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Nothing: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

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"Nothing" seems to be the simplest of all notions, apparently requiring no thought whatsoever. It is what remains where everything is taken away. But a closer scrutiny reveals that "nothing" is not trivial as it may first seem. Is it physically possible to achieve such a thing as the absence of all matter? Even if possible, is what remains a truly empty space? And what is space anyway - is it possible to talk about it in the absence of matter? It is these and related questions that this short book tries to answer. It takes the reader on a journey from philosophical and speculative ideas of classic antiquity, to the most advanced frontiers of modern theoretical and experimental Physics. For a book of its size it covers a lot of ground. It explains where the notion that "the nature abhors vacuum" comes from, and how it took almost two thousand years to refute it by actually creating the first known artificial vacuum. The book explains how the ideas about the vacuum have evolved over the centuries, and in particular what an effect the discoveries of quantum mechanics and general relativity have had on it. Today we believe that even the perfect vacuum is strictly speaking not completely empty, and it is a rather complicated and complex entity. The book concludes with some of the current Physics speculations and how they may pertain to our ideas about "nothing."

The book is written in an interesting and easy-flowing style, and it does not overwhelm the reader with technical details and arcane jargon. There are hardly any equations in it, and the ones that are present are straightforward and used in order to illustrate a point that otherwise would be too cumbersome to describe. Overall, this is a very good book with a fresh and engaging perspective.

"Why are there beings rather than nothing?" This seemingly futile question has plagued everyone from philosophers, scientists and anyone who has stopped to reflect on our bizarre existence. Such reflection usually leads to a thought about the state of "nothing." And then the inevitable contradictory questions flow, such as "what would exist if there were nothing?" or "would something need to exist to verify that nothing exists?" And the neurons flap on and on until exhaustion or insanity set in. Apparently, the void sits on the edge of human cognition. Our moist brains have problems going there without falling into slippery logical contradictions. But why rely on logic for such questions? Why keep banging our heads against empty formalism? Frank Close's little dense book "Nothing: A Very Short Introduction" takes off with this very idea. After discussing his own personal confrontation with the void, the book shifts drastically from the philosophical to the scientific. A short history of the void/vacuum science follows, including Toricelli's 1643 experiment that created a vacuum, the Magdeburg Hemispheres that demonstrated the power of atmospheric pressure, and Pascal's trials with water and wine. People were finally creating and experimenting with, seemingly, "nothing." Scientific method, in contrast to pure reason, was able to make something of the void. But was the void really nothing?

To explore this question, the book embarks on a breakneck tour of the history of science. Though it seems to veer from the void in many places, it always returns to nothing. Those familiar with the basic history of Newtonian Mechanics, Relativity and Quantum physics will likely trod familiar territory. But those who don't know about the innards of an atom, the architecture of magnetic and electromagnetic fields, the inverse square law, the historic controversy over the ether, curved space time, the expanding universe, quantum uncertainty, pair creation, the Higgs vacuum, or just what that Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland is supposed to discover, will learn enough to say that a new conceptual world has opened. One of the more interesting ideas discussed involves the self-sustaining universe, in that the majority of the universe may only need a speck of energy (a gigantic quantum fluctuation) to exist nearly forever. The book's final chapter "the new void" once again waxes philosophic, but this time with 300 some years of science supporting the speculations. He begins: "Everything came from nothing" and "Modern physics suggests that it is possible that the universe could have emerged out of the vaccuum." We may originate solely from an eruption from inflation. But what if more universes exist? Or more dimensions? Such questions may remain mere interrogatives until a marriage of quantum mechanics and relativity occurs. Or perhaps our human sensibilities weren't fashioned to contemplate the essence of creation? A final paragraph asks a deeper question, one asked of many religions: what brought the universe into existence? Or, to avoid latent anthropomorphism, why did it emerge? Or, as Close puts it, "I am still confronted with the enigma of what encoded the quantum possibility into the void." The book ends with an appropriate quote from the Rig Veda. Though we seem to know more than the toga-clad sky starers of previous millennia, each discovery seems to open new questions.

"Nothing" provides an introduction to far more than nothing. It aims some 2,000 years of speculation at the void. Some of the narrative will more than challenge the scientifically nescient, so perhaps the "introduction" in the subtitle slightly misleads. Nonetheless, those seeking to initiate or expand upon scientific knowledge will find that "Nothing" provides a fascinating background on which to explore such brain wrinkling concepts. This book may look flimsy and may even fly away in a strong breeze, but this belies the density of information it contains. Perhaps it goes a bit too deep in places, and this may prove frustrating to readers seduced by the word "introduction." In any case, persistence will pay off as the history of science unfolds from the void as we are simultaneously revealed through it. This book provides a weighty read that bequeaths substance onto nothing.

Nothing: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
If you are at all scientifically curious this little volume should be a pleasure to read, especially if you know you are not going to be tested on it. Frank Close presents complex subject matter in a manner that is understandable even if you don't have a physics degree. But "Very Short Introduction" does not mean superficial -- the concepts it deals with are quite dense after all.

It is mostly about particle physics and cosmology. Close constructs accessible explanations of, for example, the composition and behavior of atoms and sub-atomic particles, relativity, quantum theory, the Big Bang, and the theory of Higgs bosons.

His unifying theme involves the Aristotelian idea that nature abhors a vacuum, a notion that was not over-turned (seemingly) until the seventeenth century. But it turns out that something is there after all, that all space is filled with energy.

Close renders the material (and energy) comprehensible through clear prose, reconstruction of helpful "thought experiments," enlightening metaphors, and a limited number of pictorial illustrations. For instance, he offers a graphic "mental model" of the uncertainty principle, one which I found very helpful. Yet he never lets the reader off the hook -- you will be required to think throughout.

This is publication number 205 in the Oxford "Very Short Introductions" series, which covers all manner of subjects. It is small and conveniently portable, but not unduly skimpy (I estimate about 43,000 words). An index makes it potentially useful as a reference book.

I wish I had read this book sixty years ago; unfortunately it wasn't available back then and today the lessons in this book are not new but Professor Close takes a step sideways and gives those like me another view of what is to science is "a partially reveled masterpiece".
This little book wasn't easy for me to read but it was worth every minute spent doing it.

Don't be misled by the title: inconsequential this little book is not, and some of the most profound questions are addressed here by Frank Close. What is empty space? From what did matter originate? Where are physicists now in their understanding of the laws that govern our universe?

As well as finding possible solutions to at least some of these questions, a reading of Nothing left me reflecting that the giants of classical and modern physics, Newton and Einstein, weren't so off-the-wall after all, even when seemingly at their least inspired. Newton's insistence on the existence of ether anticipates the modern view that there is no such thing as 'empty' space - if all matter is removed then it is filled with energy, from which matter can be created at levels exceeding 2mc˛. (Elsewhere, in Close's words, 'an example of "ether" is an electric field.') Einstein's hypothesised Cosmological Constant (or Lambda force), meanwhile, which he considered his biggest mistake, may actually have been detected, even if its value is almost immeasurably small, and even if Lambda is no longer required to counterbalance gravitational attraction in an expanding universe (as opposed to the stable one of received opinion in 1915).

This is a challenging book from the very first chapter, in which early ideas about the vacuum are discussed. According to Close, the Aristotelian argument for the absence of a void expresses these in its clearest form, although I for one found Aristotle's reasoning more akin to word-play than irrefutable logic. Subsequent chapters tackle the next 2000 years' worth of ideas. Most of us non-physicists will probably be left reeling, but Close is attentive to the non-specialist, keeps his explanations jargon-free and uses wide-ranging analogies from impressionist art to roulette so that abstract (and bizarre!) concepts acquire more concrete form.

The text is accompanied by excellent graphics which illustrate, for example, how the angles of a triangle can total 270°, or how particles can materialise 'from nothing'. An absorbing, challenging and rewarding read, then, for anyone with an interest in current theory, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the nature of the universe and the origin of everything in it.

As the title states, this book is about the idea of nothing. It is part (a very small part) philosophy and part science (for the most part). It starts with the early Greek philosophers and their concept to nothing, or more correctly - can nothing actually exist. (When you take the matter from a volume what is left? Is it nothing or does the presence of matter define the space and when it is removed the space no longer exists?) After a brief discussion of the ideas of these philosophers the author then goes on to experimental studies of nothing, in this case a vacuum and how the idea of air pressure actually creates what was ascribed to the vacuum itself. By page 22 (out of almost 150), the discussion shifts to atoms, fields, quantum vacuum effects and space-time. Finally, the last chapters deal with the cosmological ideas of a vacuum and how this ties into the idea of the "big bang". The focus of the book is on the idea that space is mostly empty, from the inside of atoms to the space between galaxies. Yet, quantum mechanics teaches that this "nothing" is full of energy and virtual partials that interact with light and matter. In fact, a vacuum fluctuation may be the source of the universe itself.

The book is written in a clear and engaging style, with no mathematics, and contains a lot of interesting material. I would recommend it to all those interested in science, from high school students to physics graduate students, as well as to those who have completed their schooling. All that is really required is a desire to learn more about nothing and why it maybe the dominant factor in the universe.

A very cool, well written little book! It wanders the ages of philosophy, Newtonian physics, and special relativity and QM theory. At least 2 chapters focus on Einstein's "thought experiments" and they do so quite well. The author does a bang up job easing the readers mind into the `c' paradox. If I was to instruct an intro course in non-tech physics , I would make this `just over essay size' read a required prerequisite before the class starts. `Nothing' positions itself well as a primer to the story of the wonder of everything. From a physics perspective, `Nothing' maps the critical path from which expand all the physical sciences.

If you have a HS student headed to his/her first "physics" class, this is a well posited gift that well help them grasp what's ahead and why. I've re-learned much less in much more of a book.

I very much enjoyed making my way through this book. My background in advanced physics and mathematics is limited to about the second year in University, and as such I was pleasantly surprised by how well the author was able to explain what is for most people a mind bending subject. It discusses a fundamental question that arises in most peoples' minds, namely; where do we come from?, and it does so with occasional pleasant humour. In fact having read the book I thought that it would be nice to hear the man lecture. Whomever does pick up this work, and does not have a strong academic background will probably have to reread passages on occasion, indeed I found myself putting the book down and trying to picture in my mind just what it was that I had just read. I had previously also purchased Close's book on Antimatter, and am now looking forward to reading it.AntimatterThe Void (A Brief Insight)

Could not stop reading it! Well written, amazingly clear and up to date with the frontiers of physics. One of the best science books i have read without doubt.

People have been speculating about "Why is there something rather than nothing" for as long as we have documented history. Frank Close has written a valuable book, explaining the different speculations about the nature of "nothing" and different ideas about whether it's even possible. He begins with Aristotle's idea that "nature abhors a vacuum", and discusses other early Greek thinkers on what the primordial "nothing" might have been- some thought it was water or one of the other elements. What is really interesting is when Close discusses the history of modern Physics, from Newton to Einstein, and how the idea of "nothing" or a vacuum has changed. In that respect, this book is a good introduction to basic physics in its own right. Essentially, when all matter is taken away, you still have electromagnetic waves, which is "something." He then gets into the strange world of quantum mechanics and symmetry-breaking. In regard to quantum mechanics- I can't put it nearly as well as Close does, but basically due to the Uncertainty Principle- that you cannot know both a subatomic particle's position and momentum at the same time- there will inherently be some form of energy in a state of "nothing", and energy can produce mass, or matter. In regard to symmetry breaking- order forms when matter goes from high-energy states to low-energy states, like when water freezes to make ice. At the time of the Big Bang, matter was dense and almost unbelievably hot, and only when it cooled down, or "froze" could any kind of order develop. So we are at least a little closer to why there is something. But as Close notes at the end, we still will wonder why quantum uncertainty was coded into the universe in the first place. This is an excellent book that will help you think about the nature of reality. We humans don't understand everything about this strange universe, and in my view, probably never will. And that's the good news.