BOOKSMART
FIVEBOOKSON...PHYSICS
JIM AL-KHALILI
JimAl-Khaliliis a physicist,sciencecommunicatorandpresenterofTheLifeScientificonBBCRadio
- Hisnewestbook,TheWorldAccordingToPhysics, is publishedinMarchanddocumentshis
self-confessed love affair with the subject. Here, he recommends his favourite books on physicsÉ
1
SURELYYOU’REJOKING,
MRFEYNMAN!
RICHARD FEYNMAN
Ifyouwantedtofallinlovewith
physics,readthisbook.it’sjust
fullofsomanygems,abouthow
maverickphysicistslikeRichard
Feynmanwerethinking.
I’mstillwrestlingwitha
sortofmoraldilemma,I think, as
wenowlookbackand
re-examinepeoplewhowere
unquestioninglyhero-
worshippedinthepast.In
Feynman’sprivatelifehewasa
misogynist,andsomeofthe
thingshedid,there’snowayyou
couldcountenancethesedays.
Wedoneedtore-evaluate
whatFeynmanstoodfor,but
I’mstilluncomfortableabout
wipinghisachievementsfrom
history,orthethingsthat he did
thatwewouldnotbe
uncomfortable about.
2
THEBORN–EINSTEIN
LETTERS
MAX BORN AND ALBERT EINSTEIN
Thisbookis a compilationof
lettersbetweenMaxBorn,who
was a German physicist and one
THEWORLD
ACCORDING
TOPHYSICS
JIMAL-KHALILI
£12.99,PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY PRESS
ofthefoundersofquantum
mechanics,andAlbertEinstein.
Thepairofthemhada long
runningcorrespondence,to-ing
andfro-ingaboutideasonthe
natureofrealityandthenatureof
physics,whichI readandfell in
love with as a student.
3
BEYONDWEIRD
PHILIP BALL
Thisis thebookonquantum
mechanicsthatI wishI’dwritten,
but I’m really glad I read. Philip
Ballreallyencapsulatesthe
sheermysteryofquantum
mechanics so well.
4
THEDEMONIN THE
MACHINE
PAUL DAVIE S
Thisbookis reallyaboutwhether
a physicistcandefinewhatlifeis,
andthelivingsystemsthatare
farfromequilibrium,yet
maintainhigh-order.ForPaul
Davies,lifeis aninformation
processingmachine.That’shis
demoninthemachine.It’soneof
thosebookswhereyoureada
fewpages,thenyouleanback
andthinkandgo,“Oh,I hadn’t
thought of it that way.”
5
THEARROWOFTIME
ROGER HIGHFIELD AND PETER COVENEY
Thislooksatsomethingprofound
aboutthenatureoftimeitself.
Whydoestimegofromthepast
tothefuture?Whatis it thatgives
timea direction?It pullstogether
lotsofdifferentideasinphysics
that are still relevant today.
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