Quarks Leptons and the Big Bang [Paperback]

Jonathan Allday (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0750308060 | ISBN-13: 978-0750308069 | Publication Date: December 15, 2001 | Edition: 2nd

"Quarks, Leptons and the Big Bang, Second Edition" is a clear, readable, and self-contained introduction to particle physics and related areas of cosmology. It bridges the gap between non-technical popular accounts and textbooks for advanced students. The author concentrates on presenting the subject from the modern perspective of quarks, leptons, and the forces between them. This approach enables readers to grasp the essential concepts more easily than the traditional approach involving the complex interactions of hadrons. It then proceeds to apply these ideas to the modern theory of cosmology. Necessary background material on relativity and quantum mechanics is included but advanced mathematics is avoided.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I am delighted to see this new edition and I will continue to recommend this book to those who seek an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to particle and astroparticle physics. My congratulations to Jonathan Allday on preserving the character of the first edition in the new version.
- Dr. R.J.A. Lambourne, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

The author has obviously spent much time cogitating on these themes. He writes very clearly and in a commendable explanatory style. Assuming the reader has a basic knowledge of physics, he explains the essentials of the standard model of particle physics, relativity theory, and quantum theory, before turning to the evidence of the big bang theory in cosmology, the geometry of space, the evidence for dark matter, and the inflationary universe theory. He concludes with some sensible philosophical thoughts and some useful appendices … it is highly recommended.
- George Ellis, MNASSA, vol. 61, nos. 7 and 8

It is well laid out and has easily comprehendible diagrams so the inquisitive eye can help the inquisitive mind … Overall I found this book very interesting … The introduction of new theories and ideas I hadn't come across before compelled me to read further and my curiosity found me reading it over and over until the light bulb went on and I had a better understanding. Even though it will be a challenge for some, I definitely recommend reading this book.
- Amanda Ryan, Astronomy & Space, February 2003

The book seems to me to be remarkably successful. The reader is led through all the ideas in an orderly way. Allday is thoughtful about the needs of the student, and careful to anticipate possible difficulties and misconceptions. His style is lively. There are plenty of nice clear line drawings and interesting black and white illustrations … I believe it will give pleasure to many people, and they will learn a lot from it. It should be widely used.
- Professor J.C. Taylor, Contemporary Physics, 2003, vol. 44, no. 1

A complete overview of what is necessary to understand particle physics, including some information about relativity and quantum physics, is provided in this book … Each of the 15 chapters includes bulleted summary of the important points and notes. Numerous line drawings and black and white photographs illustrate the text … Whilst not a reference book, this is highly recommended for academic libraries and is also suitable for public libraries with a clientele interested in learning about physics.
- Donna Cromer, University of Mexico Centennial Science and Engineering Library

Product Details

• Paperback: 426 pages
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 2nd edition (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750308060
• ISBN-13: 978-0750308069
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,068,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bright & cheerful light on Particles and Cosmology, March 21, 2001

By 

Daniel Wilkins "more light" (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quarks, Leptons and The Big Bang, Second Edition (Paperback)

Dr. Allday's book is a completely charming presentation of particle physics and cosmology. Although not a textbook--there are no exercises--it presumes a physics background, starting, say, at the 3rd year.

Most of the book deals with the Standard Model of particle physics, but GUTS and supersymmetry are briefly mentioned. The last 2 chapters cover cosmology up to 1998. (Unfortunately, the author just missed the opportunity of including the acceleration of the cosmic expansion that was deduced by 2 groups in that year based on supernovae observations. But this is a tiny caveat: since the cosmic acceleration remains yet undigested by theorists, it could have earned only a passing mention had it been included.)

Two related features of the book are worthy of special mention: a) the pedagogy is *first rate* (even the early chapters surveying Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics--those old, overly- familiar staples of Physics--were presented in ways fresh and original), and b)the author's kindly solicitude for his readers shines through on almost every page--something hardly in evidence among science books I've read! The author is simply an excellent teacher and illuminates the subject at every turn.

If, like myself, you've had some bad experiences with "semi-popular" articles on particle physics--whether ,e.g., in Scientific American or Physics Today--that purported to cater to the general Physicist but quickly proved otherwise, then you might give Allday's book a try. And Physics popularizers of every ilk, please take note: if you want to do a better job in future and add to the happiness of your readers,"Quarks, Leptons, and the Big Bang" sets a high water mark suitable for calibrating your best efforts.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different path, May 7, 2006

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Alexander T. Gafford "alex" (Midland, Ga United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quarks Leptons and the Big Bang (Paperback)

I recently lost this book trying to get too many things at once through an airport and have ordered another copy. Not only is this book the type of bridge (between the usual popular words-only description of this subject matter and an upper level/graduate text) that us interested engineers find useful, it is highly recommended for completely dropping the semi-historic approach. Instead this author just starts off with what is known about fundemental physics at the day he writes and goes from there. Although this book can in no sense equip you to "do" particle physics, it creates a semi-quantitative understanding that attaches itself much more completely to my brain than the normal eloquent hand waving. After studying this, I remembered the old New Yorker carton showing a gnomish character reading a huge tome at a library table exclaiming " Suddenly there, for a moment, it all made sense" There is a similar, and I hope not too illusory, experience after reading Mr. Allday's little book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Demister for the brain, February 6, 2004

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Angelastic - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quarks Leptons and the Big Bang (Paperback)

I had read various books and articles on particle physics, but a lot of the terms were just swimming around in my head and I didn't have a very clear idea of what was what. This book presents the different kinds of particles, forces and possible reactions very clearly, and with some very amusing footnotes to boot. Thanks to this explanation I really feel like I understand where all the particles fit in. I will definitely be checking out Allday's other books. Now I just need to find a book with more mathematics in it as a follow-on.