Skip to main content
  • Textbook
  • © 2016

Physics: The Ultimate Adventure

  • Explores the exciting concepts of modern physics, without the mathematics
  • Ideal introductory reading for those taking physics as optional course
  • Glamorous new discoveries of physics are made accessible to those without a scientific background
  • If you feel left out of the conversation at philosophers’ dinner parties, this book is definitely for you
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics (ULNP)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. The Whats and Wherefores of Physics

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 1-9
  3. Dramatis Personae (The Actors)

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 11-23
  4. Is Physics an Exact Science?

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 25-38
  5. Newton and Beyond

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 39-54
  6. Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 55-62
  7. Electromagnetism and Cracks in the Edifice of Classical Physics

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 63-75
  8. Relativity

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 77-99
  9. Quantum Mechanics

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 101-115
  10. Atomic and Nuclear Physics

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 117-135
  11. Fields and Particles

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 137-151
  12. Cosmology

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 153-177
  13. Complexity and Universality

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 179-193
  14. Conclusions and Philosophical Implications

    • Ross Barrett, Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia
    Pages 195-210
  15. Back Matter

    Pages 211-218

About this book

This book explains - in simple terms and with almost no mathematics - the physics behind recent and glamorous discoveries in Cosmology, Quantum Mechanics, Elementary Particles (e.g. Higgs bosons) and Complexity Theory. En route it delves into the historical landmarks and revolutions that brought about our current understanding of the universe.

The book is written mainly for those with little scientific background, both college students and lay readers alike, who are curious about the world of modern physics. Unsolved problems are highlighted and the philosophical implications of the sometimes astounding modern discoveries are discussed. Along the way the reader gains an insight into the mindset and methodology of a physicist.

Reviews

“This is an ambitious book which provides a general introduction to most of physics ... . Written for non-physicists, it provides a good overview of almost the entire field and is surprisingly well balanced, with all topics described at about the same level.” (The Observatory, Vol. 137 (1258), June, 2017)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Rose Park, Australia

    Ross Barrett

  • DISAT, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy

    Pier Paolo Delsanto, Angelo Tartaglia

About the authors

Ross Barrett

Formerly a Research Fellow and Lecturer at four universities in Australia and Germany, and Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) in Adelaide, he has published over 60 research papers in experimental nuclear physics, theoretical nuclear physics, atomic physics, signal processing, and underwater acoustics.

Pier Paolo Delsanto

Full Professor (now retired) and Director of Research in Condensed Matter Physics at the Politecnico of  Torino, Italy, has spent half of his professional life in Universities and Research Centers abroad. His research fields range from Nuclear Physics, Acoustics and Ultrasonics to modeling and simulations in Materials Science, Biology and Oncology, with more than two hundred scientific articles and books.

Angelo Tartaglia

Senior professor of physics in the Politecnico di Torino. His research topics are the theory of gravitation,general relativity and cosmology. Tartaglia is a member of the Italian Gravitational society (SIGRAV), the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and the National Group of Mathematical Physics (GNFM).

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access