WAVES IN AN IMPOSSIBLE SEA

An overview of the universe from neutrinos to gravity.

Theoretical physicist and blogger Strassler, who often works with the Large Hadron Collider, assures readers that they’ll encounter few equations in his book, and he provides the painful truth that many concepts in physics (mass, photons, quarks) are not as simple as they may seem. Faced with a layperson’s question, a physicist often must choose between giving a simple, memorable, but wrong answer and giving a correct but incomprehensible one. The author calls these wrong answers fibs or “phibs,” which “are mostly harmless and…quickly forgotten.” Some, however, cause more harm than good. Most readers understand that such exceedingly difficult concepts as quantum phenomena and the Higgs field lend themselves to phibbing. Provided readers pay attention, Strassler is a competent guide to complex topics, but most impressive is his approach to simpler concepts—mass, energy, light—where observation and common sense have been misleading. For thousands of years, people believed that objects moved when pushed or pulled; otherwise, they didn’t. Everything on Earth seemed to behave this way, but the sun, moon, stars, and planets seemed to move eternally, which led many to believe the heavens must be a different realm, perhaps under divine influence. Strassler provides the correct explanation: Newton’s. Many basic phenomena defy reason: Empty space contains stuff; time can change, depending on where you are and how you move; light always travels away at the speed of light no matter how fast you chase it. Popular physics books begin with familiar phenomena and proceed to areas that physicists themselves find difficult. Strassler is an imaginative thinker and a capable writer, but late in the text, readers may find themselves struggling. The author suggests reading some sections more than once, so even science buffs will have to concentrate.

A fine introduction to the cosmos for attentive readers.