Engineering Physics

What happens when particles lose their individuality and merge into a single quantum being? This is the mystery of the Bose–Einstein condensate — a state of matter predicted by Einstein and Bose a century ago, first realized with ultracold atoms in the 1990s, and later extended to photons, exciton–polaritons, and other exotic systems. In this book, Boris Kriger guides the listener through the history of this extraordinary discovery — from a letter written in Calcutta to Einstein, to the Nobel-winning experiments that cooled atoms to the edge of absolute zero.

“Quantum Consciousness: Hilarious Journey Through Reality” invites you on a fascinating and humorous exploration of the interconnected realms of consciousness and quantum mechanics. This book masterfully blends scientific insight with wit, unraveling the mysteries of how our minds and the quantum universe intersect while delivering profound insights and plenty of laughs. It offers a unique fusion of rigorous science and playful storytelling, making complex ideas both accessible and enjoyable.

For going on two decades, Scientific American’s “Ask the Experts” column has been answering reader questions on all fields of science. We’ve taken your questions from the basic to the esoteric and reached out to top scientists, professors, and researchers to find out why the sky is blue or whether we really only use 10 percent of our brains. Now, we’ve combed through our archives and have compiled some of the most interesting questions (and answers) into a series of books.

Parents and parents-to-be are bombarded with information, from what to expect to what to do (and not to do) when it happens. But what they may not realize is that from the chemistry of pregnancy tests to the vacuum physics of breastfeeding, there is fascinating science at the heart of every aspect of creating and raising a new human.

Science starts to get interesting when things don't make sense. Science's best-kept secret is that there are experimental results and reliable data that the most brilliant scientists can neither explain nor dismiss. If history is any precedent, we should look to today's inexplicable results to forecast the future of science. Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to meet 13 modern-day anomalies and discover tomorrow's breakthroughs.

Does alien life exist? Is time travel possible? How did the universe begin, and how will it end? Is the future predetermined? These are just some of the fascinating questions posed in this book, which stretches across physics, the life sciences and cosmology. Each chapter considers a separate question and ends with either an answer or, if there is insufficient evidence, a ‘best guess’ answer.

Les mutations de la matière depuis les débuts de l'Univers et une explication claire de ce qu'est la radioactivité artificielle. La radioactivité est le phénomène qui explique toutes les mutations de la matière depuis la genèse de l'Univers jusqu'à son état actuel. Étienne Klein, physicien au Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, expose ici clairement et simplement les mécanismes de ces mutations. La radioactivité artificielle. Il définit ensuite les différents types de radioactivité et donne, sans parti pris, les outils pour comprendre la radioactivité artificielle et les questions qu'elle pose pour les générations présentes et à venir.

المادَّة هي المكوِّن الأساسي للكون. ونحن نعرف الذرَّة جيداً وأنها جُسيم شديد الصِّغر لدرجة أن شعرة الإنسان الرفيعة قد تتَّسع لمليون ذرَّة. إلا أن المادَّة بحرٌ أوسع من هذا بكثير، وفَـهْـم طبيعتها عملية دؤوبة لا تنتهي. يستكشف «جيف كوتريل» خبايا جميع أشكال المادَّة، بدايةً من أشكالها المألوفة مثل المواد الصلبة والسائلة والغازيَّـة، وحتى البلازما والأشكال غير المألوفة، مثل المادَّة الكميَّـة والمادَّة المضادَّة. يستعرض كوتريل كذلك نشأة المادَّة في الانفجار العظيم، فيتحدَّث عن تكوين الذرَّة والطاقة والكتلة والأشكال الغامضة للمـادَّة المظلمة والطاقة المظلمة، فيتضح لنا أننا ما زلنا لا نعلم الكثير عن المادَّة التي يتكوَّن منها عالمنا.

A mind-bending exploration of gravity, the universe's greatest mystery. What is gravity? Nobody knows - and just about nobody knows that nobody knows. How something so pervasive can also be so mysterious, and how that mystery can be so wholly unrecognized outside the field of physics, is one of the greatest conundrums in modern science. But as award-winning author Richard Panek shows in this groundbreaking book, gravity is a cold case that we are closer to cracking than ever - and whose very investigation has yielded untold truths about the cosmos and humanity itself.

Black holes, predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity more than a century ago, have long intrigued scientists and the public with their bizarre and fantastical properties. Although Einstein understood that black holes were mathematical solutions to his equations, he never accepted their physical reality - a viewpoint many shared. After introducing the basics of the special and general theories of relativity, this book describes black holes both as astrophysical objects and theoretical "laboratories".

Curiosity stirs the soul of every human. Who has not wondered about how the human body works? Can we drown from drinking too much water? What is a black hole? Can black holes allow us to time travel? Is spontaneous human combustion possible? Do identical twins have the same fingerprints? How do scientists age dinosaur bones? How does gravity make things fall? Why do sunflowers always face the sun? What about a man flying with wings? How big would those wings have to be? How tall can a human grow? Why are tennis balls fuzzy? What happens to the white when snow melts?

The galaxy, the multiverse, and the history of astronomy are explored in this engaging compilation of cosmological "tales" by multiple award-winning science writer Marcia Bartusiak. In 32 concise and engrossing essays, the author provides a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe and those who strive to uncover its mysteries. Bartusiak shares the back stories for many momentous astronomical discoveries, including the contributions of such pioneers as Beatrice Tinsley and her groundbreaking research in galactic evolution.

The basic principles that Bergson articulates, especially his way of thinking about reality as a dynamic process and his view of human beings as creative and evolving, should be helpful to anyone who seeks to go beyond simply dealing with the practical demands of daily life and consider the nature of things. Of special importance is Bergson’s claim that it is both possible and necessary to know from the inside rather than confining our attention to external perspectives and points of view. Intuition is able to get beyond what is relative and place us inside reality.

Journey into quantum physics - without the mathematical maze! Ever wonder how particles can exist in two places at once or why Einstein called quantum entanglement "spooky action at distance"? Quantum Physics Unplugged transforms these mind-bending concepts into clear, engaging insights that anyone can grasp.

This book takes the listener on an extraordinary journey through the invisible architecture of reality — from the quiet pull that keeps our feet on the ground to the roaring gravity wells of black holes and the earliest tremors of spacetime itself. It explores how gravity, more than any other force, reveals the unity of all things — connecting atoms, stars, and even consciousness in one continuous fabric of being.

Force explores how humans interact with the material world in the course of their everyday activities. Celebrated author Henry Petroski draws from a variety of disciplines to make the case that force—represented especially by our sense of touch—is a unifying principle that pervades our lives. In the wake of a prolonged global pandemic that increasingly cautioned us about contact with the physical world, Petroski offers a new perspective on the importance of the sensation and power of touch.

These are the extraordinary realities of the NHS front line. From the historic junior doctor strikes to the 'humanitarian crisis' declared by the Red Cross, the overstretched health service is on the precipice. This is a powerful polemic on its systematic degradation and a letter of optimism to that same health service and those who support it. It captures with tenderness a new doctor's experiences of an NHS at breaking point.

From one of the world’s leading data scientists, a landmark tour ofthe new science of idea flow, offering revolutionary insights into the mysteries of collective intelligence and social influence If the Big Data revolution has a presiding genius, it is MIT’s Alex “Sandy” Pentland. Over...

The periodic table is one of the most potent icons in science. It lies at the core of chemistry and embodies the most fundamental principles of the field. The one definitive text on the development of the periodic table by van Spronsen (1969), has been out of print for a considerable time. The present book provides a successor to van Spronsen, but goes further in giving an evaluation of the extent to which modern physics has, or has not, explained the periodic system. The book is written in a lively style to appeal to experts and interested lay-persons alike.

Teletransporte, máquinas del tiempo, campos de fuerza y naves intergalácticas: ¿materia de ciencia ficción o tecnologías potencialmente disponibles en el futuro? Inspirado por los mundos fantásticos de H.G. Wells, Star Trek o La guerra de las galaxias, el prestigioso físico teórico y divulgador Michio Kaku lanza una mirada inteligente, seria y a menudo sorprendente a lo que nuestra actual comprensión de las leyes del universo nos permite vislumbrar en el futuro.