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Longing for the Harmonies: Themes and Variations from Modern Physics | 
 enlarge | Authors: Frank Wilczek, Betsy Devine
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $10.00
You Save: $4.95 (33%)
New (14) Used (13) from $7.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 248894
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 378
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0393305961
Dewey Decimal Number: 530
EAN: 9780393305968
ASIN: 0393305961
Publication Date: April 1989
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: N20090102043309S
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Product Description
Albert Einstein observed that music and scientific research "are nourished by the same source of longing and they complement one another in the release they offer". Using this statement as its premise, this original work of physics is patterned on the musical form of the theme with variations.
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| Customer Reviews:
A good time will be had by all. February 2, 2005
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Longing for the Harmonies is subtitled "Themes and variations from modern physics". I would have added "and beyond": I doubt there's another popularization of quantum mechanics and particle physics that also touches upon Keats, ancient Babylon and child psychology, to name but a few.
The book actually strikes me as two intertwined books. First, there are the "preludes" which are thought-provoking excursions here, there and everywhere. At times they seem quite off the wall and impossibly far from fundamental physics, but they always whet the appetite for what's to come, a bit like (to use the musical analogy which is the book's main metaphor) a solo which seems out of place until it ties back into the main body of the song.
Second, the "main body" of the book, although also laden with references and analogies from far and wide, exposes and (in so far as is possible!) demystifies quantum mechanics and fundamental physics in all its glory, both the large (cosmology and astrophysics) and the small (atoms and subatomic particles). The two domains, of course, are intimately related: the early Universe, devoid of complicated structures such as planets, stars and human beings, was a soup of elementary particles, and its evolution (and, perhaps, birth) was dictated by rules of the game established by particle physics.
A review wouldn't be a review without at least a minor complaint; not an easy task with this book, but here is mine: the table of contents strikes me as a bit too cryptic. Chapter headings such as "Inevitability" or "Radical uniformity in microcosm" do little to explain what the chapter is about; more straightforward headings would probably help guide the reader through the grand tour they are on and help them get a sense of perspective of how the different subject inter-relate. Fortunately, the remaining three hundred-odd pages of the book are packed with enjoyable reading.
Among the many, many gems in the book are a musical analogy of why particle physics doesn't obviate all of macroscopic physics, the "lave" concept (a combination of "lump" and "wave" descrbing the dual nature of matter), and a personal account of the discovery of a cornerstone of the interaction between quarks and gluons known as asymptotic freedom (for which one of the authors was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics last year). But open the book just about anywhere and it's a good bet that you will find a fascinating take on something -- whether from particle physics or beyond. Give it a whirl!
always one of my favorites January 22, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This has long been one of my favorite expositions on the nature of science, written by scientists. Wilczek and Devine present one of the most creative and playful discussions of physics, from the basic to the forefront that I have seen. I am very happy that this book has been re-released because now many more people will have an opportunity to share the joy I had reading it.
Long for Harmony No More! January 18, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Longing for the Harmonies: That's what physicists do. This book, in fact, pretty much sums up what physics is, at heart, about: a search for connection and clarity, a series of variations on themes, the interplay of tension and release, mystery and discovery--the universe's own fugue. Frank Wilczek-who recently won the Nobel prize for puzzling out how quarks glom together-and Betsy Wilczek-writer, blogger, math whiz--have composed an entrancing work that captures both the substance and process of understanding.
_Longing for the Harmonies_ is a very good book. December 30, 2000
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
_Longing for the Harmonies_ presents the highlights of physics in a way that is accessible to most readers. It is a graceful book that pleases as it informs. One of the authors, Frank Wilczek, is a leading physicist.
 a different perspective April 28, 2000
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book, while well-written and organized, can be slightly frustrating. Those readers looking for a straight-forward, purely factual explanation of quantum physics should go elsewhere. This text, which I read for a 100-level physics class, flips between flowing metaphors and Feynman diagrams, while trying to explain the concepts behind quantum physics. In other words, there is thankfully no math. The authors do tend to get slightly overconfident in their theories at times, putting more authority behind their pet ideas than may be warranted. Still, overall it's a good overview of quantum physics for those who want to understand it conceptually.
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