Sep 23, 2008 05:34 PM
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(Updated Sep 23, 2008 05:52 PM)
Nobel laureate Lederman(mathematics and science, Illinois Institute of Technology) and Hill(theoretical physics, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) use the notion of symmetry to introduce both Galilean-Newtonian physics and modern thinking about nature and the avant-garde, Einstein's relativity, and the unification of all forces. They write for general readers, but also with a hope to improve high school physics courses
I was fortunate to see an advance copy of this book from an editor friend of mine. I can say this is a masterpiece, and I dropped by to buy it. I guess I'll have to wait for its release. I was particularly moved by the biography of Emmy Noether, a tragic figure who ranks with Einstein in her greatness, and who proves a theorem that the authors claim ranks with Pythagoras.
I had no idea that there was a female figure in the whole history of science and mathematics of this significance. This book is a MUST for women, for students, or for anyone wanting to start to contemplate and learn this marvelous subject beyond the level of all the fluff books out there.
The first half dozen chapters are an exquisite introduction to all of nature and all of physics. Anyone with an interest in science will be engaged. The later chapters are more sophisticated, but I found them to be readable and I came away with new concepts and a better understanding of how it all hangs together.
Also recommended: **The Elegant Universe, by Green;
The First Three Minutes, by Weinberg;
Fearful Symmetry, by Zee.
