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Top Ten Ideas of Physics
Foundations for Understanding the Universe
Brief Description
The ten biggest ideas in theoretical physics that have withstood the test of time Could any discovery be more unexpected and shocking than the realisation that the reality we were born into is but an approximation of an underlying quantum world that is barely within our...
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See moreThe ten biggest ideas in theoretical physics that have withstood the test of time
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Description
The ten biggest ideas in theoretical physics that have withstood the test of time
Could any discovery be more unexpected and shocking than the realisation that the reality we were born into is but an approximation of an underlying quantum world that is barely within our grasp? This is just one of the foundational pillars of theoretical physics that A. Zee discusses in this book. Join him as he presents his Top Ten List of the biggest, most breathtaking ideas in physics—the ones that have fundamentally transformed our understanding of the universe.
Top Ten Ideas of Physics tells a story that will keep readers enthralled, along the way explaining the meaning of each idea and how it came about. Leading the list are the notions that the physical world is comprehensible and that the laws of physics are the same here, there, and everywhere. As the story unfolds, the apparently solid world dissolves into an intertwining web of dancing fields, exhibiting greater symmetries as we examine them at deeper and deeper levels. Readers come to see how physical truth is universal, not relative, and how the forces in the multiverse are not disparate pieces but an indivisible unity—a vision only partially realised today.
With Zee's trademark blend of wit and physical insight, Top Ten Ideas of Physics reveals why the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics, why entropy and information are intimately linked, and why the action principle underpins the choreography of all that exists.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780691225807
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 17 June 2025
Country: United States
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Illustration: 50 b/w illus.
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Width: 156.0mm
Height: 235.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 352
Collections
About the Author
A. Zee is professor of physics at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His many books include Quantum Field Theory, as Simply as Possible; Fly by Night Physics; On Gravity; Group Theory in a Nutshell for Physicists; Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell; Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell; and Fearful Symmetry (all Princeton).
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On Gravity
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Fearful Symmetry
The concept of symmetry has widespread manifestations and many diverse applications—from architecture to mathematics to science. Yet, as twentieth-century physics has revealed, symmetry has a special, central role in nature, one that is occasionally and enigmatically violated. Fearful Symmetry brings the incredible discoveries of the juxtaposition of symmetry and asymmetry in contemporary physics within everyone's grasp. A. Zee, a distinguished...Paperback$7499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
Quantum Field Theory, as Simply as Possible
An exceptionally accessible introduction to quantum field theory Quantum field theory is by far the most spectacularly successful theory in physics, but also one of the most mystifying. This venerable subject provides the crucial bridge between the long established quantum mechanics and the still hypothetical string theory. Quantum Field Theory, as Simply as Possible provides an essential primer on the...Paperback$7600Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell
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...HardbackSold Out -
Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell
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...HardbackSold Out -
Group Theory in a Nutshell for Physicists
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...HardbackSold Out -
Fly by Night Physics
The essential primer for physics students who want to build their physical intuition. Presented in A. Zee's incomparably engaging style, this book introduces physics students to the practice of using physical reasoning and judicious guesses to get at the crux of a problem. An essential primer for advanced undergraduates and beyond, Fly by Night Physics reveals the simple and effective...HardbackSold Out -
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