The Magicians

Great Minds and the Central Miracle of Science

Marcus Chown

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English

Faber & Faber
31 March 2020

Biography: science, technology & engineering; Mathematics & Sciences; History of science; Popular science; Quantum physics (quantum mechanics & quantum field theory)

'Marcus Chown rocks!' - Brian May

How does it feel to know something about the universe that no one has ever known before? And why is mathematics so magically good at revealing nature's secrets?

This is the story of the magicians: the scientists who predicted the existence of unknown planets, black holes, invisible force fields, ripples in the fabric of space-time, unsuspected subatomic particles, and even antimatter.

The journey from prediction to proof transports us from seats of learning in Paris and Cambridge to the war-torn Russian front, to bunkers beneath nuclear reactors, observatories in Berlin and California, and huge tunnels under the Swiss-French border. From electromagnetism to Einstein's gravitational waves to the elusive neutrino, Marcus Chown takes us on a breathtaking, mind-altering tour of the major breakthroughs of modern physics and highlights science's central mystery: its astonishing predictive power.

Praise for Marcus Chown:

'What good popular science writing is all about.' - Jim Al-Khalili

'Pretty wonderful.' - Richard Dawkins

'Entertaining and at times mind-boggling.' - The Times

The Magicians: Great Minds and the Central Miracle of Science

By: Marcus Chown
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Export - Airside ed
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 387g
ISBN: 9780571346394
ISBN 10: 0571346391
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 31 March 2020
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Out of Print

Marcus Chown is an award-winning science writer and broadcaster. Formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, he is now cosmology consultant for the New Scientist. His acclaimed books include What a Wonderful World, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You, We Need to Talk about Kelvin and The Ascent of Gravity (Sunday Times Science Book of the Year 2017). He is also the author of Solar System for iPad, which won The Bookseller 2011 Digital Innovation of the Year. www.marcuschown.com @marcuschown