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Black Bodies and Quantum Cats : Tales from the Annals of Physics

Black Bodies and Quantum Cats : Tales from the Annals of Physics Paperback - 2005

by Jennifer Ouellette

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback

The author traces key developments in the field of physics, placing the fundamentals in their historical context as well as against a broad cultural backdrop.

Description

Penguin Publishing Group, 2005. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Details

  • Title Black Bodies and Quantum Cats : Tales from the Annals of Physics
  • Author Jennifer Ouellette
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Condition Used - Good
  • Pages 336
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Publishing Group, New York
  • Date 2005
  • Features Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents
  • Bookseller's Inventory # G0143036033I3N00
  • ISBN 9780143036036 / 0143036033
  • Weight 0.61 lbs (0.28 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.96 x 5.38 x 0.71 in (20.22 x 13.67 x 1.80 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Physics - History
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005043370
  • Dewey Decimal Code 530.09

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Summary

Physics, once known as "natural philosophy," is the most basic science, explaining the world we live in, from the largest scale down to the very, very, very smallest, and our understanding of it has changed over many centuries. In Black Bodies and Quantum Cats, science writer Jennifer Ouellette traces key developments in the field, setting descriptions of the fundamentals of physics in their historical context as well as against a broad cultural backdrop. Newton's laws are illustrated via the film Addams Family Values, while Back to the Future demonstrates the finer points of special relativity. Poe's "The Purloined Letter" serves to illuminate the mysterious nature of neutrinos, and Jeanette Winterson's novel Gut Symmetries provides an elegant metaphorical framework for string theory.An enchanting and edifying read, Black Bodies and Quantum Cats shows that physics is not an arcane field of study but a profoundly human endeavor—and a fundamental part of our everyday world.

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 11/01/2005, Page 9
  • Ingram Advance, 11/01/2005, Page 111
  • Library Journal, 11/01/2005, Page 110

About the author

Jennifer Ouellette is the author of three previous books, Black Bodies and Quantum Cats, Physics of the Buffyverse, and The Calculus Diaries. She writes the popular science and culture blog Cocktail Party Physics for Scientific American. She lives in Los Angeles, California.