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From the grass beneath our feet to overhead powerlines, surging with electrons, to distant galactic clusters, our universe is made of matter and its interplay with myriad forms of energy. But what exactly are these things? We know that energy--manifested as heat, light, electricity, magnetism, or sound--can cause matter to move, heat up, expand, glow, and undergo many sorts of interactions. And... More

From the grass beneath our feet to overhead powerlines, surging with electrons, to distant galactic clusters, our universe is made of matter and its interplay with myriad forms of energy. But what exactly are these things? We know that energy--manifested as heat, light, electricity, magnetism, or sound--can cause matter to move, heat up, expand, glow, and undergo many sorts of interactions. And we know that matter can take a nearly infinite variety of forms, from infinitesimal atomic particles to huge glowing sheets of plasma, light years across. But how do these processes work? Why does matter take the many forms it does, and what determines its basic structure at the atomic level? This encyclopedia is designed to answer these questions and more. Richly illustrated and uniquely user-friendly, the encyclopedia features 48 essays, each devoted to basic knowledge about a key subject. Taken together, the essays constitute an exceptional overview of modern physics, one that is accessible to students, browsers, and science enthusiasts alike. Topics as varied as material properties, force and energy, electromagnetism, sound waves, optics, and atomic structure are all given lively, authoritative treatments. Along the way, theoretical developments from great physicists like Newton and Einstein are discussed side-by-side with some of the greatest technological achievements known to man, such as space travel and the harnessing of nuclear energy. The encyclopedia is distinguished by its exceptionally well-planned organization. In addition to the main entries, the book contains a 32-page mini-encyclopedia explaining key terms and concepts, a "timechart" that traces the development of modern physics from its earliest days to the present, a unique "knowledge map" that shows graphically how physics overlaps with other sciences such as chemistry and astronomy, and a special section that brings together a wealth of useful information in the form of easy-to-use and attractive tables and graphs. Never before has the study of matter and energy been so comprehensively presented to such a wide variety of readers. With Matter and Energy: Physics in Action in hand, students and general readers alike will have an invaluable guide to the endlessly intriguing world of physics.

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