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A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down
A Different Universe Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down Author:Robert B. Laughlin "[An] important, brain-tickling new book.... Laughlin's thesis is intriguing." (New York Times Book Review) In this age of superstring theories and Big Bang cosmology, we're used to thinking of the unknown as impossibly distant from our everyday lives. But in A Different Universe, Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin argues that the sci... more »entific frontier is right under our fingers. Instead of looking for ultimate theories, Laughlin considers the world of emergent properties-meaning the properties, such as the hardness and shape of a crystal, that result from the organization of large numbers of atoms. Laughlin shows us how the most fundamental laws of physics are in fact emergent. A Different Universe is a truly mind-bending book that shows us why everything we think about fundamental physical laws needs to change. "I started reading and, clich though it be, I couldn't stop. Despite the Nobel, Laughlin has an appealing, anarchic kind of sanity, and his company through this vivid and entertaining book is inspirational. A Different Universe should be required reading for physics researchers, teachers and students." (New Scientist) "Peppered with his imaginative illustrations, analogies and anecdotes." (Philadelphia Inquirer)« less