The Matter of Everything: Twelve Experiments that Changed Our World
Apr 2022 · Bloomsbury Publishing
5.0star
1 reviewreport
Ebook
336
Pages
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About this ebook
The astonishing story of twentieth-century physics, told through the twelve experiments that changed our world
A 2022 BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: NEW SCIENTIST * WATERSTONES * SUNDAY TIMES
'A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously' PHILIP PULLMAN
'A rich history of beautiful discoveries' ROBIN INCE
'An all-action thriller, laced with some of the most profound ideas humans have ever had' BRIAN ENO
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How did a piece of gold foil completely change our understanding of atoms?
What part did a hot air balloon play in the discovery of cosmic rays?
How did the experiments in the run-up to the Large Hadron Collider lead to the invention of the World Wide Web?
Asking questions has always been at the heart of physics, our unending quest to understand the Universe and how everything in it behaves. How do we know all that we know about the world today? It's not simply because we have the maths – it's because we have done the experiments.
Accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the creative and curious people who, through a combination of genius, persistence and luck, staged the ground-breaking experiments of the twentieth century. From the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German laboratory, to the scientists trying to prove Einstein wrong (and inadvertently proving him right), The Matter of Everything takes us on a journey through the history of experiments that transformed our world.
A 2022 BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: NEW SCIENTIST * WATERSTONES * SUNDAY TIMES
'A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously' PHILIP PULLMAN
'A rich history of beautiful discoveries' ROBIN INCE
'An all-action thriller, laced with some of the most profound ideas humans have ever had' BRIAN ENO
-----------
How did a piece of gold foil completely change our understanding of atoms?
What part did a hot air balloon play in the discovery of cosmic rays?
How did the experiments in the run-up to the Large Hadron Collider lead to the invention of the World Wide Web?
Asking questions has always been at the heart of physics, our unending quest to understand the Universe and how everything in it behaves. How do we know all that we know about the world today? It's not simply because we have the maths – it's because we have done the experiments.
Accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the creative and curious people who, through a combination of genius, persistence and luck, staged the ground-breaking experiments of the twentieth century. From the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German laboratory, to the scientists trying to prove Einstein wrong (and inadvertently proving him right), The Matter of Everything takes us on a journey through the history of experiments that transformed our world.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
John Ennew
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June 17, 2022
A brilliant ride through the past 120 or so years of particle physics through the description of 12 experiments. Brilliant for those wondering what goes on at CERN and how it came to be. I enjoyed the descriptions of the characters involved and the competitive race to be the ones to prove or disprove the theories over time. Highly recommended.
About the author
Dr Suzie Sheehy is a physicist, academic and science communicator who divides her time between her research groups at the University of Oxford (where she is a Royal Society University Research Fellow) and the University of Melbourne (where she is Senior Lecturer). Her research focuses on developing new particle accelerators for future applications in areas such as medicine and energy.
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