The book comprises 15 short chapters, each presenting an important equation of Physics, from the simplest and oldest, to more complex and recent ones. The target audience is the interested general public, hence no mathematics is involved (beyond the simple expression of each equation).
What can a professional 'read' in an equation? Does one see a rainbow differently when one knows the law of refraction of light? Do some equations tell more than what they were invented for? The book presents an opportunity to think about the nature of the physical laws (without writing a philosophy treatise): are they written in advance, or only the result of our imagination?
Memories and personal quotes in the book underline the intimate relation between a scientist and his research, and the interplay with his personal life. Each chapter is illustrated by a full page artistic drawing by Lison Bernet, sometimes kind, sometimes funny, and always poetic.
Contents:ForewordThe Law of Light ReflectionSnell-Descartes Law … and the Principle of Least ActionThe Fundamental Principle of Dynamics (Newton's Second Law)The Law of Gravitation (Newton's First Law)The Ideal Gas LawHooke's LawNavier-Stokes EquationMaxwell's EquationsThe Matter-Energy EquivalenceSchrödinger's EquationHeisenberg's Uncertainty RelationsEinstein's Equations, General RelativityDirac's EquationFeynman DiagramsThe Standard ModelThe Limits of the Standard Model … and Future PhysicsIndex
Readership: Students and teachers, also suitable for the general public, who are keen on learning physics.
Key Features:Showing real equations instead of hiding themThe personal viewpoint of the author, an active physicist (involved in the Higgs boson discovery)The artistic illustrations which help see the equations outside their original framework
