Why Things Are the Way They Are

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Summary: Great for my journey on a Self Directed education
Review: I agree with Mr. Anderson somewhat. It is a very good introduction to solid state physics. It is friendly, attractive, and it has faithfully kept my interest. 'The Nature of Solids' complements this well. See my 'Listmania Lists' or 'Shared Purchases' in my 'About IndiAndy' section of Amazon for good, attractive and friendly books of this spirit.

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Summary: Quantum Mechanics made Understandable
Review: I am a network engineer with little rememberance of my college physics. I'm in the process of reacquainting myself with physics and picked up this book. I found it exceptionally interesting, understandable, well explained, and well illustrated. The development is exceptionally smooth, starting from first principles and carefully building concepts. It was sophisticated enough so that there is real meat, not just fluff. I feel it has prepared me to dive into more rigorous QM textbooks because I have an understanding of some of the consequences of QM.

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Summary: It's really a book about beginning solid-state physics
Review: I was a bit surprised upon reading Chandrasekhar's book "Why things are the Way they Are." I expected a book that describes the things we see about us in everyday life, but this is a book about solid-state physics. But solid-state physics is the reason things are the way they are. So, Chandrasekhar hit the nail right on the head.

Not only in the title, but throughout the book, Chandrasekhar illustrates that rare ability to understand the deep significance behind the really important things in science. Nonscientists may be inclined to believe that the quantum world is far removed from our lives, and has little effect on our macroscopic world. Chandrasekhar dashes these notions with many examples, from the color of gold, to the bite of an accidentally touched hot plate. The world in which we live would indeed be a much different place if fermions had symmetric wave functions, and bosons had antisymmetric wave functions, and we would not recognize our world if atoms and crystals did not have quantum fluctuations.

I could not help wishing I'd had the opportunity to read this book as a young student in High School. This is an excellent text that, without quantitative analysis, introduces almost all the important concepts of solid-state physics with illuminating examples of how these phenomena exhibit themselves in our everyday world. Even for first-year students in college physics, the book has great value in its qualitative, examples-oriented way of presenting the quantum world. For those of us with degrees in science, the book offers additional insight and easy bedtime reading.

The topics are broad. Beginning with crystal symmetry, the author introduces, step by step, the concepts of particle-wave duality and isolated electrons bound to protons in the hydrogen atom. There is a brief respite to discuss some elementary issues relating to statistical physics, and then a weaving of the entire tapestry into a qualitative view of the quantum crystal.

With this background (which occupies roughly half the book's volume) Chandrasekhar shows how to use these new tools to understand some of the common phenomena in the world in which we live. He explains electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and the color of metals; why gold is yellow and copper red, and why glass is transmissive. There is a brief discussion about magnets, and his discussion about superconductors is among the best I've seen for the lay audience.

Each chapter has a summary at the end. For the most part these summaries are actually useful, and give a brief review of the information learned in the chapter. Other summaries, however, revert to a type of index, and I found these less useful. The book has a nice index that should help when searching for various subjects, and is organized well, with a logical flow.

About the only thing I found wanting was a statement in the introduction to the effect that science isn't sure if living things can be explained by the laws of physics. The author apparently believes questions about life should not have been addressed in his book, but are rather important matter for philosophers, and theologians as well as scientists. Other than this brief foray into the nebulous realm of superstition, the book is an excellent read. I highly recommend it.

Duwayne Anderson

Rating:
Summary: The Little Big Book
Review: Most people may find certain aspects of Physics as overbearing , too confusing,and mathematically FORBIDING.Anybody who has studied Physics knows that Quantum Physics is the foundation of modern physics.I found this book inviting,imformative,and very helpful in my self study of modern physics ,without the mazes of mathematical formulations,matrics,transformations,and operators overcoming my train of thought. The skill of the author as a writer makes this book a smooth and educating read.I recommend this book to anybody interested in physics.

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Summary: Very Clear
Review: This book provides a clear and interesting description of how quantum mechanics explains the workings and properties of light and matter. Learn why copper is the color it is and why glass is transparent to light, among other things. These explanations are provided in a mostly non-mathematical way but at the same time are not fluff. Its nice to see a book explain how quantum theory effects everyday life instead of the usual round of mystical pronouncements. I was actually surprised at how engaging the book was, actually at times I could hardly put it down. Hard to believe getting all that interested into why things are the way they are but if you are interested in physics and engineering you will find this an enjoyable book. I would like to see the author write more books on other aspects of physics and quantum theory.

Rating:
Summary: very smooth explanations
Review: This is very interesting book about somee selected concepts and physics of the materials. There are no formulas, everything is in narrative format. Author starts with crystal structures, particle wave concepts, atom, some quantum mechanical concepts and than application of quantum concepts to heat transfer, magnetism, conduction, electric current and super conductivity.Author provides very nice descriptive pictures and diagrams. Any one who wants to read more about similar subjects with more formulas, still easy reading could also profit from " Understanding Properties of Matter by De posta".