Handwaving

Nov. 1st, 2017 10:45 pm
mtvessel: (Default)

Sep 2016
Why does E=mc2? – Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw - Da Capo Press, 2009 (Kindle edition)
* * *
This is the second book that I have read in my attempt to understand the origins of Einstein's famous equation. The first, e=mc2 by David Bodanis, did a generally good job of explaining the concepts but bottled out when the maths got complicated. This is typical of popular science books, where the general consensus is that every line of maths halves the readership. I find this annoying. Perhaps unusually, I am not afraid of maths (I'm not very good at it, but that's another matter). Any train of mathematical thought can, with a bit of effort, be followed, as long as all the terms used are clearly defined and any leaps in logic are explained.
Read more... )
mtvessel: (Default)
Jan 2012
The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen - Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw - Allen Lane, 2011
* * * *
It is famously said of Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time that many people bought it but almost no-one read it. I fear that this may also be true of this book, which is a shame because it is one of the most lucid and substantial explanations of quantum mechanics that I have come across. Given to the right young mind, it might have a similar life-transforming effect to the one that Steven Rose’s Chemistry of Life had on mine.
Read more... )

Profile

mtvessel: (Default)
mtvessel

June 2025

S M T W T F S
1 234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Tags

Style Credit

  • Style: Midnight for Heads Up by momijizuakmori

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 26th, 2025 05:26 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios