Time, space, stars & man [electronic resource] : the story of the big bang / Michael M. Woolfson
- 作者： Woolfson, M. M.
- 出版： London : Imperial College Press c2013
- 主題： Big bang theory.
- 版本：2nd ed
- ISBN： 9781848169357 (electronic bk) 、 1848169353 (electronic bk) 、 9781848169364 (electronic bk)
- URL：
電子書
-
讀者標籤：
- 系統號： 005216219 | 機讀編目格式
館藏資訊
摘要註
The three greatest scientific mysteries, which remain poorly understood, are the origin of the universe, the origin of life and the development of consciousness. This book describes the processes preceding the Big Bang, the creation of matter, the concentration of that matter into stars and planets, the development of simple life forms and the theory of evolution that has given higher life forms, including mankind. There are many popular and excellent science books that present various aspects of science. However, this book follows a narrow scientific pathway from the Big Bang to mankind, and depicts the causal relationship between each step and the next. The science covered will be enough to satisfy most readers. Many important areas of science are dealt with, and these include cosmology, particle physics, atomic physics, galaxy and star formation, planet formation and aspects of evolution. The necessary science is described in a narrative form that general-interest readers should understand, without the use of equations or formulae. This 2nd edition includes several updates on the subjects that form the pillars of this book. They are: cosmology and astronomy, the features and formation of the solar system, the origin of life, and genetics and evolution. This book will appeal to readers with an interest in biology and those curious about the origins of the universe
內容註
Ch. 1. Musing -- ch. 2. Christian Doppler and his effect. 2.1. Waves, frequency and wavelength. 2.2. The Doppler effect and sound waves. 2.3. The Doppler effect and astronomy -- ch. 3. Measuring distances in the universe. 3.1. The parallax method. 3.2. Main-sequence stars. 3.3. Using cepheid variables. 3.4. Spinning galaxies. 3.5. Using supernovae as standard sources -- ch. 4. Edwin Hubble's expanding universe. 4.1. Galaxies, clusters and superclusters. 4.2. Hubble's law -- ch. 5. A weird and wonderful universe. 5.1. The classical universe. 5.2. The relativistic universe. 5.3. Missing mass and dark energy -- ch. 6. The nature of matter. 6.1. Atoms and molecules. 6.2. The discovery of electrons. 6.3. The atomic nucleus. 6.4. The elusive neutrino and antiparticles. 6.5. Quarks -- ch. 7. The Big-Bang hypothesis. 7.1. Origin of the Big-Bang hypothesis. 7.2. What happened in the Big Bang? -- ch. 8. How matter can clump together. 8.1. Gravitational instability. 8.2. The role of turbulence. 8.3. Cooling processes -- ch. 9. The universe develops structure -- ch. 10. The first stars are born, live and die. 10.1. The birth of stars. 10.2. The life of stars. 10.3. The final journey -- ch. 11. Making the sun -- and similar stars. 12.1. The ingredients for star formation. 12.2. Forming dark, cool clouds. 12.3. Forming protostars. 12.4. The rotation of stars. 12.5. Observation and theory relating to star formation. 12.6. The formation of binary systems -- ch. 13. A crowded environment. 13.1. Embedded clusters. 13.2. Interactions between stars -- ch. 14. Understanding the nature of the solar system. 14.1. Ptolemy's Earth-centred model. 14.2. The Copernicus heliocentric model. 14.3. Tycho Brahe. 14.4. Johannes Kepler. 14.5. Galileo Galilei. 14.6. Isaac Newton -- ch. 15. Introducing the planets. 15.1. An overall description of the planetary System. 15.2. The major planets. 15.3. The terrestrial planets -- ch. 16. Satellites galore. 16.1. The satellites of Jupiter. 16.2. The satel