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The Consolations of Physics (or, the Solace of Quantum)

By (author) Tim Radford

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Born out of the idea that physics can make you happy, The Solace of Quantum takes us through our grandest scientific ideas and breakthroughs in modern astronomy to reveal that physics can, however logical and complex, be oddly comforting. Take the awe in the words of astronomer Carl Sagan. He described Earth, on seeing it from space, as 'a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam . . . a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark.' Compare the big bang theory with religion's divine creation story, for all its mysticism and wonder; yet the difference is: you can examine reasoning in science, and test the physics behind it at every turn. Tim Radford explores the story of the Voyager spacecraft and how it played into our understanding of planets, stars and galaxies; dark matter and dark energy (the matter we can identify and manipulate makes up only 5% of the entire substance of the universe); and, among many others, the theory that a 'virtual particle', over the course of a trillion-trillion-trillionth of a second, began our universe. This book will prove that scientific endeavours can be just as dramatic, compelling, uplifting and beautiful as anything from the great halls of literature, theatre and art - giving us sheer intellectual delight as well as a measure of consolation, or, a solace of quantum.