BBC Focus - 04.2020_

BOOKSMART

FIVEBOOKSON...PHYSICS

JIM AL-KHALILI

JimAl-Khaliliis a physicist,sciencecommunicatorandpresenterofTheLifeScientificonBBCRadio

4. 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.

GETTY IMAGES