The Constants of Nature

The Constants of Nature PDF Author: John Barrow
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307555356
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants—numbers and values that dictate the strengths of forces like gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge Professor and bestselling author John D.Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles. Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe’s infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.

The Constants of Nature

The Constants of Nature PDF Author: John Barrow
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307555356
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 370

Get Book Here

Book Description
Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants—numbers and values that dictate the strengths of forces like gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge Professor and bestselling author John D.Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles. Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe’s infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.

On the Origin of Natural Constants

On the Origin of Natural Constants PDF Author: Hans Peter Good
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110612380
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Just as the circle number π or the Euler constant e determines mathematics, fundamental constants of nature define the scales of the natural sciences. This book presents a new perspective by means of a few axioms and compares the resulting validity with experimental data. By the axiomatic approach Sommerfeld's mysterious fine-structure constant and Dirac's cosmic number are fixed as pure number constants. Thanks to these number constants, it is possible to calculate the value for the anomalous magnetic-moment of the electron in a simple way compared to QED calculations. With the same number constants it is also possible to calculate masses, partial lifetimes, magnetic-moments or charge radii of fundamental particles. The expressions used for the calculations, with few exceptions, yield values within the experimental error limits of the Particle Data Group. The author shows that the introduced number constants give even better predictions than the complicated QED calculations of today's doctrine. In the first part only experimental data from the literature for checking the postulates are used. In the second part the author explains electrical transport measurements with emergent behaviour, which were carried out in a professional environment.

A Fortunate Universe

A Fortunate Universe PDF Author: Geraint F. Lewis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316715221
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
Over the last forty years, scientists have uncovered evidence that if the Universe had been forged with even slightly different properties, life as we know it - and life as we can imagine it - would be impossible. Join us on a journey through how we understand the Universe, from its most basic particles and forces, to planets, stars and galaxies, and back through cosmic history to the birth of the cosmos. Conflicting notions about our place in the Universe are defined, defended and critiqued from scientific, philosophical and religious viewpoints. The authors' engaging and witty style addresses what fine-tuning might mean for the future of physics and the search for the ultimate laws of nature. Tackling difficult questions and providing thought-provoking answers, this volumes challenges us to consider our place in the cosmos, regardless of our initial convictions.

Just Six Numbers

Just Six Numbers PDF Author: Martin Rees
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786723580
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
How did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble -- here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds -- into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe?This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "big bang," determine the essential features of our entire physical world. Moreover, cosmic evolution is astonishingly sensitive to the values of these numbers. If any one of them were "untuned," there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our universe, our place in it, and the nature of physical laws.

The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook

The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook PDF Author: Luke A. Barnes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108486703
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Presents the observations that helped establish our theories of the cosmos, from a unique and engaging perspective.

Global Earth Physics

Global Earth Physics PDF Author: Thomas J. Ahrens
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
ISBN: 0875908519
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
A standard reference that provides, in accessible form, selected critical data for professional and student solid Earth and planetary geophysicists. It represents the third version of the popular "Handbook of Physical Constants" (the first was published in 1942, the second in 1966). The present version reflects the enormous growth of scientific knowledge of the Earth and planets since 1966, spurred by the discovery and verification of plate tectonics and the systematic exploration of the solar system. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Constants in Context

Constants in Context PDF Author: Stephen B. Bevans
Publisher: Orbis Books
ISBN: 1608330281
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
"Mission is handicapped without a sound biblical theology of mission and an understanding of the history of mission leading up to our current context. Constants in Context offers both of these elements. It is mission theology in historical perspective and/or a history of mission that is grounded theologically. The authors describe it as a systematic theology with mission at its core, and a church history shaped by the constant but always contextual Christian traditions. Furthermore it is a constructive contribution to how mission theology needs to be practical and lived out through today's church and in our world. Written collaboratively by Roman Catholic writers Stephen Bevans and Roger Schroeder, both Missionaries of the Divine Word (SVDs). It is a particularly insightful in regard to the history and the various streams of Catholic mission but it also addresses and learns from the other traditions of the church. In fact, one of the book's strengths is its attention to neglected aspects and hidden stories of church and mission history. As a result it is gratifying to be inspired by non-European mission, women in mission and various forgotten or often ignored branches of the church. The book is in three sections: first, there is a framework for cultural contexts and theological constants; second, an in-depth exploration of historical stages and different models for mission; and third, a presentation of theological frameworks for mission. The third section concludes with a case for 'mission as prophetic dialogue' being the most appropriate model for 21st century mission." -- Amazon.com.

Introduction to Complex Mediums for Optics and Electromagnetics

Introduction to Complex Mediums for Optics and Electromagnetics PDF Author: Werner S. Weiglhofer
Publisher: SPIE Press
ISBN: 9780819449474
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 800

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Book Description
Complex-mediums electromagnetics (CME) describes the study of electromagnetic fields in materials with complicated response properties. This truly multidisciplinary field commands the attentions of scientists from physics and optics to electrical and electronic engineering, from chemistry to materials science, to applied mathematics, biophysics, and nanotechnology. This book is a collection of essays to explain complex mediums for optical and electromagnetic applications. All contributors were requested to write with two aims: first, to educate; second, to provide a state-of-the-art review of a particular subtopic. The vast scope of CME exemplified by the actual materials covered in the essays should provide a plethora of opportunities to the novice and the initiated alike.

The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning

The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning PDF Author: Victor J. Stenger
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616144440
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
A number of authors have noted that if some physical parameters were slightly changed, the universe could no longer support life, as we know it. This implies that life depends sensitively on the physics of our universe. Does this "fine-tuning" of the universe suggest that a creator god intentionally calibrated the initial conditions of the universe such that life on earth and the evolution of humanity would eventually emerge? In his in-depth and highly accessible discussion of this fascinating and controversial topic, the author looks at the evidence and comes to the opposite conclusion. He finds that the observations of science and our naked senses not only show no evidence for God, they provide evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that God does not exist.

The Little Book of Cosmology

The Little Book of Cosmology PDF Author: Lyman Page
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691201692
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
The cutting-edge science that is taking the measure of the universe The Little Book of Cosmology provides a breathtaking look at our universe on the grandest scales imaginable. Written by one of the world's leading experimental cosmologists, this short but deeply insightful book describes what scientists are revealing through precise measurements of the faint thermal afterglow of the Big Bang—known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB—and how their findings are transforming our view of the cosmos. Blending the latest findings in cosmology with essential concepts from physics, Lyman Page first helps readers to grasp the sheer enormity of the universe, explaining how to understand the history of its formation and evolution in space and time. Then he sheds light on how spatial variations in the CMB formed, how they reveal the age, size, and geometry of the universe, and how they offer a blueprint for the formation of cosmic structure. Not only does Page explain current observations and measurements, he describes how they can be woven together into a unified picture to form the Standard Model of Cosmology. Yet much remains unknown, and this incisive book also describes the search for ever deeper knowledge at the field's frontiers—from quests to understand the nature of neutrinos and dark energy to investigations into the physics of the very early universe.