Not since Newton's apple has there been a physics phenomenon as
deliciously appealing to the masses as Frank Close's Cosmic Onion*.*
Widely embraced by scientists and laypersons alike, the book quickly
became an international bestseller. Translated into seven languages, it
propelled the author to become a worldwide celebrity as well as an
inspiration to a generation of scientists. The book's title itself has
entered popular usage as a metaphor for the layers that can be peeled
away to understand the foundations of the physical world, from
dimensions and galaxies, to atoms and quarks.
*"Close is a lucid, reliable, and enthusiastic guide to the strange and
wonderful microcosmic world that dwells deep within reality"
*-- Frank Wilczek, Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics, MIT, 2004 Nobel
Prize in Physics
NEW Material
- Explains the principles behind the Hadron Collider as well as the
potential it presents
- Considers the recent development of the Electroweak Theory as a law of
nature
- Explores the mysteries uncovered and the ones that may be in store
with regard to top and bottom quarks
Keeping still-pertinent contents from the original volume that caught
the world's attention in 1983, this fresh edition of the Cosmic
Onion includes extensive new material to reflect new views of the
universe. Providing explanations that explore the foundations of 21st
Century science and future directions, this work offers ready access and
unique perspectives to more typical topics such as the forces of nature,
atoms, the nucleus, and nuclear particles.
It also travels down paths that only a true pioneer and educator can
venture, such as a discussion of what Professor Close refers to as the
Eightfold Way including the findings, surprises, and new questions
emerging from the latest work with accelerators.
