Conjuring the Universe, 9780198813385
Paperback
Universe’s secrets unveiled: simple laws, deep symmetries, elegant beginnings.

Conjuring the Universe

the origins of the laws of nature

$33.80

  • Paperback

    208 pages

  • Release Date

    10 April 2020

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Summary

Unveiling the Cosmos: How the Universe Conjures Itself

The marvelous complexity of the Universe emerges from a handful of deep laws and fundamental constants that dictate its shape, scale, and destiny. A profound, yet simple, elegant, and beautiful structure underlies the world.

But where did these laws and constants originate? And why are the laws so effectively expressed through mathematics?

Peter Atkins contemplates the bare minimum required to endow the Universe …

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780198813385
ISBN-10:0198813384
Author:Peter Atkins
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Imprint:Oxford University Press
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:208
Release Date:10 April 2020
Weight:162g
Dimensions:197mm x 128mm x 12mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Tour de force… this is a compact 168 pages that delivers splendidly on the question of where the natural laws came from.”

It’s rare to find a study of physical laws that is also a bravura display of rarefied humour and experiential depth; but such is this gem by chemist Peter Atkins. * Barbara Kiser, Nature *This short volume is essential reading for anyone who balks at the mention of Schrödinger, equations and cats included … Atkins sweeps aside the mathematical mystique with his characteristic wit. * Zoe Hackett, Chemistry World *Atkins writes in a clear and humorous manner for the lay reader. Don’t skip the notes at the end of the book. Some real gems are hidden there … Recommended for undergraduates and general readers. * Choice *Atkins writes in a charming, even chummy way. He understands our confusion and leads us onwards with the promise of great insights: how the very laws of physics came to be … Conjuring the Universe is a clear example of [Atkins’s] extraordinary erudition and flair. * Robyn Williams, Australian Book Review *I enjoyed reading the book, not only for the main themes but also for several asides on history, etymology, and so on. * Phillip Helbig, Observatory Magazine *Touur de force … this is a compact 168 pages that delivers splendidly on the question of where the natural laws came from. * Brian Clegg, Popular Science *With Conjuring the Universe, Atkins has gone where Douglas Adams and Deep Thought could not in a magical, logical, mystery tour of science’s mathematical, philosophical bedrock. * Peter Wyndham, The Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation *

About The Author

Peter Atkins

Peter Atkins is a fellow of Lincoln College in the University of Oxford and the author of about seventy books for students and a general audience. His texts are market leaders around the globe. A frequent lecturer in the United States and throughout the world, he has held visiting professorships in France, Israel, Japan, China, and New Zealand. He was the founding chairman of the Committee on Chemistry Education of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and was a member of IUPACs Physical and Biophysical Chemistry Division. He was the 2016 recipient of the American Chemical Societys Grady-Stack Award for the communication of chemistry to the public.

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