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| physics of lightning: Principles of Lightning Physics Vladislav Mazur, 2016 Principles of Lightning Physics presents and discusses the most up-to-date physical concepts that govern many lightning events in nature, including lightning interactions with man-made structures, at a level suitable for researchers, advanced students and well-educated lightning enthusiasts. The author's approach to understanding lightning--to seek out, and show what is common to all lightning flashes--is illustrated by an analysis of each type of lightning and the multitude of lightning-related features. The book examines the work that has gone into the development of new physical concepts, and provides critical evaluations of the existing understanding of the physics of lightning and the lexicon of terms and definitions presently used in lightning research.--Prové de l'editor. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection Eduard M. Bazelyan, Yuri P. Raizer, 2000-01-01 Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review of lightning, including its hazards and protection techniques. The authors first discuss the effectiveness of conventional protective measures, supply technical advice and practical recommendations, and explore the prospects for the preventive control of a lightning leader, followed by a discussion of the initiation of a leader and return stroke and subsequent components. After including measurements useful for understanding lightning and its effects, the book describes the mechanism of lightning discharge processes. It then examines the effects of large aircraft, high-voltage lines, and other high-altitude constructions on lightning trajectory and leader attraction. The book concludes by studying the action of lightning's electrical and magnetic fields and the lightning current on industrial premises, power transmission lines, underground communications, aircraft and their electrical circuits, and the induction of a dangerous overvoltage. A clear, straightforward, and systematic presentation of complicated material, Lightning Physics and Lightning Protection provides deep insight into the physics of lightning, simple analytical estimates, and a detailed illustration of effects by computer simulation, making this resource essential for those who investigate lightning phenomena and who have to solve practical protection problems. |
| physics of lightning: The Lightning Discharge Martin A. Uman, 2012-08-21 Absorbing monograph by expert sets forth most of known properties of lightning: cloud and lightning charges, stepped leader, return stroke, dart leader, lightning on other planets, thunder, more. 144 illustrations. |
| physics of lightning: Ball Lightning Mark Stenhoff, 1999-10-31 Down comes a deluge of sonorous hail, Or prone-descending rain. Wide-rent, the clouds Pour a whole flood, and yet, its flame unquenched, Th’unconquerable lightning struggles through. Ragged and fierce, or in red whirling balls, And fires the mountains with redoubled rage. Black from the stroke, above, the smould’ring pine Stands a sad shattered trunk; and, stretched below, A lifeless group the blasted cattle lie. James Thompson, “The Seasons” (1727) have been investigating ball lightning for more than two decades. I published a ball lightning report in Nature in 1976 that received worldwide publicity and I consequently many people wrote to me with accounts of their own experiences. Within a very short time, I had accumulated about 200 firsthand accounts, and the file has continued to grow steadily since then. Several things impressed me. Few of those who wrote to me had any detailed foreknowledge of ball lightning at the time of their observation. Nonetheless, once reports of other phenomena such as St. Elmo’s fire had been eliminated, the remaining descriptions were remarkably consistent. Furthermore, nearly all who contacted me were keen to have an explanation of what they had seen and seemed entirely sincere. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning: Principles, Instruments and Applications Hans Dieter Betz, Ulrich Schumann, Pierre Laroche, 2008-12-04 Lightning represents a natural phenomenon of substantial interest. Due to its complex nature, research continues in many countries and reveals amazing results. Lightning is actively observed because of its relevance to Earth climate and air composition in addition to the classical aspects of related human fatalities and damage to forests, buildings, power lines, aircraft, structures and electronic devices. In this volume, the most important contemporary questions on lightning are addressed and analyzed under many experimental and theoretical aspects. Lightning detection techniques using ground-based and space-borne methods are described, along with network engineering and statistical analysis. Contributions detail research on atmospheric electricity, cloud physics, lightning physics, modeling of electrical storms and middle atmospheric events. Special phenomena such as triggered lightning and sprite observations are examined. Lightning-induced nitrogen oxides and their effects on atmospheric chemistry and climate are discussed. Each topic is presented by international experts in the field. Topics include: * air chemistry * convective storms * infrasound from lightning * lightning and climate change * lightning and precipitation * lightning and radiation * lightning and supercells * lightning and thunderstorms * lightning detection * lightning from space * lighting protection * lightning return strokes * observations and interpretations * spatial distribution and frequency * triggered lightning * weather extremes |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Vladimir A Rakov, Martin A Uman, 2014-02-19 A highly illustrated book covering all aspects of lightning, including lightning physics and protection. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Martin A. Uman, 2012-05-24 Revised, updated edition of classic work on the physics of lightning covers phenomena, terminology, measurement, photography, spectroscopy, thunder, and more, including reviews of recent research. 140 figures and tables. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Vladimir A. Rakov, Martin A. Uman, 2007-01-08 Lightning: Physics and Effects is the first book that covers essentially all aspects of lightning, including lightning physics, lightning protection and the interaction of lightning with a variety of objects and systems as well as with the environment. It is written in a style that will be accessible to the technical non-expert and is addressed to anyone interested in lightning and its effects. This will include physicists, engineers working in the power, communications, computer and aviation industries, meteorologists, atmospheric chemists, foresters, ecologists, physicians working in the area of electrical trauma and architects. This comprehensive reference volume contains over 300 illustrations, 70 tables containing quantitative information and a bibliography of more than 6000 references. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Electromagnetics Vernon Cooray, 2012-06-12 This book provides the theory, mathematics and computational tools that are necessary to model each and every one of the processes associated with lightning discharges. This is essential information for a newcomer to the subject as well as for experienced scientists working in this field. Indeed, it is only through exercising various models and mathematical simulations that one can understand the basics mechanisms associated with the generation and interactions of the electric and magnetic fields of thunderclouds and lightning. This book would appeal to undergraduate and post graduate Physics and Engineering Students, Lightning Protection and EMC Engineers and those working within the areas of Electrical Engineering, Computer engineering and Physics. This book provides the rules and computations procedures to bridge this physical understanding with high level computational procedures to model each and every electromagnetic process, whether static or dynamic, and their effects and interactions. This book makes it possible for the reader to apply the knowledge gained from these books such as The Lightning Flash, IET 2003 and Lightning Protection, IET 2010 and obtain first hand experience through simulations on the processes generating the electromagnetic field of thunderclouds and lightning flashes and the effects of these electromagnetic fields. They will also experience how the results described in these books will emerge when Maxwell's equations are combined with basic laws conservation laws of nature and physics of electrical discharges. Uniquely, the information provided in this book is not limited to lightning scientists and lightning protection engineers alone. The procedures used to study the interaction of lightning electromagnetic fields with structures, power lines and telecommunication systems can also be used to study the interaction of the said components with electromagnetic fields generated by any radio transmitter. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Martin A. Uman, 1984-01-01 Complete and comprehensive, this text for advanced undergraduates in physics and engineering features exceptional clarity and minimum of mathematic notation. The expert and up-to-date treatment covers lightning phenomena and terminology, lightning photography, lightning spectroscopy, electrical and magnetic field measurements and current measurements, and more. Five appendixes. 140 figures and tables. |
| physics of lightning: The Lightning Flash Vernon Cooray, 2003 This unique book provides the reader with a thorough background in almost every aspect of lightning and its impact on electrical and electronic equipment. The contents range from basic discharge processes in air through transient electromagnetic field generation and interaction with overhead lines and underground cables, to lightning protection and testing techniques. This book is of value to anyone designing, installing or commissioning equipment which needs to be secured against lightning strikes, as well as being a sound introduction to research students working in the field. |
| physics of lightning: "Sprites, Elves and Intense Lightning Discharges" Martin Füllekrug, Eugene A. Mareev, Michael J Rycroft, 2006-05-27 Particularly intense lightning discharges can produce transient luminous events above thunderclouds, termed sprites, elves and jets. These short lived optical emissions in the mesosphere can reach from the tops of thunderclouds up to the ionosphere; they provide direct evidence of coupling from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere. Sprites are arguably the most dramatic recent discovery in solar-terrestrial physics. Shortly after the first ground based video recordings of sprites, observations on board the Space Shuttle detected sprites and elves occurring all around the world. These reports led to detailed sprite observations in North America, South America, Australia, Japan, and Europe. Subsequently, sprites were detected from other space platforms such as the International Space Station and the ROCSAT satellite. During the past 15 years, more than 200 contributions on sprites have been published in the scientific literature to document this rapidly evolving new research area. |
| physics of lightning: All about Lightning Martin A. Uman, 1986-01-01 Answers questions about Franklin's experiment, lightning rods, safety considerations, property damage, ball lightning, thunder, and thunderstorms |
| physics of lightning: Physics and Dynamics of Clouds and Precipitation Pao K. Wang, 2013-03-14 New textbook on microphysics, thermodynamics and cloud-scale dynamics of clouds and precipitation, for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, researchers and professionals. |
| physics of lightning: What Floats? What Sinks? Jennifer Boothroyd, 2017-08-01 A rock sinks in the water. A hot air balloon floats in the air. Many objects float and sink. But what makes them move this way? And how do people use floating and sinking in their lives? Read this book to find out! Learn all about matter, energy, and forces in the Exploring Physical Science series—part of the Lightning Bolt BooksTM collection. With high-energy designs, exciting photos, and fun text, Lightning Bolt BooksTM bring nonfiction topics to life! |
| physics of lightning: What Holds Us to Earth? Jennifer Boothroyd, 2017-08-01 A ball drops to the ground. Leaves fall from a tree. Gravity is at work all around you. But what exactly is gravity? And how does it affect different objects? Read this book to find out! Learn all about matter, energy, and forces in the Exploring Physical Science series—part of the Lightning Bolt BooksTM collection. With high-energy designs, exciting photos, and fun text, Lightning Bolt BooksTM bring nonfiction topics to life! |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Injuries Christopher Joh Andrews, Mary Ann Cooper, M. Darveniza, D. Mackerras, 1991-12-18 Lightning Injuries: Electrical, Medical, and Legal Aspects presents a thorough examination of injuries inflicted by lightning strikes. The expertise of acknowledged world authorities from three continents have been brought together to create this truly remarkable volume. Lightning Injuries: Electrical, Medical, and Legal Aspects begins with a short historical review featuring a discussion of the physics of lightning phenomena and the aspects of electrical circuit theory. This review provides the background for following chapters, which address topics such as the epidemiology of lightning injury, the pathogenesis of the features of lightning injury, the clinical aspects of managing patients with lightning injury, and lightning injury mediated by communications systems (including telephones). The book also describes the problem of finding protection against lightning strikes and the issues that arise in legal liability as a result of lightning strikes. The book is written for a diverse audience and includes material that makes it appropriate for all professionals in medical, legal, and technical fields. Never before has such a comprehensive collation of related facets of lightning injury been published within a single volume. |
| physics of lightning: The Art and Science of Lightning Protection Martin A. Uman, 2010-08-19 A lightning strike to an unprotected object or system can be disastrous - in the United States lightning is responsible for over 30% of all electric power failures, causes billions of dollars' worth of property damage, and an average of 85 fatalities a year. This accessible text describes all aspects of lightning protection and includes many illustrative drawings and photographs. The author examines the physical behavior of lightning, various types of lightning damage, the role of lightning detection and warning in effective protection, as well as options for deflecting or eliminating lightning. U.S. and international lightning protection standards are discussed. This book will be essential reading for everyone involved in the business of lightning protection, including meteorologists, atmospheric scientists, architects, engineers, and fire-safety experts. Insurance practitioners and physicians will find this reference of significant value. |
| physics of lightning: The Earth's Electrical Environment National Research Council, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications, Mathematics and Resources, Commission on Physical Sciences, Geophysics Research Forum, Geophysics Study Committee, 1986-02-01 This latest addition to the Studies in Geophysics series explores in scientific detail the phenomenon of lightning, cloud, and thunderstorm electricity, and global and regional electrical processes. Consisting of 16 papers by outstanding experts in a number of fields, this volume compiles and reviews many recent advances in such research areas as meteorology, chemistry, electrical engineering, and physics and projects how new knowledge could be applied to benefit mankind. |
| physics of lightning: How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning Rosalyn Schanzer, 2002-12-24 Ben Franklin was the most famous American in the entire world during colonial times. No wonder! After all, the man could do just about anything. Why, he was an author and an athlete and a patriot and a scientist and an inventor to boot. He even found a way to steal the lightning right out of the sky. Is such a thing possible? Is it. Take a look inside and find Ben busy at work on every spread. Then find out how he used his discovery about lightning to make people's lives safer. In an inventive way, Rosalyn Schanzer brings us a brilliant and ever-curious American original. |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Chandima Gomes, 2021-08-13 This book highlights the essential theoretical and practical aspects of lightning, lightning protection, safety and education. Additionally, several auxiliary topics that are required to understand the core themes are also included. The main objective of the contents is to enlighten the scientists, researchers, engineers and social activists (including policy makers) in developing countries regarding the key information related to lightning and thunderstorms. A majority of developing countries are in tropics where the lightning characteristics are somewhat different from those in temperate regions. The housing structures and power/communication networks, and human behavioural patterns(that depends on socio-economic parameters) in these countries are also different from those in the developed world. As the existing books on similar themes address only those scenarios in developed countries, this book serves a vast spectrum of readership in developing world who seek knowledge in the principles of lightning and a practical guidance on lightning protection and safety education. |
| physics of lightning: Physics of Lightning R.H. Golde, 1977 |
| physics of lightning: The Flight of Thunderbolts Sir Basil Schonland, 2021-09-09 This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. |
| physics of lightning: Loud or Soft? High or Low? Jennifer Boothroyd, 2017-08-01 Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and text highlighting for an engaging read aloud experience! Fireworks crackle and boom in the sky. Your friend laughs at a joke. Sounds are all around you. But what exactly is sound? And how does sound reach your ears? Read this book to find out! |
| physics of lightning: Experiments and Observations on Electricity, Made at Philadelphia in America Benjamin Franklin, 1751 |
| physics of lightning: Physics and Chemistry of Clouds Dennis Lamb, Johannes Verlinde, 2011-04-28 Clouds affect our daily weather and play key roles in the global climate. Through their ability to precipitate, clouds provide virtually all of the fresh water on Earth and are a crucial link in the hydrologic cycle. With ever-increasing importance being placed on quantifiable predictions - from forecasting the local weather to anticipating climate change - we must understand how clouds operate in the real atmosphere, where interactions with natural and anthropogenic pollutants are common. This textbook provides students - whether seasoned or new to the atmospheric sciences - with a quantitative yet approachable path to learning the inner workings of clouds. Developed over many years of the authors' teaching at Pennsylvania State University, Physics and Chemistry of Clouds is an invaluable textbook for advanced students in atmospheric science, meteorology, environmental sciences/engineering and atmospheric chemistry. It is also a very useful reference text for researchers and professionals. |
| physics of lightning: Physics and Chemistry of the Upper Atmosphere M. H. Rees, 1989-08-25 A multitude of processes that operate in the upper atmosphere are revealed by detailed physical and mathematical descriptions of the interactions of particles and radiation, temperatures, spectroscopy and dynamics. |
| physics of lightning: Ultra and Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Vadim Surkov, Masashi Hayakawa, 2014-07-08 The major emphasis of this book is on physical mechanisms and sources of the ULF/ELF natural electromagnetic fields noises. In the course of this text, some of these mechanisms of magnetospheric origin will be treated in detail and others in a more sketchy fashion, while the global electromagnetic resonances excited by lightning activity and other sources are the priority. The interested reader is referred to the books cited in the text for details about the ULF/ELF fields of magnetospheric origin. Much emphasis is put on studies of electromagnetic phenomena caused by rock deformation/fracture including the ULF/ELF effects possibly associated with tectonic activity, earthquakes and other natural disasters. One of the challenges of this research is to fully understand electromagnetic effects and physical processes in the rocks deep in the Earth’s crust. |
| physics of lightning: Ball Lightning Cixin Liu, 2018-08-14 From the New York Times bestselling author of the Three-Body Trilogy, Cixin Liu's Ball Lightning is the story of what happens when the beauty of scientific inquiry runs up against the drive to harness new discoveries with no consideration of their possible consequences. When Chen’s parents are incinerated before his eyes by a blast of ball lightning, he devotes his life to cracking the secret of this mysterious natural phenomenon. His search takes him to stormy mountaintops, an experimental military weapons lab, and an old Soviet science station. The more he learns, the more he comes to realize that ball lightning is just the tip of an entirely new frontier. While Chen’s quest for answers gives purpose to his lonely life, it also pits him against soldiers and scientists with motives of their own: a beautiful army major with an obsession with dangerous weaponry, and a physicist who has no place for ethical considerations in his single-minded pursuit of knowledge. Wildly imaginative.—Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy Tor books by Cixin Liu The Three-Body Problem Series #1 The Three-Body Problem #2 The Dark Forest #3 Death's End At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. |
| physics of lightning: Stealing God's Thunder Philip Dray, 2005-12-27 “Dray captures the genius and ingenuity of Franklin’s scientific thinking and then does something even more fascinating: He shows how science shaped his diplomacy, politics, and Enlightenment philosophy.” –Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Today we think of Benjamin Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin’s day, the era of Enlightenment, long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work. Pulitzer Prize finalist Philip Dray uses the evolution of Franklin’s scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America’s struggle to establish its fundamental values. He recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day, the seemingly unknowable powers of lightning and electricity. Rich in historical detail and based on numerous primary sources, Stealing God’s Thunder is a fascinating original look at one of our most beloved and complex founding fathers. |
| physics of lightning: Special Topics in Calamity Physics Marisha Pessl, 2006-08-03 The mesmerizing bestseller that combines the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt and the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock—A New York Times Ten Best Book of the Year Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a darkly hilarious coming-of-age tale and a richly plotted suspense story, told with dazzling intelligence and wit. At the center of the novel is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway School, she finds some—a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery. Nabokov meets Donna Tartt (then invites the rest of the Western Canon to the party) in this novel—with visual aids drawn by the author—that has won over readers of all ages. |
| physics of lightning: The Physics of Wall Street James Owen Weatherall, 2013-01-08 A look inside the world of “quants” and how science can (and can’t) predict financial markets: “Entertaining and enlightening” (The New York Times). After the economic meltdown of 2008, Warren Buffett famously warned, “beware of geeks bearing formulas.” But while many of the mathematicians and software engineers on Wall Street failed when their abstractions turned ugly in practice, a special breed of physicists has a much deeper history of revolutionizing finance. Taking us from fin-de-siècle Paris to Rat Pack–era Las Vegas, from wartime government labs to Yippie communes on the Pacific coast, James Owen Weatherall shows how physicists successfully brought their science to bear on some of the thorniest problems in economics, from options pricing to bubbles. The crisis was partly a failure of mathematical modeling. But even more, it was a failure of some very sophisticated financial institutions to think like physicists. Models—whether in science or finance—have limitations; they break down under certain conditions. And in 2008, sophisticated models fell into the hands of people who didn’t understand their purpose, and didn’t care. It was a catastrophic misuse of science. The solution, however, is not to give up on models; it’s to make them better. This book reveals the people and ideas on the cusp of a new era in finance, from a geophysicist using a model designed for earthquakes to predict a massive stock market crash to a physicist-run hedge fund earning 2,478.6% over the course of the 1990s. Weatherall shows how an obscure idea from quantum theory might soon be used to create a far more accurate Consumer Price Index. The Physics of Wall Street will change how we think about our economic future. “Fascinating history . . . Happily, the author has a gift for making complex concepts clear to lay readers.” —Booklist |
| physics of lightning: The Lightning Discharge Martin A. Uman, 2001-01-24 Absorbing monograph by expert sets forth most of known properties of lightning: cloud and lightning charges, stepped leader, return stroke, dart leader, lightning on other planets, thunder, more. 144 illustrations. |
| physics of lightning: Mathematical Methods For Physics H. W. Wyld, 2018-03-14 This classic book helps students learn the basics in physics by bridging the gap between mathematics and the basic fundamental laws of physics. With supplemental material such as graphs and equations, Mathematical Methods for Physics creates a strong, solid anchor of learning. The text has three parts: Part I focuses on the use of special functions in solving the homogeneous partial differential equations of physics, and emphasizes applications to topics such as electrostatics, wave guides, and resonant cavities, vibrations of membranes, heat flow, potential flow in fluids, plane and spherical waves. Part II deals with the solution of inhomogeneous differential equations with particular emphasis on problems in electromagnetism, Green's functions for Poisson's equation, the wave equation and the diffusion equation, and the solution of integral equations by iteration, eigenfunction expansion and the Fredholm series. Finally, Part II explores complex variable techniques, including evalution of itegrals, dispersion relations, special functions in the complex plane, one-sided Fourier transforms, and Laplace transforms. |
| physics of lightning: Microphysics of Atmospheric Phenomena Boris M. Smirnov, 2016-08-29 This book investigates elementary processes in the Earth’s atmosphere involving photons, electrons, ions, radicals, and aerosols. It is based on global atmospheric models such as the standard atmospheric model with averaged atmospheric parameters across the globe and over time, the Earth’s energetic balance, and the global electric circuit that allows to analyze fundamental atmospheric properties to be analyzed. Rate constants of elementary processes in the Earth’s atmosphere, together with measured atmospheric parameters and existing concepts of atmospheric phenomena, are used in the analysis of global and local atmospheric processes. Atmospheric photoprocesses result from the interaction of solar radiation with the atmosphere and processes involving ions, oxygen atoms, excited atomic particles and ozone molecules. Atmospheric electricity as a secondary phenomenon to atmospheric water circulation results in a chain of processes that begins with collisions of water aerosols in different aggregate states. Cosmic rays are of importance for atmospheric electricity, as they create positive and negative ions in the air. Air breakdown in an electric field of clouds in the form of lightning may develop under the influence of cosmic ray-created seed electrons, which are necessary for electron multiplication in ionization wave-streamers. The upper atmosphere (ionosphere) is formed under solar radiation in a vacuum ultraviolet spectrum, and absorption of this radiation leads to air photoionization. The greenhouse effect is determined by atmospheric water, whereas transitions between a water vapor and aerosols may lead to a change in atmospheric optical depth. Carbon dioxide contributes in small portions to the atmospheric greenhouse effect. Cosmic rays are of importance for atmospheric discharge, the origin of lightning and cloud formation in the first stage of aerosol growth. This book provides a qualitative description of atmospheric properties and phenomena based on elementary processes and simple models. |
| physics of lightning: ELECTRON AVALANCHES AND BREAKDOWN IN GASES H. RAETHER, 1964 |
| physics of lightning: Lightning Protection of Aircraft Franklin A. Fisher, J. Anderson Plumer, Rodney A. Perala, 2004 |
| physics of lightning: Einstein's Unfinished Revolution Lee Smolin, 2019-04-09 A daring new vision of the quantum universe, and the scandals controversies, and questions that may illuminate our future--from Canada's leading mind on contemporary physics. Quantum physics is the golden child of modern science. It is the basis of our understanding of atoms, radiation, and so much else, from elementary particles and basic forces to the behaviour of materials. But for a century it has also been the problem child of science, plagued by intense disagreements between its intellectual giants, from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking, over the strange paradoxes and implications that seem like the stuff of fantasy. Whether it's Schrödinger's cat--a creature that is simultaneously dead and alive--or a belief that the world does not exist independently of our observations of it, quantum theory is what challenges our fundamental assumptions about our reality. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, globally renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin provocatively argues that the problems which have bedeviled quantum physics since its inception are unsolved for the simple reason that the theory is incomplete. There is more, waiting to be discovered. Our task--if we are to have simple answers to our simple questions about the universe we live in--must be to go beyond it to a description of the world on an atomic scale that makes sense. In this vibrant and accessible book, Smolin takes us on a journey through the basics of quantum physics, introducing the stories of the experiments and figures that have transformed the field, before wrestling with the puzzles and conundrums that they present. Along the way, he illuminates the existing theories about the quantum world that might solve these problems, guiding us toward his own vision that embraces common sense realism. If we are to have any hope of completing the revolution that Einstein began nearly a century ago, we must go beyond quantum mechanics as we know it to find a theory that will give us a complete description of nature. In Einstein's Unfinished Revolution, Lee Smolin brings us a step closer to resolving one of the greatest scientific controversies of our age. |
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