Six Roads from Newton: Great Discoveries in Physics (Wiley Popular Science) [Paperback]

Edward Speyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996 | ISBN-10: 0471159646 | ISBN-13: 978-0471159643

Why is time relative to the observer?

Can an atomic particle exist in two places at once?

Is light a wave, a particle, or both?

Six Roads from Newton is a lively tour through six monumental developments in physics since Newton: wave theory, field theory, statistical physics, special relativity, quantum theory, and general relativity. Together these crucial discoveries formed the basis of the modern revolution in physics, shattering Newton's view of the universe, and leading the way to the mind-boggling and fascinating questions at the cutting edge of physics today.

With real-world examples that bring physics vividly to life, Edward Speyer explains each theoretical development, in-troducing the leading figures, their famous experiments, and a number of delightfully perplexing problems that have challenged physicists along the way--from the Paradox of the Three Polarizers to Maxwell's Demon and the infamous case of Schrodinger's Cat.

"Entertaining and stimulating reading." --Journal of Modern Optics

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Six Roads from Newton Isaac Newton’s discovery of his famous laws of physics forever shattered the medieval picture of the cosmos, laying the foundations for all the great discoveries in physics since. We are now in the midst of another monumental scientific revolution, set in motion by the discoveries of the relativity of time and quantum acausality at the beginning of this century. The "Great Clockwork" view of the universe based on Newton’s laws has been radically challenged, altering once again our concept of the cosmos and mankind’s place in it. To understand where physics is heading today and how fundamentally the Newtonian world has been shattered, Edward Speyer takes us on a trip down the main roads physics has traveled since Newton’s time. Six Roads from Newton is a lively tour through six important theoretical developments in physics: wave theory, field theory, statistical physics, special relativity, quantum theory, and general relativity. Requiring no advanced mathematics, this book makes all crucial concepts of both Newtonian and non-Newtonian physics extraordinarily accessible to nonscientists, even the mind-boggling world of quantum theory. Your tour begins in seventeenth century England with an introduction to Isaac Newton and his laws of space, time, and motion. Advancing chronologically, Edward Speyer takes you through each of the monumental breakthroughs that have occurred since. He demonstrates how each development has either built on or challenged Newton’s work, and in the case of quantum theory, forced a thorough reexamination of even the most basic of Newtonian principles. To help you to make sense of some of the knottier concepts and controversies, Speyer provides dozens of cogent real-world examples, as well as a few of the playfully bizarre mindbenders physicists have dreamed up to test their theories, such as The Twin Paradox, Einstein’s Man in the Elevator, and the deliciously diabolical, Schrodinger’s Cat. In the final chapter, Edward Speyer makes an intriguing foray into the most perplexing moral, ethical, and philosophical "Big Questions" raised by modern science and speculates on what the future may hold. A delightfully clear and entertaining journey through nearly three centuries of scientific discovery, Six Roads from Newton offers nonscientists an unparalleled opportunity to explore the strange and fascinating world of modern physics. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Why is time relative to the observer?

Can an atomic particle exist in two places at once?

Is light a wave, a particle, or both?

Six Roads from Newton is a lively tour through six monumental developments in physics since Newton: wave theory, field theory, statistical physics, special relativity, quantum theory, and general relativity. Together these crucial discoveries formed the basis of the modern revolution in physics, shattering Newton's view of the universe, and leading the way to the mind-boggling and fascinating questions at the cutting edge of physics today.

With real-world examples that bring physics vividly to life, Edward Speyer explains each theoretical development, in-troducing the leading figures, their famous experiments, and a number of delightfully perplexing problems that have challenged physicists along the way—from the Paradox of the Three Polarizers to Maxwell's Demon and the infamous case of Schr?dinger's Cat.

"Entertaining and stimulating reading." —Journal of Modern Optics

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471159646
• ISBN-13: 978-0471159643
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,664,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On Par With Richard Feynman:Clear,Educational,Entertaining, September 13, 2000

By 

Mark LeBay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Roads from Newton: Great Discoveries in Physics (Wiley Popular Science) (Hardcover)

I read this book in 1998 and find myself revisiting it again and again. I love this book.

I keep it along side "Six Easy Pieces" (by Richard Feyman) as one of the two books that have helped me understand the concepts of physics more than any other. Six Roads in fact compliments Six Easy Pieces by picking up where Feynman left off in his book, describing in greater detail "The Theory of Gravitation", complimenting Feynman's explanations of "Quantum Behavior" and moving into explanations of Relativity Theory (which Feyman deals very little with). Makes me wonder if Speyer wasn't consciously drawing from and complimenting Feynman's book.

I can't give any higher recommendation to read this book. It's inspiring, fun to read, fun to reference, it's challenging and includes many graphs and some equations but it doesn't require prior knowledge of scientific jargon or advanced math, provides fundanmental explanations of a wide range of physical theories, and it gives an interesting perspective on the history of scientific thought that has led to those theories. The history of scientific thought, interactions of ideas, and achievements of great thinkers gave the book an engaging story, but ultimately, insight into the thoughts and equations themselves and the fundamental context of where those theories came from is the main feature and tremendous resource of this great science book.

Buy this book! (and maybe I'll get to see more like it)

5.0 out of 5 stars On Par With Richard Feynman:Clear,Educational,Entertaining, July 3, 2008

By 

Mark "Mark" (Madison, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Roads from Newton: Great Discoveries in Physics (Wiley Popular Science) (Hardcover)

I read this book in 1998 and find myself revisiting it again and again. I love this book.

I keep it along side "Six Easy Pieces" (by Richard Feyman) as one of the two books that have helped me understand the concepts of physics more than any other. Six Roads in fact compliments Six Easy Pieces by picking up where Feynman left off in his book, describing in greater detail "The Theory of Gravitation", complimenting Feynman's explanations of "Quantum Behavior" and moving into explanations of Relativity Theory (which Feyman deals very little with). Makes me wonder if Speyer wasn't consciously drawing from and complimenting Feynman's book.

I can't give any higher recommendation to read this book. It's inspiring, fun to read, fun to reference, it's challenging and includes many graphs and some equations but it doesn't require prior knowledge of scientific jargon or advanced math, provides fundanmental explanations of a wide range of physical theories, and it gives an interesting perspective on the history of scientific thought that has led to those theories. The history of scientific thought, interactions of ideas, and achievements of great thinkers gave the book an engaging story, but ultimately, insight into the thoughts and equations themselves and the fundamental context of where those theories came from is the main feature and tremendous resource of this great science book.

Buy this book! (and maybe I'll get to see more like it)