Customer Reviews

Waves and Grains

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Mark P. Silverman's "Waves and Grains", in much the same manner as his treatment of quantum interference in "More Than One Mystery" written a few years earlier, is a series of discrete but interrelated essays on different aspects of optics. The treatment is semi-technical, with analyses of the math supporting the various experiments and their interpretations. Speaking as one with no math background at all and no formal training in physics, I still found this book fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. Silverman is something of a polymath, with wide-ranging interests, and he succeeds in bringing together concepts from different fields of study in unexpected but very fruitful ways. He surely must be a wonderful classroom teacher; his enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious, and to say that his use of language in his writing is masterful is an understatement. Formerly a journalist, he is always engaging, and never dry. Throughout, his descriptions are a model of clarity, and the precision of his vocabulary in the simplest nontechnical sentences is awe-inspiring in its elegance. This is not a textbook, but any serious student of physics who doesn't own a copy is missing out on an important book.

I got to the final three chapters of this book ("A Heretical Experiment in Teaching Physics", "Why Brazil Nuts Are on Top: Physics and the Art of Writing", and "What Does It Take...?") long after forming my impressions noted above, having first read Silverman's earlier "More Than One Mystery" with just the same amount of pleasure, and was gratified to find my reactions validated here. These chapters are entirely nontechnical discussions of the importance of an understanding of the physical world we inhabit, and better ways of imparting an enthusiasm for learning to students, which in themselves would make this book worthwhile for anyone sharing these interests.

Much of this same material is presented for a general readership in his 2002 "A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe", a revision of the now out-of-print "And Yet It Moves: Strange Systems and Subtle Questions in Physics".

I like this book a whole lot. It holds some kind of strange attraction for me although it is definitely too advanced and mathematically quantitative for me to completely understand. Yet, I *really* like it... Hmm. Why is that? This book is a friendly and curiously unique presentation of practical & theoretical aspects of light (electromagnetism). Included in the book are discussions of the great ideas and men who helped advance our understanding of light - for example the book gives some discussion on the contributions of Newton, Young, Fresnel, Huygens, & Maxwell. This isn’t just the “History of Science” stuff, it’s written in a captivating style to put our understanding in a cultural context. Throughout the book are justifiably qualitative (fairly quantitative) presentations on the technical aspects of Diffraction & Interference, Polarization, Reflection & Scattering, and a neat chapter titled ‘Playing with waves (subtitled the "Voice of the Dragon"!)’. Finally my favorite and inspiring section, Science & Learning ('Self-Directed Learning'). I hope you give this book a chance like I did because, for me, there is a sea of information out there and I'm keeping afloat by sailing around in a boat which I'm building while I'm traveling the literally wonderful journey of self directed enlightenment. Dr. Silverman has sent out some fascinating building materials for me to pick up and try to incorporate. The book has brought me to the shores of a wonderful land, rich with appreciation for the most prevalent stuff in our Universe - LIGHT! Now I must confess: I am borderline incompetent when it comes to mathematics - so this book (like so many I try to wrap my brain around) escapes my full grasp. But I believe that it doesn't hurt to try stretching my mind beyond it's current capabilities. If anything, it makes me more flexible. My experience with this book has left me provoked to explore electromagnetism much further!!!

IndiAndy Intellectual Adventurer & Explorer