Great Ideas in Physics

by Alan Lightman

The conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics­­together, these concepts form the foundation upon which modern physics was built. But the influence of these four landmark ideas has extended far beyond hard science. There is no aspect of twentieth-century culture­­including the arts, social sciences, philosophy, and politics­­that has not been profoundly influenced by them.In Great Ideas in Physics, Alan Lightman clearly explains the physics behind each of the four great ideas and deftly untangles for lay readers such knotty concepts as entropy, the relativity of time, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Throughout the book he uses excerpts from the writings of scientific luminaries such as Newton, Kelvin, Einstein, and de Broglie to help place each in its proper historical perspective. And with the help of expertly annotated passages from the works of dozens of writers, philosophers, artists, and social theorists, Lightman explores the two-way influences of these landmark scientific concepts on our entire human culture and the world of ideas.

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction, Reference

250 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Alan Lightman is an American writer, physicist, and social entrepreneur. Born in 1948, he was educated at Princeton and at the California Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in theoretical physics. He has received five honorary doctoral degrees. Lightman has served on the faculties of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. His scientific research in astrophysics has concerned
black holes, relativity theory, radiative processes, and the dynamics of systems of stars. His essays and articles have appeared in the Atlantic, Granta, Harper’s, the New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, Salon, and many other publications. His essays are often chosen by the New York Times as among the best essays of the year. He is the author of 6 novels, several collections of essays, a memoir, and a book-length narrative poem, as well as several books on science. His novel Einstein’s Dreams was an international bestseller and has been the basis for dozens of independent theatrical and musical adaptations around the world. His novel The Diagnosis was a finalist for the National Book Award. His most recent books are The Accidental Universe, which was chosen by Brain Pickings as one of the 10 best books of 2014, his memoir Screening Room, which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best books of the year for 2016,
and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine (2018), an extended meditation on science and religion – which was the basis for an essay
on PBS Newshour. Lightman is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also the founder of the Harpswell Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to advance a new generation of women leaders in Southeast Asia.” He has received the gold medal for humanitarian service from the government of Cambodia.

Reviews

[WarpDrive · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute introductory book about some of the most intriguing "ideas" of modern physics: the conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, the special theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics (wave-particle duality and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle).

These subjects are treated at a pretty basic/introductory level (last year high school/first year Uni), and they are a bit too light from a mathematical perspective for my taste, but they are explained quite precisely from a conceptual perspective. There are a couple of inaccuracies, but nothing dramatic.

A pleasant, very readable, well written easygoing book,with nice examples and clear explanations. The "derivations" of the Heisenberg uncertainty formula and of the Lorentz factor are quite nicely explained.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this. it's a textbook really but you only need to do the math if you just can't stand not knowing. It helps if you've read a bit about quantum physics but not requisite.
There is a lot of math - and it my case it helped me understand how it works a bit more. Thumbs up.

[Ergun Coruh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Physics for average Joe. Simple, but beautiful examples. If you want to polish your college physics, or understand how these theories work in the simplest possible way, this book is for you. One of the best explanations of wave/particle duality and Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

[Thomas Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Ideas in Physics: Conservation of Energy, Second Law of Thermodynamics, Special Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, Alan Lightman (1948-), 2000, 300 pages, ISBN 0071357386

Plays fast and loose with the double-slit experiment, pretending that a "transparent detector" can detect a photon passing through a given slit, yet let that same photon continue, to hit the screen beyond. No. A photomultiplier absorbs a photon and gives out an electric current. Goes on to claim that what happens depends on whether someone is trying to observe it. No. A quantum propagates as a wave and interacts as a particle. The photon or electron travels by all possible routes, yet always hits only a single molecule of silver nitrate, darkening a single spot on the plate. It's the interaction of the radiation with matter that changes the wave into a particle. Not the mind of the observer.

Good simple derivations of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, and of the time-dilation and length-contraction formulas, but fails to explain how the stationary observer can detect the ticking of the moving clock.

Defines temperature as average thermal energy /per molecule/. Not quite. It's average thermal energy per degree of freedom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrees...

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, I'm not a dummy. But this book gave me the equivalent of an intellectual wedgie. It made my brain hurt, and I certainly wanted to bin it before I finished it. I'm glad I completed the read, but that probably says more about my inbuilt sense of literary masochism than it does the author's sense of purpose.

The book aims to tackle a couple of the Big Ideas in the field of physics - the conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, the theory of relativity and the idea of quantum mechanics - to give readers an overview of some of the main struts of the whole shebang. Lightman's an amusing enough kind of guy - his style is easy and conversational - but if you suffer from formulae dyslexia you'll want to give this one a miss. I found I could handle the descriptions and the analogies, but when it went into hard equations I was lost.

To be fair, the book is structured to minimise this kind of befuddlement - there's even a primer in the appendices (which also include class guides, which would be handy for some) - but even though it's an introduction, the absolute layman can find it a bit of a drag.

I love Lightman's other work - Einstein's Dreams is a favourite - but this one was a bridge too far for someone as mathematically retarded as I. I'll soldier on with others in the field, though, as books like this (and Feynman's work) certainly pique the curiosity of even the most ardent of us Arts grads...

[Larry Gerovac · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will learn about both big names and some little known names in the world of physics. Laws of energy, units of mass, length, and energy are discussed. This book might be good for teachers that would like to cover a little history as they explain some of the concepts.

[Jslai · Rating 4 out of 5]

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