Basic Concepts in Physics

This book is the second edition of an excellent undergraduate-level overview of classical and modern physics, intended for students of physics and related subjects, and also perfectly suited for the education of physics teachers. The twelve-chapter book begins with Newton's laws of motion and subsequently covers topics such as thermodynamics and statistical physics, electrodynamics, special and general relativity, quantum mechanics and cosmology , the standard model and quantum chromodynamics. The writing is lucid, and the theoretical discussions are easy to follow for anyone comfortable with standard mathematics.An important addition in this second edition is a set of exercises and problems, distributed throughout the book. Some of the problems aim to complement the text, others to provide readers with additional useful tools for tackling new or more advanced topics. Furthermore, new topics have been added in several chapters; for example, the discovery of extra-solar planets from the wobble of their mother stars, a discussion of the Landauer principle relating information erasure to an increase of entropy, quantum logic, first order quantum corrections to the ideal gas equation of state due to the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics. Both gravitational lensing and the time-correction in geo-positioning satellites are explained as theoretical applications of special and general relativity. The discovery of gravitational waves, one of the most important achievements of physical sciences, is presented as well. Professional scientists, teachers, and researchers will also want to have this book on their bookshelves, as it provides an excellent refresher on a wide range of topics and serves as an ideal starting point for expanding one's knowledge of new or unfamiliar fields. Readers of this book will not only learn much about physics, they will also learn to love it.

Is a clear, concise, and beautifully written presentation of modern physics Helps readers not only to learn physics, but also to enjoy it Provides self-contained and comprehensive history, concepts, and formal treatment hand-in-hand Suppresses mathematical technicalities in favor of a wide scope of topics Suited for class use, e.g., as a textbook for the course Modern Physics but also ideal for lone explorers and other newcomers to physics

Autorentext

Masud Chaichian: Editor journal EPJ C, very prominent scientist in high energy physics. Previous affiliations: Durham Univ, UK; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK; Hamburg Univ, Germany; Weizmann Institute, Israel; CERN. Scientific interests: Quantum Field Theory, Noncommutative geometry, String theory, Higher-Dimensional Theories Teaching: Over 20 years experience in teaching Theories of Elementary Particle Physics, Path Integrals, Theoretical physics 261 publications in SPIRES. Address: High Energy Physics Division Department of Physical Sciences and Helsinki Institute of Physics POB 64 (Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland ------- TWM market research - Classical Electrodynamics: Market Size Estimate 22,200 per year Market Leaders 1) Griffiths 3/e, '99 (Prentice Hall) 13,300 60% 2) Jackson 3/e, '99 (Wiley) 5,400 24% 3) Purcell 2/e, '85 (McGraw-Hill) 1,000 5% -------- Textbook features: problems with solutions, end of chapter summaries, worked examples, high level figures, boxed inserts, highlighted key math and explanations, appendix, index

Inhalt
Gravitation and Newton Laws.- Entropy, Statistical Physics and Information.- Electromagnetism and Maxwell's Equations.- Electromagnetic Waves.- Special Theory of Relativity.- Atoms and Quantum Theory.- Quantum Electrodynamics.- Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein Statistics.- Four Fundamental Forces.- General Relativity and Cosmology.- Unification of the Forces of Nature.- Physics and Life.