Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Einstein

by Moring, Gary F.

• ISBN13: 9780028631806
• ISBN10: 0028631803
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

You're no idiot of course. You know that Albert Einstein came up with the famous "E=mc" equation and that his hair looked like it had survived a nuclear test blast. But when it comes to understanding his theories and how they changed the world--well, you're no Einstein. Don't go nuclear yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Einstein shows how relatively easy--and fun--it can be to learn and appreciate the world of physics and Einstein's brillant accomplishments. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Author Biography

Gary F. Moring has taught physics to non-physics majors at the University of Phoenix since 1985, as well as courses on philosophy, religion, and mathematics. He received his M.A. from John F. Kennedy University and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Moring lives in Orinda, CA.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Ideas That Built Bridges in Physics	1	(56)
The Early Greek Thinkers	3	(12)
Great Minds of the Renaissance	15	(16)
Galileo Gets in Hot Water with the Church	31	(14)
Newton's Clockwork Universe	45	(12)
Part 2: Energy Comes in Many Forms	57	(66)
The Heat Is On	59	(14)
Magnetism Marries Electricity	73	(14)
The Name's Bond, Chemical Bond	87	(12)
Let There Be Light!	99	(12)
Dark Clouds on the Newtonian Horizon	111	(12)
Part 3: Into the Heart of Einstein's Mind	123	(78)
Albert's Love of Life	125	(14)
A Warm-Up to Relativity	139	(12)
Albert's World of Friends, Photons, and Molecular Motion	151	(12)
The Special Theory of Relativity	163	(12)
It's Still Relative	175	(14)
Behind the Scenes	189	(12)
Part 4: Anybody Know a Good Quantum Mechanic?	201	(52)
What Does an Atom Look Like?	203	(12)
Can We Really Know Anything for Sure?	215	(12)
Uncertainty Is Certain	227	(12)
How Conscious Are We?	239	(14)
Part 5: Einstein, Man of the World	253	(40)
The Post-War Years and Einstein's Trip to America	255	(12)
Banned in Berlin	267	(12)
Who's Got the Bomb?	279	(14)
Part 6: Worlds Beyond Einstein	293	(70)
Cosmology and Consciousness	295	(12)
Big Bang or Bust	307	(12)
Worlds Within Worlds	319	(14)
Is the Truth Out There or In Here?	333	(30)
Appendixes
A Relatively Speaking	345	(12)
B List of Resources, Web Sites, and Videos	357	(4)
C Timeline	361	(2)
Index	363