Series: In a Nutshell

The essential introduction to modern statistical mechanics, now completely updated and expanded. Statistical mechanics is one of the most exciting areas of physics today and has applications to subjects ranging from economics and social behaviour to algorithmic theory and evolutionary biology. Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell provides a self-contained introduction to this rapidly developing field. Starting with the basics of...

How do you sum up the amazing world of art in just 100 words? This striking book takes on the challenge! From pottery to Pointillism, each of the carefully chosen 100 words has its own 100-word long description and quirky illustration, providing a fascinating introduction to art. Basically, everything you need to know in a nutshell. Along with some classic...

This unique textbook provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity, a subject of breathtaking beauty and supreme importance in physics. With his trademark blend of wit and incisiveness, A. Zee guides readers from the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics to the most exciting frontiers of research today, including de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spacetimes, Kaluza-Klein theory, and brane...

Astrophysics in a Nutshell, winner of the American Astronomical Society's Chambliss Award, has become the text of choice in astrophysics courses for science majors at top universities in North America and beyond. In this expanded and fully updated second edition, the book gets even better, with a new chapter on extrasolar planets; a greatly expanded chapter on the interstellar medium;...

Learn all about the world of architecture in only 100 words! 100 Things to Know About Architecture explores the most iconic buildings from around the world as well as the history of architecture, from basic huts to incredible skyscrapers. From columns to pyramids, each of the carefully chosen 100 words has its own 100-word long description and colourful illustration, providing...

This graduate-level physics textbook provides a comprehensive treatment of the basic principles and phenomena of classical electromagnetism. While many electromagnetism texts use the subject to teach mathematical methods of physics, here the emphasis is on the physical ideas themselves. Anupam Garg distinguishes between electromagnetism in vacuum and that in material media, stressing that the core physical questions are different for...

Since it was first published, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell has quickly established itself as the most accessible and comprehensive introduction to this profound and deeply fascinating area of theoretical physics. Now in this fully revised and expanded edition, A. Zee covers the latest advances while providing a solid conceptual foundation for students to build on, making this the...

Although group theory is a mathematical subject, it is indispensable to many areas of modern theoretical physics, from atomic physics to condensed matter physics and particle physics to string theory. In particular, it is essential for an understanding of the fundamental forces. Yet until now, what has been missing is a modern, accessible, and self-contained textbook on the subject written...

How do you sum up the world's amazing inventions in just 100 words? This striking book takes on the challenge! From helicopters to fireworks, each of the carefully chosen 100 words has its own 100-word long description and quirky illustration, providing a fascinating introduction to incredible inventions from history to the modern day. Basically, everything you need to know in...

A concise and authoritative introduction to one of the central theories of modern physics. For a theory as genuinely elegant as the Standard Model—the current framework describing elementary particles and their forces—it can sometimes appear to students to be little more than a complicated collection of particles and ranked list of interactions. The Standard Model in a Nutshell provides a...