Background
Atkins, Peter William was born on August 10, 1940 in Amersham, United Kingdom. Son of William Henry and Ellen (Edwards) Atkins.
(The novelist and physicist C. P. Snow once remarked that ...)
The novelist and physicist C. P. Snow once remarked that not knowing the Second Law of thermodynamics was analogous to never having read a work of Shakespeare's. This profusproductely illustrated volume breaks down the mathematical barriers that have prevented many from understanding this fundamental principle of energy transformation and describes the origin, atomic basis, and wide-ranging applications of this central, unifying description of all natural change. Simply stated, the Second Law recognizes the intrinsic asymmetry in nature. Aspects of this asymmetry can be found all around us: hot objects cool, but cool objects do not spontaneously become hot; a bouncing ball comes to rest, but a stationary ball does not spontaneously begin to bounce. Oxford professor P. W. Atkins begins his examination of these seemingly random but vitally important phenomena with early observations of the steam engine and traces the deepening understanding that emerged when the atomic basis of the Law was established. He analyzes the Law from a modern viewpoint, enabling us to see how a single, simple idea encompasses all elements of natural change. Atkins explores this idea from its first recognition through its application in engines, refrigerators, and heat pumps to its role as the driving force of chemical reactions and, finally, to the emergence of the exquisitely ordered structures characteristic of life itself. Using striking computer graphics to develop a unified picture of nature, the author shows us how structures are built apparently out of chaos until we grasp the underlying, awesome simplicity of complexity. An appendix details how to program the generation of printouts of the concepts discussed.
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(In this investigation into the nature of the cosmos, P.W....)
In this investigation into the nature of the cosmos, P.W. Atkins explores the fundamental questions of modern science: the existence of the universe, time, chance, life and consciousness. Once we understand the building blocks of nature, such as quarks, electrons and the forces that hold them all together, it becomes possible to reconstruct, in principle, the process which first led to elements, then to more complex organisms, culminating in conscious human beings. By claiming that only the very simplest things appeared when the cosmos was formed, P.W. Atkins argues against the need for a creator. He tackles such questions as how coiled space-time emerged by chance out of its own dust, why physical change is always driven by decay and increasing chaos, and how consciousness required both a warm, stable platform like the Earth and a four-dimensional universe of space and time. He examines why light travels in straight lines and why there is only one dimension of time, as well as the most puzzling question of all: how something can come from nothing. First published in 1981 as "The Creation", this book has been revised ad includes an updated commentary and new chapter which considers how mathematics works as a description of the world and why it may provide the means of explaining the origins of the cosmos and consciousness. Complete knowledge, Atkins believes, is just within our grasp; in substaining that claim, he reveals the full power of modern scientific thinking.
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(From the author of the world's most widely used textbooks...)
From the author of the world's most widely used textbooks of physical chemistry, this pocket reference guide is an essential summary of the key concepts that are likely to be met in an undergraduate chemistry course. Designed as a complement to the author's best-selling text Physical Chemistry, the book is also useful for all who encounter physical chemical concepts in research or other areas of professional activity. Individual entries are characterized by their clarity of presentation and extensive use in made of two-colour illustrations throughout the book. Concepts in Physical Chemistry is a guide to mainstream physical chemistry - the physical chemistry that students encounter and that is likely to crop up in every day chemistry.
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(A century and a half ago the pioneering physicist and che...)
A century and a half ago the pioneering physicist and chemist Michael Faraday delivered a celebrated series of lectures that attempted to explain the inner workings of matter through the chemical history of a candle. "There is no better, there is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy", Faraday told his audience. Now the distinguished chemist P.W. Atkins follows in Faraday's footsteps, using his predecessor's deceptively simple theme to show how far we have come in understanding the remarkable chemical reactions that govern everything from how candles burn to how life functions. While Faraday could say little more than that a chemical reaction changes a substance's appearance and properties, chemists today understand reactions in terms of the rearrangement of atoms and electrons. Atkins - tracing the course of a carbon atom released by a flaming candle - explores the complex forces that operate at the atomic and sub atomic levels to drive these rearrangements.
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Atkins, Peter William was born on August 10, 1940 in Amersham, United Kingdom. Son of William Henry and Ellen (Edwards) Atkins.
Bachelor of Science, U. Leicester, 1961; Doctor of Philosophy, U. Leicester, 1964; Master of Arts, U. Oxford, 1965; Doctor of Science, U. Utrecht, Netherlands, 1992.
Harkness fellow, University of California at Los Angeles, 1964-1965; lecturer, U. Oxford, United Kingdom, since 1965; fellow, tutor, Lincoln College, Oxford, since 1965.
(From the author of the world's most widely used textbooks...)
(A century and a half ago the pioneering physicist and che...)
(In this investigation into the nature of the cosmos, P.W....)
(The novelist and physicist C. P. Snow once remarked that ...)
Married Judith Ann Kearton, August 22, 1964 (divorced 1983). 1 child, Juliet Louise Tiffany. Married Susan Adele Greenfield, March 30, 1991.
