From x-rays to smartphones, accelerator physicist Sheehy recounts twelve twentieth-century experiments that fundamentally altered our conception of the world in this highly entertaining and accessible volume.
The astonishing story of twentieth-century physics, told through the twelve experiments that changed our world.
For millennia, people have asked questions about the nature of matter. In the twentieth century, this curiosity led to an unprecedented outburst of scientific discovery that changed the course of history. In The Matter of Everything, accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the people who, through a combination of genius, persistence and luck, staged these ground-breaking experiments. From the physicists who soared in hot air balloons on the trail of new particles, to the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German lab; and from the race to split open the atomic nucleus to the quest to find the third generation of matter, Sheehy shows how these experiments informed innumerable aspects of how we live today. Radio, TV, the chips in our smartphones, MRI scanners, radar equipment and microwaves, to name a few: these were all made possible by our determination to understand, and control, the microscopic.
Pulling physics down from the theoretical and putting it in the hands of the people, The Matter of Everything is a celebration of human ingenuity, creativity and curiosity.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526618962
Number of pages: 336
Dimensions: 234 x 153 mm
Vividly described . . . A sweeping but detailed and pacy account of 100 years of scientific advancement, The Matter of Everything has a cheering takeaway. What such leaps lie ahead? What questions seem intractable now that we won’t give a thought to in the future? Sheehy mounts the case that – with persistence, curiosity and collaboration – we may yet overcome challenges that now seem impossible - New Scientist
The Matter of Everything . . . brings out the stars of experimental physics, the people who directly observe, hypothesise and build machines firing beams of matter and energy to test theory against reality . . . Give[s] a real sense of the thrill of scientific discovery - The Times
The perfect bedside book for anyone who wants to ponder the remarkable achievements of physics. A rich history of beautiful discoveries - Robin Ince
It’s a rare writer that can pluck the biggest ideas in science out of the sky, and bring them down to earth in a way that anyone can understand. In her first fantastic book, Suzie takes on the seemingly unreachable inner life of atoms, and places it directly into our hands. More than just a history of particle physics, this is an interconnected web of experiments, people and stories that are simultaneously passionate and profound - Helen Arney
This is a book about the fundamental problems of physics written from a viewpoint I hadn’t come across before: that of the experimenter. Someone first thought of the cloud chamber, or the cyclotron, or the MRI scanner, and that person (or that team) had to build one: you couldn’t buy one off the shelf. The actual sequence of experiments, and failures, and more experiments, and success, is a fascinating one, especially for any readers excited, as I am, by the thought of making things. A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously - Philip Pullman
This fascinating and highly readable book captures the radical excitement of experimental science as it's being made. It’s an all-action thriller, laced with some of the most profound ideas humans have ever had - Brian Eno
A wonderful telling of the history of particle physics . . . Suzie has written a book that makes these important stories and ideas from the history of science accessible, and genuinely enjoyable to read - Alom Shaha
A magical tour of the great experiments defining the most incredible century in physics . . . Sheehy seamlessly weaves the science and history with why this matters to all of us: as she expertly illustrates, our quest to understand the tiniest of particles has had an enormous impact on technology, health and society, reaching far beyond the lab - Andrew Steele, author of AGELESS
An impassioned, elegant history of particle physics and its applications. Dr Sheehy adroitly brings together a glittering cast of characters – from the famous giants of the field to the unjustly overlooked scientists whose shoulders they stood on – to tell the story of the most fundamental of all sciences - Ananyo Bhattacharya, author of THE MAN FROM THE FUTURE
A fabulous read, tracing the history of twelve experiments in particle physics from idea to impact, critically through the eyes of the scientists. The stories in and of themselves are fascinating, and together illustrate a larger story about science: the power of international collaboration and competition, the generations its takes for science to translate from the lab to social benefit, the interdependency between basic and applied and the unwritten contribution of many women scientists - Jonathan Grant, Director of Different Angles and author of THE NEW POWER UNIVERSITY
This is storytelling at its very best and why I fell in love with physics. Sheehy's attention to detail shines through every story and yet there's a lightness of touch in the way she highlights the passion, drive, ingenuity and, ultimately, the sheer triumph of science in unlocking nature's secrets - Jim Al-Khalili
A thrilling ride through ingenious experiments that changed the world: this book matters! - Dr Karl
I never realised that physics underpins so many important discoveries, from hot air balloon flights to the discovery of X rays and smart phone chips. What makes this book so readable is that you see it from the side... More
On the surface, this might seem daunting topic - why might I want to read about discovering neutrinos and the Higgs boson? The answer is that this book takes you on a journey, populated by real people (some of them... More
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