheless, the standard theory … may survive as a part of the ultimate theory, or it may turn out to be fundamentally wrong. In either case, it will have been an important way station, and the next theory will have to be better.” (Pg. 204)
He points out, “many of the best and brightest young physicists have chosen a different, entirely theoretical, approach to understanding matter---an approach not based on experimentation and whose constructs never have been demonstrated. ‘Superstrings’ is the name of their game, a synthesis of some of the most bizarre notions ever put forward. According to this new religion, space has nine dimensions, not just the three we see... Six of them are curled up into a tiny ball… far too small ever to be noticed … The popular literature [bristles] with glowing articles about superstrings and the consequent theory of everything…. Superstrings… appear to present us with a theory of quantum gravity, and I’ve got to give them a brownie point for that… But superstring physicists have not yet shown that their theory really works… they have not yet made even one teeny-tiny experimental prediction. Worst of all, superstring theory does not follow as a logical consequence of some appealing set of hypotheses about nature. Why, you may ask, do the string theorists insist that space is nine dimensional? Simply because string theory doesn’t make sense in any other kind of space…. Even the most ambitious string advocates believe that it will take decades before we have learned enough to tell for sure to make any experimental predictions at all. Meanwhile, the historical connection between experimental physics and theory has been lost. Until the string people can interpret perceived properties of the real world, they simply are not doing physics. Should they be paid by universities and be permitted to pervert impressionable students? Will young Ph.D.s, whose expertise is limited to superstring theory, be employable if, and when, the string snaps?’ (Pg. 255-256)
He laments, “This country was once the unquestioned technological hub of the world. Today, most of our industry is in deep trouble… As we exhaust our heritage of capital and raw materials, Americans will no longer be able to afford the technological society to which they have become accustomed… How is it that the forces of the marketplace have failed us?... Ironically, it is the force of the marketplace that impels the Europeans. Perhaps more clearly than we do, they see technology as the key to a healthy industrial society.” (Pg. 285, 287)
This will be of great interest to those studying such issues in contemporary science.
Sheldon Lee Glashow is a Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Boston University and Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at Harvard University. He (along with two others) was awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1991 book, “How did stars group together in galaxies[?]… We do not know what constitutes the very matter of the Universe, for stars, clouds of gas, and dust cannot account for its mass… We do not know why particles exist, why they have a particular mass, or why they are subject to certain forces. Our standard model… tells us that within this context, there are no answers. Moreover, our ‘grand unified theory’ is neither grand (the proton lifetime is wrong), nor unified (gravity is left out), nor is it really theory (it doesn’t solve any of the above puzzles). Quantum field theory… has reached an impasse; the theory simply cannot describe gravity, and is therefore unable to explain the earliest moments of the creation of the universe. Quantum field theory also falls short of answering any of today’s particle puzzles… Superstring theory is an ambitious and fashionable attempt to overcome all obstacles … Who needs the muon? So far, superstring theory cannot begin to answer the question, but has rather led a whole generation of brilliant graduate students into an increasingly intricate ten-dimensional mathematical morass… Particle physicists and cosmologists … are among the last prophets of a scientific revolution. We hope for data that will invalidate the theoretical framework we have so painstakingly built. We look forward to a time when the essays in this collection become obsolete because our successors will have formulated a better theory of how things work and what it all means.” (Pg. xi-xii)
In one essay, he notes, “one thing we do not know is whether the universe is infinite in spatial extent. This is certainly an important question, and it is one scientists will answer in the not-too-distant future. The answer depends upon just what is the average density of matter in the universe. We know this number, but not yet with sufficient precision to decide upon the finiteness of the universe. The betting in the astronomical community is that the universe is indeed infinite…” (Pg. 41)
In another essay, he explains, “Smart aliens, if they exist, live on hypothetical planets of distant stars, at least a few light years down the road… it is infinitely cheaper for such beings to attempt to communicate, rather than pay a visit… Before setting out to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, we might try to convince ourselves that it is at least possible that life is a commonplace occurrence in the Milky Way. Let me stress that I shall deal with life as we know it: life built upon the chemistry of carbon, dependent upon plentiful water. In so doing, we exclude the possible existence of truly exotic life forms… This exclusion is without prejudice. Weird forms of life may exist somewhere, and may be attempting to communicate with us as well.” (Pg. 76-77) Later, he adds, “There is no question SETI is a risky enterprise. It is impossible to conclude with any degree of certitude whether extraterrestrial intelligence exists or not. Nonetheless, it is an essential pursuit.” (Pg. 91)
He admits, “I have gone on to speculate that we have come to the end of the discovery of unexpected new elementary particles or fundamental forces. I have been accused of declaring that the discipline of elementary-particle physics has come to its natural end. I am confident and hopeful that I am wrong. Totally unexpected new things surely remain to be discovered by ingenious experimenters. Nature cannot have exhausted her bag of tricks.” (Pg. 99)
He notes after one article, “This article was written just before the discovery of the tan lepton and the revelation that there is a third family of quarks and leptons. Thus, there are at least three times as many fundamental particles in nature as we seem to need to operate spaceship earth. Is there a fourth family awaiting discovery?” (Pg. 163)
He observes, “How do we explain the construction of accelerators costing hundreds of millions of dollars?... Is it the pure spirit of scientific endeavor, without hope of tangible gain?... Although remote, there is the possibility that particle physicists will stumble onto something ‘useful.’ For a brief time, the false hope was held that muons could be the key to fusion devices… Nonetheless, I believe that my discipline per se will turn out to be utterly ‘useless.’” (Pg. 172)
He suggests, “The Theory of Everything will come in its time if we let it. I am convinced that we still have a lot to learn about the phenomena of nature…. Particle physics has not necessarily come to the end of the road. Astonishing experimental discoveries certainly remain to be made. If, and only if, we look, shall we find. The question is one of perseverence… The Way is clear, but what of the Will?” (Pg. 190-191)
He notes, “I do not believe that the standard theory will long survive as a correct and complete picture of physics… We are still very far from Einstein’s truly grand design. Physics of the past century has been characterized by frequent great but unanticipated experimental discoveries. If the standard theory is correct, this age has come to an end. Only a few important particles remain to be discovered, and many of their properties are alleged to be known in advance. Surely this is not the way things will be… Nevertheless, the standard theory … may survive as a part of the ultimate theory, or it may turn out to be fundamentally wrong. In either case, it will have been an important way station, and the next theory will have to be better.” (Pg. 204)
He points out, “many of the best and brightest young physicists have chosen a different, entirely theoretical, approach to understanding matter---an approach not based on experimentation and whose constructs never have been demonstrated. ‘Superstrings’ is the name of their game, a synthesis of some of the most bizarre notions ever put forward. According to this new religion, space has nine dimensions, not just the three we see... Six of them are curled up into a tiny ball… far too small ever to be noticed … The popular literature [bristles] with glowing articles about superstrings and the consequent theory of everything…. Superstrings… appear to present us with a theory of quantum gravity, and I’ve got to give them a brownie point for that… But superstring physicists have not yet shown that their theory really works… they have not yet made even one teeny-tiny experimental prediction. Worst of all, superstring theory does not follow as a logical consequence of some appealing set of hypotheses about nature. Why, you may ask, do the string theorists insist that space is nine dimensional? Simply because string theory doesn’t make sense in any other kind of space…. Even the most ambitious string advocates believe that it will take decades before we have learned enough to tell for sure to make any experimental predictions at all. Meanwhile, the historical connection between experimental physics and theory has been lost. Until the string people can interpret perceived properties of the real world, they simply are not doing physics. Should they be paid by universities and be permitted to pervert impressionable students? Will young Ph.D.s, whose expertise is limited to superstring theory, be employable if, and when, the string snaps?’ (Pg. 255-256)
He laments, “This country was once the unquestioned technological hub of the world. Today, most of our industry is in deep trouble… As we exhaust our heritage of capital and raw materials, Americans will no longer be able to afford the technological society to which they have become accustomed… How is it that the forces of the marketplace have failed us?... Ironically, it is the force of the marketplace that impels the Europeans. Perhaps more clearly than we do, they see technology as the key to a healthy industrial society.” (Pg. 285, 287)
This will be of great interest to those studying such issues in contemporary science.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews