Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos (Truman Talley)

“Amazing If you’ve been searching for a basic text on how the atom works, this is it.” -Booklist “A masterpiece.”-Omni The legendary Isaac Asimov starts what is perhaps the most fascinating of all his books with a simple query: how finely can a piece of matter be divided? But like many simple questions, this one leads us on a far-flung quest for a final answer, a search that becomes a series of beautifully structured building blocks of knowledge. It begins with the earliest speculations and investigations by the Greeks and Romans, and then, step by step and century by century, it traces the path of discovery that revealed more and more of the nature of the atom, of light, of gravity, of the electromagnetic force-and even the nature and structure of the universe. Atom also encompasses such phenomena as light and electricity; the protons, neutrons and quarks that are the fundamental units of the universe; hard-to-observe “anti-particles”; and other strange bits of matter that challenge our assumptions about the very nature of space and time. Atom is the only book of its kind, by the renowned author whose genius for bringing clarity and excitement to complex subjects has made him the most celebrated science author of our time. Isaac Asimov authored over 400 books in a career that lasted nearly 50 years. As a leading scientific writer, historian, and futurist, he covered a variety of subjects ranging from mathematics to humor, and won numerous awards for his work. Chapter One: Matter Dividing Matter Elements Atomism Triumphant The Reality of Atoms The Differences Among Atoms Chapter Two: Light Particles and Waves The Four Phenomena Combining the Phenomena Extending the Spectrum Dividing Energy Chapter Three: Electrons Dividing Electricity Cathode-Ray Particles X Rays Electrons and Atoms Electrons and Quanta Waves and Particles Chapter Four: Nuclei Probing the Atom Positively Charged Particles Atomic Numbers Spectral Lines Chapter Five: Isotopes Nuclear Energy Nuclear Varieties Half-Lives Stable Nuclear Varieties Chapter Six: Neutrons Protons and Electrons Protons and Neutrons Nuclear Reactions Artificial Isotopes Chapter Seven: Breakdowns Mass Defect Nuclear Fission Nuclear Fusion Breakdown Particles Chapter Eight: Antimatter Antiparticles Cosmic Rays Particle Accelerators Baryons Chapter Nine: Neutrinos Saving the Laws of Conservation Detecting the Antineutrino Detecting the Neutrino Other Leptons Unstable Particles Neutrino Varieties Chapter Ten: Interactions The Strong Interaction The Weak Interaction The Electroweak Interaction Chapter Eleven: Quarks The Hadron Zoo Inside Hadrons Quantum Chromodynamics Chapter Twelve: The Universe The Mystery of the Missing Mass The End of the Universe The Beginning of the Universe Index