Physics in the Arts : Revised Edition

A deep yet accessible analysis of the physics of light and sound, and how our eyes and ears detect them, is not only intellectually enjoyable, but also useful to understand and interpret the world in which we live, all the phenomena that take place around us, and how we perceive them. In short, how we interface with our planet, its inhabitants, and their creations. Understanding the physics of light and sound may also increase the appreciation for works of art and for art itself, and even stimulate the artists among the readers to deepen their knowledge of their media, of how people interface with them, and perhaps improve their art production. * Offers an alternative route to science literacy for those interested in the arts, music and photography * Popular science book with wide readership beyond the classroom at an accessible level * Material covered at a level appropriate for self-study or as a complementary textbook * Companion website for Instructors available in Spring 2008

Pupa Gilbert is a Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a surrealist painter. She is a physicist with passionate loves for biology and for modern art. She studied at the first University of Rome, worked as a staff scientist at the Italian National Research Council and at the eole Polytechnique F?d?rale de Lausanne until she joined the University of Wisconsin in 1999. Her current research focuses on biominerals, including mother-of-pearl, sea archin skeletons and the mechanisms leading to their formation. She pioneered the use of synchrotron spectromicroscopy in biology and medicine. She won "The Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) of the World" award in 1997, and was knighted in 2000 for her contribution to the field of Biophysics. She leads a dynamic and diverse research group. She teaches "Physics in the Arts" and "Microscopy of Life", and in 2011 won the UW-Madison Distinguished Teaching Award. She lives in Madison and in Berkeley with her husband Ben. Willy Haeberli is a Professor of Physics and Steenbock Professor of Natural Sciences Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, He was educated in Switzerland and received a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics at the University of Basel. He taught at the University of Wisconsin for 50 years and was honored for his leaching of undergraduates not majoring in physical sciences and for his research. He received the Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics, and the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in I988 and to the National Academy of Science in 2002. In collaboration with 40 Ph.D. students whose research he has guided, he developed new methods to produce spin-polarized beams and targets and used them to study interactions in nuclear and high-energy collisions.