A Unified Grand Tour of Theoretical Physics
Ian D. Lawrie
Taylor & Francis
A unified account of the principles of theoretical physics, A Unified Grand Tour of Theoretical Physics, Second Edition stresses the inter-relationships between areas that are usually treated as independent. The profound unifying influence of geometrical ideas, the powerful formal similarities between statistical mechanics and quantum field theory, and the ubiquitous role of symmetries in determining the essential structure of physical theories are emphasized throughout.<BR><BR>This second edition conducts a grand tour of the fundamental theories that shape our modern understanding of the physical world. The book covers the central themes of space-time geometry and the general relativistic account of gravity, quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, gauge theories and the fundamental forces of nature, statistical mechanics, and the theory of phase transitions. The basic structure of each theory is explained in explicit mathematical detail with emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than on the technical details of specialized applications. The book gives straightforward accounts of the standard models of particle physics and cosmology.