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caitie95's review
5.0
A really good book that describes antimatter and the problems involved with any actual applications of it in a well laid out manner that makes it easy to understand. Seems to have been written as a response to [b:Angels & Demons|960|Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, #1)|Dan Brown|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1303390735s/960.jpg|3338963].
I also really liked the cloud chamber cover!
I also really liked the cloud chamber cover!
vinayak's review against another edition
4.0
Nice explanation of some of the science behind Antimatter.
charbel14's review against another edition
4.0
A really fun read! Everything you'd want to know about Antimatter!
alexctelander's review against another edition
3.0
Frank Close is Professor of Physics at Oxford University, a Fellow of Exeter College, and has written a number of books, including Lucifer’s Legacy and The Void; so he really knows a thing or two about relativity, quantum theory, and more importantly, antimatter. Close says he wrote the book after a BBC Radio 4 discussion in 2007 that sparked a lot of emails and questions concerning antimatter and its possible power, especially when considered in the hands of the US military or perhaps a terrorist organization. Coupled with this is the new movie of Angels & Demons, based on the Dan Brown book, involving an antimatter bomb secreted beneath the Vatican.
In Antimatter Close does his best to dispel this notion of antimatter being something that can be easily made and used for devastation. He takes readers on a history lesson into the discovery of antimatter, as well as explaining how it was physically found from a mathematical point of view. This book is not for those who don’t have a solid grasp of mathematics, otherwise readers will get lost in the jargon and mental loops and whirls. But for those who know math and want some questions answered about this relatively new and certainly misunderstood “matter,” Antimatter is a short and perfect book for this.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
In Antimatter Close does his best to dispel this notion of antimatter being something that can be easily made and used for devastation. He takes readers on a history lesson into the discovery of antimatter, as well as explaining how it was physically found from a mathematical point of view. This book is not for those who don’t have a solid grasp of mathematics, otherwise readers will get lost in the jargon and mental loops and whirls. But for those who know math and want some questions answered about this relatively new and certainly misunderstood “matter,” Antimatter is a short and perfect book for this.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
egidi's review
informative
medium-paced
3.5
An interesting exploration of antimatter and related topics. Despite it being marketed towards laypeople, the material is quite densely packed and is not quite as straight forward as the marketing suggest.
However, if you are truly interested in physics and you don't mind rereading certain paragraphs to really clarify it's contents, I would definitely recommend this book.
However, if you are truly interested in physics and you don't mind rereading certain paragraphs to really clarify it's contents, I would definitely recommend this book.
eralon's review
3.0
This is a very short book about antimatter, but it took me a really long time to read because it was very difficult to understand in places. The beginning gave the impression of being more of a popular science book with lots of bad jokes and whatnot but things grew in complexity to the point where I was rereading certain sentences again and again. I don't regret reading it because its specificity to antimatter makes it different than the more general physics material I've read (like when I read that book on black holes, [b:The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics|2161966|The Black Hole War My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics|Leonard Susskind|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344267226s/2161966.jpg|2167491]), but it was tough going.
It's also almost 10 years out of date now, so if I really want to know about antimatter, I'm going to have to update myself on the more recent discoveries.
It's also almost 10 years out of date now, so if I really want to know about antimatter, I'm going to have to update myself on the more recent discoveries.
alexctelander's review
3.0
Frank Close is Professor of Physics at Oxford University, a Fellow of Exeter College, and has written a number of books, including Lucifer’s Legacy and The Void; so he really knows a thing or two about relativity, quantum theory, and more importantly, antimatter. Close says he wrote the book after a BBC Radio 4 discussion in 2007 that sparked a lot of emails and questions concerning antimatter and its possible power, especially when considered in the hands of the US military or perhaps a terrorist organization. Coupled with this is the new movie of Angels & Demons, based on the Dan Brown book, involving an antimatter bomb secreted beneath the Vatican.
In Antimatter Close does his best to dispel this notion of antimatter being something that can be easily made and used for devastation. He takes readers on a history lesson into the discovery of antimatter, as well as explaining how it was physically found from a mathematical point of view. This book is not for those who don’t have a solid grasp of mathematics, otherwise readers will get lost in the jargon and mental loops and whirls. But for those who know math and want some questions answered about this relatively new and certainly misunderstood “matter,” Antimatter is a short and perfect book for this.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
In Antimatter Close does his best to dispel this notion of antimatter being something that can be easily made and used for devastation. He takes readers on a history lesson into the discovery of antimatter, as well as explaining how it was physically found from a mathematical point of view. This book is not for those who don’t have a solid grasp of mathematics, otherwise readers will get lost in the jargon and mental loops and whirls. But for those who know math and want some questions answered about this relatively new and certainly misunderstood “matter,” Antimatter is a short and perfect book for this.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
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