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The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces

AUTHOR Wilczek, Frank
PUBLISHER Basic Books (03/09/2010)
PRODUCT TYPE Paperback (Paperback)

Description
A Nobel-prize winning physicist takes on the essential question: what are we made of?

Our understanding of nature's deepest reality has changed radically, but almost without our noticing, over the past twenty-five years. Transcending the clash of older ideas about matter and space, acclaimed physicist Frank Wilczek explains a remarkable new discovery: matter is built from almost weightless units, and pure energy is the ultimate source of mass. He calls it "The Lightness of Being." Space is no mere container, empty and passive. It is a dynamic Grid-a modern ether- and its spontaneous activity creates and destroys particles. This new understanding of mass explains the puzzling feebleness of gravity, and a gorgeous unification of all the forces comes sharply into focus.The Lightness of Being is the first book to explore the implications of these revolutionary ideas about mass, energy, and the nature of "empty space." In it, Wilczek masterfully presents new perspectives on our incredible universe and envisions a new golden age of fundamental physics.

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Product Format
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780465018956
ISBN-10: 0465018955
Binding: Paperback or Softback (Trade Paperback (Us))
Content Language: English
More Product Details
Page Count: 292
Carton Quantity: 28
Product Dimensions: 6.00 x 0.90 x 9.00 inches
Weight: 0.80 pound(s)
Feature Codes: Bibliography, Index, Price on Product - Canadian, Price on Product, Table of Contents, Glossary, Illustrated
Country of Origin: US
Subject Information
BISAC Categories
Science | Physics - General
Grade Level: College Freshman and up
Dewey Decimal: 531.14
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
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A Nobel-prize winning physicist takes on the essential question: what are we made of?

Our understanding of nature's deepest reality has changed radically, but almost without our noticing, over the past twenty-five years. Transcending the clash of older ideas about matter and space, acclaimed physicist Frank Wilczek explains a remarkable new discovery: matter is built from almost weightless units, and pure energy is the ultimate source of mass. He calls it "The Lightness of Being." Space is no mere container, empty and passive. It is a dynamic Grid-a modern ether- and its spontaneous activity creates and destroys particles. This new understanding of mass explains the puzzling feebleness of gravity, and a gorgeous unification of all the forces comes sharply into focus.The Lightness of Being is the first book to explore the implications of these revolutionary ideas about mass, energy, and the nature of "empty space." In it, Wilczek masterfully presents new perspectives on our incredible universe and envisions a new golden age of fundamental physics.

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Author: Wilczek, Frank
Frank Wilczek is a theoretical physicist. He has won many awards for his contributions to physics, including the 2004 Nobel Prize, and also for his writing. He is currently Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at MIT.
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Paperback