Asimov on Physics

Unlocking the mysteries of physics

Once again, the vast scientific knowledge and engaging imagination of Isaac Asimov illuminates many of physics’ most challenging puzzles: what is the tiniest particle of time (how small can a second get?), is there an ultimate highest temperature (how hot is hottest?), in the tantalizing sub-universe of the neutrino are there particles without mass (can something exist without being there?), and perhaps most baffling of all, can any scientist explain what entropy means (does a law of physics exist only in double talk?).

Using such diverse and fascinating sources as high school gym class, Porgy and Bess, and Shakespeare to illustrate its point, Asimov on Physics brings the laws of our universe from mysterious reaches of the unknown and places them squarely in our lives. From the simplest acts of everyday life—walking, hearing, seeing—we are introduced into the exhilarating world of physics—gravity, ultra-sonics, light-eating black holes—a world that at first may seem impossible to understand, but through the magic of Asimov, becomes as enjoyable and intriguing as a night sky full of stars.

With photographs and biographical sketches

Contents:
Introduction (1974)
Thin Air (1959)
Now Hear This! (1960)
Catching Up with Newton (1958)
Of Capture and Escape (1959)
First and Rearmost (1964)
The Rigid Vacuum (1963)
The Light That Failed (1963)
The Light Fantastic (1962)
C for Celeritas (1959)
The Ultimate Split of the Second (1959)
The Height of Up (1959)
Order! Order! (1961)
The Modern Demonology (1962)
A Piece of the Action (1964)
The Certainty of Uncertainty (1965)
Behind the Teacher’s Back (1965)
The Land of Mu (1965)