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Particle Physics for Non-Physicists: A Tour of the Microcosmos
- Narrated by: Steven Pollock
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
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Particle Physics for Non-Physicists: A Tour of the Microcosmos
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Publisher's Summary
Would you like to know how the universe works? Scientists have been asking that question for a long time and have found that many of the answers can be found in the study of particle physics, the field that focuses on those impossibly tiny particles with unbelievably strange names - the hadrons and leptons, baryons and mesons, muons and gluons - so mystifying to the rest of us.
And now, in a fascinating and accessible series of 24 lectures, you can take the mystery out of the remarkable field that in only 100 years has unlocked the secrets of the basic forces of nature.
Professor Pollock will make you familiar with the fundamental particles that make up all matter, from the tiniest microbe to the sun and stars. And you'll also learn the "rules of the game" - the forces that drive those particles and the ways in which they interact - that underlie the workings of the universe.
The lectures have been designed to be enriching for everyone, regardless of scientific background or mathematical ability. Virtually all you'll need as you enter this fascinating world are your curiosity, common sense, and, as Professor Pollock notes, "an open mind for the occasional quantum weirdness." As you move through the lectures, you'll also gain a knowledge of how those particles fit into perhaps the greatest scientific theory of all time: the Standard Model of particle physics; a grasp of key terms like "gauge symmetry," "quantum chromodynamics," and "unified quantum field Theory;" and an appreciation of how particle physics fits in with other branches of physics - including cosmology and quantum mechanics - to create our overall understanding of nature.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about Particle Physics for Non-Physicists: A Tour of the Microcosmos
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-06-2021
Great book and narration
Great book for non-physicist particle physics enthusiasts. Starts from the very basics and builds its way up in a very simple and easy to understand manner. Makes a great foundation for more in depth books like "The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality" by Don Lincoln
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Ryan
- 16-07-2016
good starts of basic but gets involved
what it says to be. introduction course but gets pretty in depth after a while
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-05-2019
My brain is full!
Although difficult to get into, about midway through your mind tends to catch up with the mind blowing amount of content and information contained within these lectures. The lecturer stated midway that the amount of information is so vast that there is no one starting point to particle physics and that could not be more true. I will be listening to this multiple times to comprehensively absorb all that is presented and I would recommend the same for anyone interested.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Omar
- 16-12-2017
Excellent!
I now have a working understanding of particle physics. I know what everything is, what it means, and why it's really cool. Just a pity that Truth and Beauty Quarks didn't catch on.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mike
- 24-10-2018
Great intro
This is a great intro to the theories of particle physics, valuable addition to any framework for study of modern science
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Simone
- 26-05-2015
Fascinating and understandable
I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It is pitched at the audience it proclaims to be (i.e. non-physicists). With no more than High school physics and having read one or two books on related subjects, I found this course delivered in a manner I could understand (not a trivial feat given the highly mathematical nature of the topic). This is also where the course in my opinion shines the most: Prof. Pollock manages to make a largely theoretical and abstract body of research accessible to an everyday audience. He uses analogies where possible and cuts out the mathematical details to avoid detracting from the understanding of the big picture or concept. The technical terms required for understanding of the subject are always well explained and a basic revision is brought up if the term hasn’t been used for a while and appears again in a chapter.
The structure of the course is another strong point. Prof. Pollock commences with a historic recount of how our understanding of the building blocks of nature evolved to get us to the present day ‘standard model of particle physics’. He makes it easy to follow the reasoning and illuminates the history of particle physics with the important experiments, discoveries and scientists involved. Further he often cites interesting anecdotes about a particular scientist or experiment which helps to bring the content to life for the listener and illuminates the at times quirky characters involved.
Overall it is more than a mere introduction to particle physics, it is a very comprehensive course (for the layman).
The only drawback I can think of is that the material is current as of 2003 and particle physics has obviously moved on since then.
Ultimately though I feel the course has equipped me with the knowledge and understanding required to do further reading myself and has certainly deepened my interest in the subject.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kerry Freeman
- 29-09-2017
excellent.
Loved this. No problems with compression, even though only an enthusiastic amatuer. Get it today.
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- peter
- 21-12-2022
one of the best on particle physics
this course was awesome, really clear and concise. recommended listening for all audible users
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