- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Virgin Books (Mar 7 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0753522128
- ISBN-13: 978-0753522127
- Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 200 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #149,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
In the early 1960s, three groups of physicists, working independently in different countries, stumbled upon an idea that would change physics and fuel one of the greatest races science has ever seen. That idea was the 'God particle', or Higgs boson - to find it would be to finally understand the origins of mass, the last building block of life itself. This is the gripping story of the quest to discover it. "Massive" weaves together the personal stories and intense rivalries of the teams of scientists searching for the particle in a tale of grand ambition, trans-Atlantic competition, clashing egos and occasionally spectacular failures. From the giant particle colliders built to further the hunt to the political fallout of budget blowouts and debates over whether the search might destroy the universe - and whether the particle even exists at all - it is an epic story of imagination, personal ambition, sub-atomic exploration and global significance.
About the Author
Ian Sample is an award-winning science correspondent at the Guardian newspaper. He was named investigative journalist of the year in 2005 by the Association of British Science Writers. He was previously a feature writer for New Scientist and holds a PhD in biomedical science from Queen Mary, University of London. Born in Oxfordshire, he now lives in London.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Lively History of the Search for the Higgs Boson,
By
This review is from: Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle (Paperback)
The field of elementary particle physics comes to life in this fascinating book. The author's main theme is the theoretical prediction and subsequent search for the particle responsible for giving mass to other non-zero rest mass particles. That particle has been named the Higgs boson.The author starts with a brief summary of the history of elementary particle physics and highlights the major discoveries made through the twentieth century. Then, he zeroes in on theoretical physicist Peter Higgs with a quick mini-biography and his theoretical prediction of the possible existence of the boson that now bears his name. But most of the excitement contained in this book comes with the author's recounting of the building of large particle accelerators - on different continents - and the ardent competition between them to be the first to find the Higgs boson experimentally. The author's writing style is clear, friendly, lively, and quite captivating. Although some discussions on the physics of elementary particles are briefly included, this book is mostly a history. The technical matters that are presented are very clearly explained, thus making the book accessible to a wide readership. This is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone, although science buffs would likely appreciate it the most.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good description of particles, first half of book is worth reading,
By Hugh Claffey - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle (Paperback)
I liked the first half of the book, it clearly explained the major advances in Particle Physics over the last one hundred and fifty years. In particular he is very clear on how the various forces have been linked together over the years - magnetism and electricity, leading to the photon, mass and energy leading the quantum electrodynamics, the origin of mass which the Higgs theory attempts to explain. In the latter parts Sample has a go at showing the relevance of supersymmetry, string theory and dark matter and dark energy. The book is a good read for this, and the references and bibliography provide an excellent source for further reading.For me, however the second part - about the rivalries between the various sites and scientists trying to experimentally verify the theoretical frameworks , and their interactions with public funding agencies - was quite dull. I knew in advance that the Higgs particle had not been found, and to me I'm not hugely interested in the fact that five other scientists have a claim to having postulated that the particle exists. I am not interested that Stephen Hawking has bet that it will never be found. So, really this book could have been shorter, or should have waited until the boson is discovered.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Lively History of the Search for the Higgs Boson,
By G. Poirier - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle (Paperback)
The field of elementary particle physics comes to life in this fascinating book. The author's main theme is the theoretical prediction and subsequent search for the particle responsible for giving mass to other non-zero rest mass particles. That particle has been named the Higgs boson.The author starts with a brief summary of the history of elementary particle physics and highlights the major discoveries made through the twentieth century. Then, he zeroes in on theoretical physicist Peter Higgs with a quick mini-biography and his theoretical prediction of the possible existence of the boson that now bears his name. But most of the excitement contained in this book comes with the author's recounting of the building of large particle accelerators - on different continents - and the ardent competition between them to be the first to find the Higgs boson experimentally. The author's writing style is clear, friendly, lively, and quite captivating. Although some discussions on the physics of elementary particles are briefly included, this book is mostly a history. The technical matters that are presented are very clearly explained, thus making the book accessible to a wide readership. This is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone, although science buffs would likely appreciate it the most. |
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