Theoretical Concepts in Physics
An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics
3rd Edition
Published on 16. April 2020
Book
Hardback
636 pages
978-1-108-48453-4 (ISBN)
Description
In this original and integrated approach to theoretical reasoning in physics, Malcolm Longair illuminates the subject from the perspective of real physics as practised by research scientists. Concentrating on the basic insights, attitudes and techniques that are the tools of the modern physicist, this approach conveys the intellectual excitement and beauty of the subject. Through a series of seven case studies, an undergraduate course in classical physics and the discovery of quanta are reviewed from the point of the view of how the great discoveries and changes of perspective came about. This approach illuminates the intellectual struggles needed to attain understanding of some of the most difficult concepts in physics. Longair's highly acclaimed text has been fully revised and includes new studies on the physics of fluids, Maxwell's great paper on equations for the electromagnetic field and problems of contemporary cosmology and the very early universe.
Reviews / Votes
'... a brilliant expose of theoretical reasoning adds discussions on properties of fluids and more concepts related to gravitational waves and cosmology ... Excellent indexing, including an author index, along with many helpful diagrams and useful chapter notes, add utility and charm.' F. Potter, ChoiceMore details
Edition
3rd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 32 Halftones, black and white; 193 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 192 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
1300 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-48453-4 (9781108484534)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Malcolm S. Longair
Theoretical Concepts in Physics
An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics
E-Book
04/2020
3rd Edition
Cambridge University Press
€49.99
Available for download
Malcolm S. Longair
Theoretical Concepts in Physics
An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics
E-Book
04/2020
Cambridge University Press
€44.49
Available for download
Previous edition
Malcolm S. Longair
Theoretical Concepts in Physics
An Alternative View of Theoretical Reasoning in Physics
Book
12/2003
2nd Edition
Cambridge University Press
€79.18
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Malcolm Longair, CBE, FRS, FRSE, was Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1980 to 1990 and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory from 1997 to 2005. His books with Cambridge University Press include High Energy Astrophysics (2011), The Cosmic Century (2006), Quantum Concepts in Physics (2013), and Maxwell's Enduring Legacy (2016), a scientific history of the Cavendish Laboratory.
Content
Preface and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; Case Study I. The Origins of Newton's Laws of Motion and of Gravity: 2. From Ptolemy to Kepler: the Copernican Revolution; 3. Galileo and the nature of the physical sciences; 4. Newton and the law of gravity; Case Study II. Maxwell's Equations: 5. The origin of Maxwell's equations; 6. Maxwell (1865): A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field; 7. How to rewrite the history of electromagnetism; Case Study III. Mechanics and Dynamics: Linear and Non-Linear; 8. Approaches to mechanics and dynamics; 9. The motion of fluids; 10. Dimensional analysis, chaos and self-organised criticality; Case Study IV. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics: 11. Basic thermodynamics; 12. Kinetic theory and the origin of statistical mechanics; Case Study V. The Origins of the Concepts of Quantisation and Quanta: 13. Black-body radiation up to 1895; 14. 1895-1900: Planck and the spectrum of black-body radiation; 15. Planck's theory of black-body radiation; 16. Einstein and the quantisation of light; 17. The triumph of the light quantum hypothesis; Case Study VI. Special and General Relativity: 18. Special relativity: a study in invariance; 19. An introduction to general relativity; Case Study VII. Cosmology and Physics: 20. Cosmology; 21. Dark matter, dark energy and the inflationary paradigm; Notes; Author index; Subject index.