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A review by emilywillsher
Atom Land: A Guided Tour Through the Strange and Impossibly Small World of Particle Physics by Jon Butterworth
5.0
*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Map of the Invisible: Journeys into Particle Physics was an excellent introduction to some of the most complex ideas in particle physics for a non-expert.
As the title suggests the book structures its explanations by using a map metaphor to explain many concepts with each new idea added to the pictured map at the beginning of the chapter. As a physicist this idea of exploring a map sometimes seemed irrelevant but I think it will really help the causal reader to organise the wide variety of particle physic concepts covered and see how they link to each other.
I thought the writing style was wonderful and most of the explanations were very clear and well thought out. Some concepts even made more sense to me after reading them in this book. I think that many will take away a better understanding of particle physics after reading this book.
I liked the topics that were covered in the book and the order they were tackled in. I think that the parts at the end considering new and as-of-yet unproven theories were the most difficult to understand. But I appreciated the attempts to explain string theory and multiple extra dimensions without a single equation.
I would recommend this book to A-Level Physics students with an interest in particle physics for further reading. It would also interest many adults who have a scientific background and want to learn more about this topic.
A Map of the Invisible: Journeys into Particle Physics was an excellent introduction to some of the most complex ideas in particle physics for a non-expert.
As the title suggests the book structures its explanations by using a map metaphor to explain many concepts with each new idea added to the pictured map at the beginning of the chapter. As a physicist this idea of exploring a map sometimes seemed irrelevant but I think it will really help the causal reader to organise the wide variety of particle physic concepts covered and see how they link to each other.
I thought the writing style was wonderful and most of the explanations were very clear and well thought out. Some concepts even made more sense to me after reading them in this book. I think that many will take away a better understanding of particle physics after reading this book.
I liked the topics that were covered in the book and the order they were tackled in. I think that the parts at the end considering new and as-of-yet unproven theories were the most difficult to understand. But I appreciated the attempts to explain string theory and multiple extra dimensions without a single equation.
I would recommend this book to A-Level Physics students with an interest in particle physics for further reading. It would also interest many adults who have a scientific background and want to learn more about this topic.