Roberto Piazza says: Physics should be made simple enough to be amusing, but not so trivial as to spoil the fun. This is exactly the approach of this book in making the science of 'soft matter' relevant to everyday life things such as the food we eat, the plastic we use, the concrete we build with, the cells we are made of.

Ever wondered why a cement mix needs water to harden? Why do soap bubbles burst and why is crude oil so thick? What do Italians and plastics have in common? Nuggets of science hidden in the things that surround us Imagine Douglas Adams meets James Joyce and they start talking science Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Roberto Piazza trained as a physicist at the school of Vittorio Degiorgio, and is now a professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, Associate Editor of the European Physical Journal E and coordinator of the European Space Agency's Topical Team for "Applications of colloids in microgravity" of the European Space Agency. He has made important contributions to research on nanoparticle suspensions, polymer and surfactant solutions and biological macromolecules. He is not only a gifted physicists, but equally well versed in history and literature.

Klappentext

Roberto Piazza says: Physics should be made simple enough to be amusing, but not so trivial as to spoil the fun. This is exactly the approach of this book in making the science of soft matter relevant to everyday life things such as the food we eat, the plastic we use, the concrete we build with, the cells we are made of.

Inhalt

Foreword.- Preface to the English edition.- 1 Overture: a special day.- 2 A life in suspense.- 3 Freedom in chains.- 4 Double-faced Janus Molecules.- 5 Nanoarchitecture.- 6 Dreamtime.- Weird words: soft matter from A to Z.- Index of common things (or almost so).