Get A Grip On Physics

A guide through the maze of theories, relative, general and otherwise.

A physicist and author of popular-science books offers down-to-earth discussions of string theory, black holes, superfluidity, and other cosmic oddities. Playful engravings and cartoons illustrate these imaginative explanations of the laws of physics and their application to everything from massive stars to miniscule atoms. Suitable for readers of all ages.

The instant New York Times bestseller! From one of America's most beloved sportswriters and the bestselling author of Pappyland, a collection of true stories about the dream of greatness and its cost in the world of sports. "Wright Thompson's stories are so full of rich characters, bad actors, heroes, drama, suffering, courage, conflict, and vivid detail that I sometimes thinks he's working my side of the street - the world of fiction." - John Grisham There is only one Wright Thompson. He is, as they say, famous if you know who he is: his work includes the most read articles in the history of ESPN (and it's not even close) and has been anthologized in the Best American Sports Writing series ten times, and he counts John Grisham and Richard Ford among his ardent admirers (see back of book). But to say his pieces are about sports, while true as far as it goes, is like saying Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove is a book about a cattle drive. Wright Thompson figures people out. He jimmies the lock to the furnaces inside the people he profiles and does an analysis of the fuel that fires their ambition. Whether it be Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or Pat Riley or Urban Meyer, he strips the away the self-serving myths and fantasies to reveal his characters in full. There are fascinating common denominators: it may not be the case that every single great performer or coach had a complex relationship with his father, but it can sure seem that way. And there is much marvelous local knowledge: about specific sports, and times and places, and people. Ludicrously entertaining and often powerfully moving, The Cost of These Dreams is an ode to the reporter's art, and a celebration of true greatness and the high price that it exacts.

This classic of modern theoretical physics is the first and only comprehensive treatment of the superfluid phases of helium 3, a crucial aspect of condensed matter physics with applications to many other fields. The self-contained approach explores ideas, concepts, and theoretical results, emphasizing symmetries and the consequences of their spontaneous breakdown. 1990 edition.

Geared toward advanced undergraduate and graduate students of physics, this text advances from a brief introduction to a three-part treatment covering particles of spin zero, particles of one-half, and collision and radiation processes. 1963 edition.

Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students of mathematics as well as for physicists, this unique monograph and self-contained treatment constitutes an introduction to modern techniques in differential geometry. 1995 edition.

This classic 1953 text for advanced undergraduates has been used by generations of physics majors. Requiring only some background in general physics and calculus, it offers in-depth coverage of electricity and magnetism and features problems at the end of each chapter. Starting with an introductory chapter on electrostatics, the treatment advances to the electrostatic field of free charges; dielectric theory; electrostatic energy, force, and capacitance; electric current; and direct-current circuits. Subsequent topics include steady-state magnetism, electromagnetic induction, magnetic properties of matter, transient currents, analysis of alternating-current circuits, Maxwell's equations, and electromagnetic waves.