The mysteries of the physical world speak to us through equations--compact statements about the way nature works, expressed in nature's language, mathematics. In this book by the renowned Dutch physicist Sander Bais, the equations that govern our world unfold in all their formal grace--and their deeper meaning as core symbols of our civilization. Trying to explain science without equations is like trying to explain art without illustrations. Consequently Bais has produced a book that, unlike any other aimed at nonscientists, delves into the details--historical, biographical, practical, philosophical, and mathematical--of seventeen equations that form the very basis of what we know of the universe today. A mathematical objet d'art in its own right, the book conveys the transcendent excitement and beauty of these icons of knowledge as they reveal and embody the fundamental truths of physical reality. These are the seventeen equations that represent radical turning points in our understanding--from mechanics to electrodynamics, hydrodynamics to relativity, quantum mechanics to string theory--their meanings revealed through the careful and critical observation of patterns and motions in nature. Mercifully short on dry theoretical elaborations, the book presents these equations as they are--with the information about their variables, history, and applications that allows us to chart their critical function, and their crucial place, in the complex web of modern science. Reading The Equations, we can hear nature speaking to us in its native language. (20060115)
Author(s): Sander Bais
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 101
Table of Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 7
The tautological toolkit......Page 12
Rise and fall: The logistic equation......Page 19
Mechanics and gravity: Newton’s dynamical equations and universal law of gravity......Page 23
The electromagnetic force: The Lorentz force law......Page 29
A local conservation law: The continuity equation......Page 33
Electrodynamics: The Maxwell equations......Page 35
Electromagnetic waves: The wave equations......Page 41
Solitary waves: The Korteweg–De Vries equation......Page 43
Thermodynamics: The three laws of thermodynamics......Page 45
Kinetic theory: The Boltzmann equation......Page 51
Hydrodynamics: The Navier–Stokes equations......Page 55
Special relativity: Relativistic kinematics......Page 59
General relativity: The Einstein equations......Page 65
Quantum mechanics: The Schrödinger equation......Page 71
The relativistic electron: The Dirac equation......Page 77
The strong force: Quantum chromodynamics......Page 81
Electro-weak interactions: The Glashow-Weinberg-Salam model......Page 85
String theory: The superstring action......Page 89
Back to the future: A final perspective......Page 94
