Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics [Paperback]

M. G. Veltman (Author), Martinus Veltman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 981238149X | ISBN-13: 978-9812381491 | Publication Date: February 2003

A comprehensive overview of modern particle physics, which seeks to be accessible to anyone with a true passion for wanting to know how the universe works. We are introduced to the known particles of the world we live in. An explanation of quantum mechanics and relativity paves the way for an understanding of the laws that govern particle physics. These laws are put into action in the world of accelerators, colliders and detectors found at institutions such as CERN and Fermilab that are in the forefront of technical innovation. Real world and theory meet, with the use of Feynman diagrams to solve the problems of infinities and deduce the need for the Higgs boson. The volume offers insight from an eyewitness and participant in some of the greatest discoveries in 20th-century science. From Einstein's theory of relativity to the elusive Higgs particle, the text should interest anyone interested in the world of quarks, leptons and gauge theories. The work also contains many thumbnail sketches of particle physics personalities, including contemporaries as seen through the eyes of the author. Illustrated with pictures, these candid sketches present views of the characters that populate the field.

Editorial Reviews

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.,." readers, from the merely curious to the expert in the field of modern particle physics, should read this book ..."

Review

I greatly enjoyed finally reading a book that goes into the details I always wanted ... Veltman has the courage to try a deeper level about what we understand and what is simply fact ... Even if you have read books popularizing physics before, you have to read this one ... --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 981238149X
• ISBN-13: 978-9812381491
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #427,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Nuclear Physics > Particle Physics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and concise, but awkward prose, September 14, 2003

By 

Hubert J. Farnsworth "continuously evolving" (Albrightsville, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics (Paperback)

Veltman delivers the tale of phenomenological particle physics with enthusiasm and depth as one of its leading researchers. He attempts to cover the whole arena, from the complex behavior of quarks and gluons to the description of particle detectors. Woven throughout the book are small "vignettes" (his terminology for brief biographical sketches) of the many physicists, famous and not-so-famous, who contributed to the current understanding of our universe. He succeeds relatively well in his goal of explaining particle physics to the layman.

But don't look here for any coverage of the more esoteric and exotic ideas of theoretical physics like string theory. He unequivocally states,

"The fact is that this book is about physics, and this implies that the theoretical ideas discussed must be supported by experimental facts. Neither supersymmetry nor string theory satisfy this criterion. They are figments of the theoretical mind. To quote Pauli: They are not even wrong. They have no place here."

He is, of course, correct but I think he downplays the mathematically unifying power of string theory, for which experimental verification lies beyond today's technological reach and thus cannot be vindicated one way or the other. Mathematical beauty, while not a sure sign of physical truth, can at least serve as a powerful beacon for future physical insights.

Always the true scientist, Veltman should be praised for unapologetically declaring agnosticism if evidence for a theoretical idea isn't clear cut. For example, he writes several times that the neutrino is massless but will almost always parenthetically acknowledge that it might have a very small mass (which indeed it does, as experimental evidence of neutrino mixing has been since verified). He deems it worthy enough to have an entire section devoted to neutrino mixing and its implications.

I found one glaring problem with the book that prevented the 5 star rating it could have received: writing style. It just doesn't read all that smoothly, and I think it could have been cleaned up a bit more by a more astute editor.

Balancing the rocky prose, however, are wonderful color templates (excellently used during his description of anti-matter) to aid explanations, pictures of apparati and scientists to portray the human side of science, and clear diagrams of particle interactions.

If you want to learn what physicists empirically know about particle physics today and how they determine it, get this book; just don't expect smooth reading. Veltman is clearly passionate about his profession and it shows.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great insight, really bad writing, September 26, 2004

By 

E. Uthman "Ed" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics (Paperback)

I don't believe I have ever been so internally conflicted by any book. On the one hand, it is clear that Martinus Veltman is a legitimate genius. The book is a cornucopia of insights I have never seen in any other work. Veltman also enriches the book with original accounts of the human side of numerous physicists; some are so detailed as to seem gossipy.

On the other hand, whoever copy-edited this book should be banned from the English-speaking world. Much of the book reads like a transcript of an informal discussion group. It is the task of the editor to provide the translation of the casual musings of a genius into a polished publication; that task is unfulfilled here.

Edited properly, Facts and Mysteries could be a must-have book for all layman physics enthusiasts. As it is, it's just an also-ran. I would recommend it only to those who are already pretty conversant in the field.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars unique book, but read others too, September 27, 2006

By 

nerdyguy1618 (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics (Hardcover)

This is a unique book.

First of all, the paper, font, diagrams, and cover are wonderful. It's really a nice looking book cover to cover.

Next, the author includes biographies of people involved in the field. The writing is candid and humorous. The biographies don't read like a textbook at all. They include his own opinions, as well as interesting anecdotes about the people.

Finally, the author includes some of his own personal story in the book, regarding his work in particle physics. It's nice to see a first-hand account. I enjoy his commentary.

All these things make this a special book, and worth reading.

The author can be somewhat grumpy, but you have to take that with a sense of humor. Consider that physicists (I am one) tend to be literal and often TOO honest, at the risk of being blunt or awkward. So try not to be put off.

Some parts of the book are a bit tedious. If you really want to understand the topic, read some other books along with this one. If there's only one book to get, try Oerter's "Theory of Almost Everything". But if you want a few books, then definitely include this one.