Customer Reviews

The Wonders Of Physics

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Writing a book about physics is not such an easy thing. Moreover, if the book is meant for a broad public, the risk is to write something of difficult understanding for the reader. Therefore, it is a pleasure to present this book whose authors are two Russian theoretical physicists. With intelligence and sensibility, they underline the poetic of physics giving us a description of its ''art'' trough an easy formal language.

The first part of the book describes particular aspects of the mechanisms of natural phenomena, such as the way whales can communicate at great distances, or the rivers of the northern hemisphere erode the right bank while the opposite will happen in the southern hemisphere, or why the lakes have single emissaries when the rivers can have up to hundred of affluents.

But more complicated phenomena will be explained as well, with reduced use of mathematical formalisms. Hence, it is possible to learn how to listen more carefully at the sound of a violin or how microwave ovens work.

Eventually, in the last part of the book, the authors start to give an introduction to the world of quantum mechanics describing many aspects of contemporary physics, like the problem of high critical temperature superconductors.

This book is very stimulating and perfectly addressed to who begins to become interested or simply curious of the mechanism that regulates some physical phenomena of our life. But at the same time the experienced reader also can easily find some peculiar aspects of the physics around us.

This book originates from the curiosity of the two authors towards the world and the mechanisms that regulate it and their ability acquired in many years of dedication to their scientific work. Lev Aslamov, unfortunately prematurely died, and Andrei Varlamov, have been, for many years, collaborators and coauthors of the scientific Russian review: "Kvant". They are also two of the maximum representatives of the Russian school of theoretical physics. Important is their work on the physics of superconductors. I personally know Andrei Varlamov for some years; I have always appreciated his effort to transmit enthusiasm in all the things around himself. This book is the fruit of this kind of enthusiasm.

Unlike many other similar books, this one really emphasises the little things around us that physicists find a simple delight in understanding. There is a great range of topics (27), which you can read in any order you wish.

This book is accessible to a wide audience due to its range of topics (from how a violin works, to modern superconducting technology) and excellent writing style. Yes, there are some equations, but you can skip over them without missing the main ideas of the chapter.

I read it first as a freshmen in college and can still get something out of it today as a PhD candidate in physics. A great book to keep in a science library at school or home.