
The Magick of Physics
Uncovering the Fantastical Phenomena in Everyday Life
- 336 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
An award-winning Oxford physicist draws on classic sci-fi, fantasy fiction, and everyday phenomena to explain and celebrate the magical properties of the world around us. If you were to present the feats of modern science to someone from the past, those feats would surely be considered magic. Theoretical physicist Felix Flicker proves that they are indeed magicâjust familiar magic. The name for this magic is "condensed matter physics." Most people haven't heard of the field, yet more than a third of physicists identify as condensed matter researchers, making it the most active area in the subjectâwith good reason. Condensed matter is the solids, liquids, and gasses that surround usâand the more exotic mattersâwhich dictate every aspect of our present existence and hold the keys to a brighter future, from quantum computing to real-life invisibility cloaks.Flicker teases out the magical threads that run through our daily lives. Condensed matter physics allows you to create anything abiding by the laws of realityâand often, we find that those laws can be bent. Flicker explains how to create new particles that never existed before, how to make crystals shoot out of such intense light they can cut through metal, how to separate the poles of a magnet, and more.The book's endearing conceit is that you are an aspiring wizard whose ability to cast spells (i.e. to do science) is dependent on your grasp of the fundamentals of our universe. This book contains no equations or chartsâinstead, it's full of owls and mountains and infinite libraries, and staffs and wands, and martial arts and mythical islands ruled by sage knot-makers. Part of the book's magic is that, for all these fanciful trappings, it still feels practical and applicable. The Magick of Physics will open your eyes to magic that surround us everyday.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Chapter I: The Physics of Dirt
- Chapter II: The Four Elements
- Chapter III: The Magic of Crystals
- Chapter IV: Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire
- Chapter V: Beyond the Fields We Know
- Chapter VI: Spells of Division
- Chapter VII: Spells of Protection
- Chapter VIII: In Search of the Philosophersâ Stone
- Chapter IX: The Boundless Vista
- Appendix
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Notes
- Index
- Copyright