Physics

In a series of 50 accessible essays the author introduces and explains the fundamental physical concepts and laws that govern the inners workings of our universe.

Provides an overview of how this pervasive science came to be and how it works. It presents the theories and outcomes of pure and applied physics from ideas of the Greek natural philosophers to modern quantum mechanics, cosmology, digital electronics, and energy production.

Discusses the features and functions of particles such as quarks, electrons, and neutrinos, and of gluons and bosons. It includes the key role and significance of the Higgs boson in moulding these foundational elements and giving structure to matter. It highlights how discoveries in particle physics were made and have radically changed understanding of the material universe.

Discusses how states of matter and their distinct physical properties emerge from the atoms that a material is composed of. Key concepts explored include phase diagrams, phase transitions, symmetry, types of order, spontaneous symmetry breaking, spatial dimensionality, scaling, universality, macroscopic quantum states, topology, metrology, and emergence.

Explores the core topics of philosophy of physics through three key themes: the nature of space and time; the origin of irreversibility and probability in the physics of large systems; how we can make sense of quantum mechanics.

An important branch of physics concerned with the way in which fluids, such as liquids and gases, behave when in motion and at rest. The field is best examined through the fundamental physical ideas that underlie it, using everyday phenomena from daily life to demonstrate them, from dripping taps and aeroplanes to swimming ducks, and showing how these underlying principles can be applied to a wide range of flow behaviours.

Richard Feynman offers an overview of selected physical laws and gathers their common features into one broad principle of invariance.