- Paperback: 239 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press; New edition edition (6 Jan 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0198539991
- ISBN-13: 978-0198539995
- Product Dimensions: 27.2 x 21.3 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,163,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
The Particle Explosion is a spectacular illustrated tour of the subatomic world, the first book to describe to the general reader how the study of basic particles over the last hundred years has led us closer to an understanding of the origins of the Universe. This journey to the heart of matter opens with an introduction to the basic particles (a subatomic "zoo" that includes quarks, electrons, leptons, 'strange' particles and 'charmed' particles) and of the methods used to create and investigate them. The even-numbered chapters tell the story of their discovery, from the first experiments with X-rays and the elucidation of the nature of the atom, to the great machines that today smash particles together at enormous energy levels. The odd-numbered chapters describe the major particles in more detail. With over 300 fascinating illustrations, the book brings together many historical photographs of leading scientists in the field, the increasingly vast and complex equipment they use (bubble chambers, accelerators and modern electronic detectors), and the striking images of tracks produced by the particles themselves.
Detailing in readable, jargon-free language the new vistas particle physics has opened--from the approach to a Grand Unified Theory of matter to the detection of art forgeries--this book is must reading for anyone who hopes to understand more about the brave new world of modern science.
Detailing in readable, jargon-free language the new vistas particle physics has opened--from the approach to a Grand Unified Theory of matter to the detection of art forgeries--this book is must reading for anyone who hopes to understand more about the brave new world of modern science.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book gives an insight into the state of particle physics at the moment, it is easy to read and does not need an extensive scientific education to enjoy it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Look for the New Edition titled The Particle Odyssey
13 April 2006
Format:Hardcover
The Particle Explosion (1987) by Oxford University Press tells the story of particle physics from the unexpected discoveries of electrons, x-rays, and radioactivity in the 1890s to the meticulously planned, large scale experiments nearly a century later that detected the W and Z particles, thereby confirming the Standard Model.
The three authors - Frank Close, Michael Marten, and Christine Sutton - should be commended for the exceptional set of photos that make this book so fascinating. The target audience is the enthusiastic layman, but this account should also appeal to all science students, especially undergraduate physics majors.
Even numbered chapters focus on the researchers and their massive machines. Odd numbered chapters describe the subatomic particles. This unusual even-odd arrangement is surprisingly well-integrated and does not attract attention to itself.
The Particle Explosion is true to its title. The reader encounters neutrinos, muons, pions (pi-zero, pi-plus, pi-minus), kaons (K-zero, K-plus, K-minus), J/PSI, D (D-zero, D-plus), upsilon, lambda, sigma (sigma-zero, sigma-plus, sigma-minus), xi (xi-minus, xi-zero), omega minus, and charmed lambda. And don't forget, there is an antiparticle for every particle as well as resonance states for many particles. Fortunately, Murray Gell-Mann and others bundled these bewildering particles into well-behaved symmetry groups.
Rather unexpectedly, I actually developed some skill at deciphering images of particle tracks from cloud chambers, bubble chambers, and various electronic detectors. I found that I could even recognize indications of missing particles. Nonetheless, complicated images revealing quarks and gluons remain intimidating. Computer processing is needed to remove unrelated low-momentum tracks, and thereby expose the unique signatures of high energy quarks.
As fate would have it, I no sooner completed this book review than I learned that a 2002 edition with the title The Particle Odyssey (same three authors) was available. The new layout is quite similar. The material has been updated to cover the years 1987-2002 and the graphics are even better.
Recommendation: Deep Down Things (John Hopkins Press, 2004) by Bruce A. Schumm offers a more technical look at the Standard Model. Five stars.
The three authors - Frank Close, Michael Marten, and Christine Sutton - should be commended for the exceptional set of photos that make this book so fascinating. The target audience is the enthusiastic layman, but this account should also appeal to all science students, especially undergraduate physics majors.
Even numbered chapters focus on the researchers and their massive machines. Odd numbered chapters describe the subatomic particles. This unusual even-odd arrangement is surprisingly well-integrated and does not attract attention to itself.
The Particle Explosion is true to its title. The reader encounters neutrinos, muons, pions (pi-zero, pi-plus, pi-minus), kaons (K-zero, K-plus, K-minus), J/PSI, D (D-zero, D-plus), upsilon, lambda, sigma (sigma-zero, sigma-plus, sigma-minus), xi (xi-minus, xi-zero), omega minus, and charmed lambda. And don't forget, there is an antiparticle for every particle as well as resonance states for many particles. Fortunately, Murray Gell-Mann and others bundled these bewildering particles into well-behaved symmetry groups.
Rather unexpectedly, I actually developed some skill at deciphering images of particle tracks from cloud chambers, bubble chambers, and various electronic detectors. I found that I could even recognize indications of missing particles. Nonetheless, complicated images revealing quarks and gluons remain intimidating. Computer processing is needed to remove unrelated low-momentum tracks, and thereby expose the unique signatures of high energy quarks.
As fate would have it, I no sooner completed this book review than I learned that a 2002 edition with the title The Particle Odyssey (same three authors) was available. The new layout is quite similar. The material has been updated to cover the years 1987-2002 and the graphics are even better.
Recommendation: Deep Down Things (John Hopkins Press, 2004) by Bruce A. Schumm offers a more technical look at the Standard Model. Five stars.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Learn to interpret bubble chamber tracks!
4 Sep 1998
Format:Paperback
Bubble chamber tracks were always a mystery to me ... until I discovered "The Particle Explosion". This book is wonderful because ... The edited & colorized bubble chamber photographs engender a new, visceral, level of understanding of elementary particles. With so many books and articles on theoretical and abstract aspects of quantum mechaniscs, this book reveals the, oft neglected, world of experimental particle physicists and their immense accomplishments. It is a wonderful example of expository writing, where complex mechanisms are clearly described without resorting to diagrams.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
THE SEARCH FOR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
18 Oct 2009
Format:Hardcover
THIS BOOK IS BETTER THAN MOST IN CONCENTRATING ON THE PARTICLES THEMSELVES. MANY OF THE BOOKS ON THIS SUBJECT SPEND TOO MUCH SPACE ON HISTORY. AFTER READING ABOUT FIVE OF THOSE BOOKS I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE ANCIENT GREEKS WERE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS AND NEEDED NO FURTHER PUBLICITY. THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INFORMATIVE BUT MORE INFORMATION ON THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PARTICLES WOULD BE USEFUL.
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