Research Catalog

A different universe : reinventing physics from the bottom down

Title
A different universe : reinventing physics from the bottom down / Robert B. Laughlin.
Author
Laughlin, Robert B.
Publication
New York : Basic Books, [2005], ©2005.

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Details

Description
xviii, 254 pages : illustrations; 25 cm
Summary
"In A Different Universe, Nobel Laureate Robert B. Laughlin argues that we haven't reached the end of science at all - not even close. We've only reached the end of a certain kind of reductionist thinking. If instead of looking for ultimate theories we consider the world of emergent properties - meaning the properties, such as the hardness and shape of a crystal, that result from the organization of large numbers of atoms - suddenly the deepest mysteries are as close as the nearest ice cube or grain of salt. And Laughlin goes further: the most fundamental laws of physics - such as Newton's laws of motion or quantum mechanics - are in fact emergent. They are properties of large assemblages of matter, and when their exactness is examined too closely, it vanishes into nothing." "Laughlin shows us why everything we think about fundamental physical laws needs to change, and why the greatest mysteries of physics are not at the ends of the universe but well within our reach."--BOOK JACKET.
Subjects
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-244) and index.
Contents
1. Frontier law -- 2. Living with uncertainty -- 3. Mount Newton -- 4. Water, ice, and vapor -- 5. Schrodinger's cat -- 6. The quantum computer -- 7. Vin Klitzing -- 8. I solved it at dinner -- 9. The nuclear family -- 10. The fabric of space-time -- 11. Carnival of the baubles -- 12. The dark side of protection -- 13. Principles of life -- 14. Star warriors -- 15. Picnic table in the sun -- 16. The emergent age.
ISBN
  • 046503828X (hardcover : alk. paper)
  • 9780465038282 (hardcover : alk. paper)
  • 0465038298 (pbk.)
  • 9780465038299 (pbk.)
LCCN
2004028059
OCLC
  • ocm57143210
  • 57143210
  • SCSB-5351618
Owning Institutions
Columbia University Libraries