What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fundamental Constants: A Mystery Of Physics
The speed of light, the fine structure constant, and Newton's constant of gravity - these are just three among the many physical constants that define our picture of the world. Where do they come from? Are they constant in time and across space? In this book, physicist and author Harald Fritzsch invites the reader to explore the mystery of the fundamental constants of physics in the company of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and a modern-day physicist. The conversation that the three scientists are imagined to have provides an entertaining introduction to the constants and covers topics ranging from atomic, nuclear, and particle physics to astrophysics and cosmology.
214 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2009
1 person is currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Harald Fritzsch
44 books6 followersGerman theoretical physicist known for his contributions to the theory of quarks, the development of Quantum Chromodynamics and the great unification of the standard model of particle physics.
After completing his education in Zwickau 1961, he became Soldier of the Nationale Volksarmee of the GDR. He studied Physics in Leipzig from 1963 to 1968. After fleeing to West Germany, he continued his studies in Munich where he finished his Ph.D. under the supervision of Heinrich Mitter.
In 1970 Fritzsch visited the Aspen Center of Physics, where he met Murray Gell-Mann. They started a collaboration, first in Aspen, later at the California Institute of Technology. In 1971 they introduced the concept of the colour charge quantum number which allowed them in collaboration with William A. Bardeen to explain the decay rate of pions. In the fall of 1971 Fritzsch and Gell-Mann moved to Geneva in Switzerland, where they worked together at CERN. They proposed a gauge theory for the strong interaction, which now is called Quantumchromodynamics. In September 1972 they moved back to Caltech. In 1975 Fritzsch published a paper together with Peter Minkowski in which they proposed the symmetry group SO as the symmetry of the grand unified theory which has become a standard theory. In 1976 Fritzsch moved to CERN. After working for one year at the University of Wuppertal and the University of Bern, Fritzsch became professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1980.
Fritzsch worked also on "composite models" of leptons and quarks, mass matrices of quarks and leptons, weak decays of heavy quarks, cosmology and the fundamental constants of physics. He retired in 2008.
After completing his education in Zwickau 1961, he became Soldier of the Nationale Volksarmee of the GDR. He studied Physics in Leipzig from 1963 to 1968. After fleeing to West Germany, he continued his studies in Munich where he finished his Ph.D. under the supervision of Heinrich Mitter.
In 1970 Fritzsch visited the Aspen Center of Physics, where he met Murray Gell-Mann. They started a collaboration, first in Aspen, later at the California Institute of Technology. In 1971 they introduced the concept of the colour charge quantum number which allowed them in collaboration with William A. Bardeen to explain the decay rate of pions. In the fall of 1971 Fritzsch and Gell-Mann moved to Geneva in Switzerland, where they worked together at CERN. They proposed a gauge theory for the strong interaction, which now is called Quantumchromodynamics. In September 1972 they moved back to Caltech. In 1975 Fritzsch published a paper together with Peter Minkowski in which they proposed the symmetry group SO as the symmetry of the grand unified theory which has become a standard theory. In 1976 Fritzsch moved to CERN. After working for one year at the University of Wuppertal and the University of Bern, Fritzsch became professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1980.
Fritzsch worked also on "composite models" of leptons and quarks, mass matrices of quarks and leptons, weak decays of heavy quarks, cosmology and the fundamental constants of physics. He retired in 2008.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 23, 2021
I'm not a physicist, but I used to pretend that I would be one someday, right up to the year that I graduated with a B.S. in it. It's not that I don't understand it so much as I am only in the 80th percentile in performance. As such, I found this book challenging to follow, especially the explanations of applied group theory. There is not much math except for the references to groups and symmetry, but the intricacies of the Standard Model are a bit devious.
And that is the major complaint with the Standard Model of particle physics. It isn't very artistic of simple. It isn't elegant or beautiful. Following the generations of bosons and fermions is kind of like memorizing your mother's family back three generations. Unlike genetics, particle physics has only three generations. That is it. No more than three. Physicists are basically those kids that always ask 'why', but in the Standard Model there is no answer other than, "If it wasn't that way you wouldn't be around to ask about it."
It is a testament to the Standard Model that in the 16 years that have elapsed since the publication of this book, it has been assailed by the mighty power of the LHC at CERN and it is still the only game in town.
So, you can understand the excitement in the halls of physicists when a crack appears in it, as it has a couple of times, only to disappear under closer scrutiny.
This book is an excellent introduction to the Standard Model. I didn't give it five stars because the silly introduction of Einstein and Newton in a weak attempt to create a plot. (The entire book is told as a dream in which Haller explains the SM to Einstein and Newton.) All is not lost however. I like the idea of a conversation of a contemporary physicist with the two greatest luminaries of the craft. I was able to follow along very well with nothing but a Bachelors degree in Physics, well worth the $60,000 1980s dollars that I spent on it.
And that is the major complaint with the Standard Model of particle physics. It isn't very artistic of simple. It isn't elegant or beautiful. Following the generations of bosons and fermions is kind of like memorizing your mother's family back three generations. Unlike genetics, particle physics has only three generations. That is it. No more than three. Physicists are basically those kids that always ask 'why', but in the Standard Model there is no answer other than, "If it wasn't that way you wouldn't be around to ask about it."
It is a testament to the Standard Model that in the 16 years that have elapsed since the publication of this book, it has been assailed by the mighty power of the LHC at CERN and it is still the only game in town.
So, you can understand the excitement in the halls of physicists when a crack appears in it, as it has a couple of times, only to disappear under closer scrutiny.
This book is an excellent introduction to the Standard Model. I didn't give it five stars because the silly introduction of Einstein and Newton in a weak attempt to create a plot. (The entire book is told as a dream in which Haller explains the SM to Einstein and Newton.) All is not lost however. I like the idea of a conversation of a contemporary physicist with the two greatest luminaries of the craft. I was able to follow along very well with nothing but a Bachelors degree in Physics, well worth the $60,000 1980s dollars that I spent on it.
August 15, 2017
Amazing book to know about how physics started from the time of Newton, How it evolved in the time of Einstein and what are today's challanges in Physics. The best part is book has no mathematics :). Only theoretical physics in the form of conversation between 3 physicist. The rare pictures of great physicist, labs like LHC (Large Hadron Collider) of CERN and scientists going for cafes and eating meal of their own taste makes book more intresting.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews