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The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World

The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-15 03:19:56
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Suzie Sheehy
  • ISBN：0525658750
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Summary

An accelerator physicist's fascinating journey through the experiments that uncovered the nature of matter and made the modern world。

Towards the end of the nineteenth century， many scientists believed that the project of physics was nearly complete， that there was little left to explore。 But as the new century dawned， scientists with the drive to deepen their understanding began looking ever more closely at the atom， and as a result of their remarkable discoveries， physics--and the world around us--would never again be the same。

When the cathode ray tube revealed the secret of X-rays， physics immediately proved itself to be a source of enormous technological innovation， enabling life-saving medical equipment， safer building construction， and stronger security measures。 And with every discovery since， our expanded knowledge of the infinitesimal has also brought a corresponding change in technology。 These experiments ushered us into the modern world， helping us to create detectors that map the insides of volcanoes and predict eruptions as well as photovoltaic cells that power remote controls， accelerate our Internet speeds， and harness the sun's energy。 From the smallest of instruments to machines so large they straddle international borders， Suzie Sheehy takes readers on a captivating journey through twelve crucial experiments that shaped our understanding of the cosmos and how we live within it。

Along the way， Sheehy pulls back the curtain to reveal how physics is really done--not by theorists with blackboards， but by experimentalists with brilliant designs。 Celebrating human ingenuity， creativity， and above all curiosity， The Matter of Everything is an inspiring story about the scientists who make real discoveries， and a powerful reminder that progress is a function of our desire to know。

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Reviews

Peter Tillman ，

WSJ's positive review:https://www。wsj。com/articles/the-matt。。。（Paywalled。 As always， I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers） "Ms。 Sheehy， a particle physicist who splits her time between labs at Oxford and the University of Melbourne， radiates enthusiasm for her field。 She calls it “one of the most awe-inspiring， intricate and creative adventures that humans have ever embarked on。” The author also wants to make sure readers understand that advanced physics is an intensely collaborative end WSJ's positive review:https://www。wsj。com/articles/the-matt。。。（Paywalled。 As always， I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers） "Ms。 Sheehy， a particle physicist who splits her time between labs at Oxford and the University of Melbourne， radiates enthusiasm for her field。 She calls it “one of the most awe-inspiring， intricate and creative adventures that humans have ever embarked on。” The author also wants to make sure readers understand that advanced physics is an intensely collaborative endeavor。 Even the most brilliant theories can’t be accepted until they’ve been confirmed in the complex， often uncooperative physical world。 And that takes experimentation。"Published January 10， 2023 。。。more

Matthew Wake ，

An excellent introduction to the world of physics and some of the most influential and important discoveries in the last 200years。The real joy of this book is in the story telling of the people and events leading to their discoveries。 Sheehy communicates her ideas clearly and succinctly， and helps to give insight into the people who helped to shape physics。

Pooja Kashyap ，

The Matter of Everything is a celebration of curiosity， good collaboration， and human ingenuity。 The book， indeed， is a journey that starts from discovery of electron and takes us to the Higgs Boson。 And the beautiful part is， the journey is still not over yet。 Finding Higgs boson gives direction for further exploration and it is just another beginning。I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book。 People like Dr。 Suzie Sheehy are the intellectual heroes who are doing service to humanity by drafting suc The Matter of Everything is a celebration of curiosity， good collaboration， and human ingenuity。 The book， indeed， is a journey that starts from discovery of electron and takes us to the Higgs Boson。 And the beautiful part is， the journey is still not over yet。 Finding Higgs boson gives direction for further exploration and it is just another beginning。I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book。 People like Dr。 Suzie Sheehy are the intellectual heroes who are doing service to humanity by drafting such books and allowing non-science people into the world of scientific breakthroughs by not only answering but also making us understand big questions about matter and the universe。 About our origins。 I highly recommend。 This book should be on everyone’s shelf。More from my blog post: The Matter of Everything 。。。more

Martinocorre ，

Leggere e capire un libro di Fisica per me è semplice come cesellare i bordi di un francobollo con uno scalpello da ghiaccio， ringrazio quindi libri come questo che rendono così avvincente la comprensione di concetti a volte per me molto ostici。Parlare degli esperimenti che hanno portato a certe scoperte per poi spiegarne la portata， è un punto di vista originale e sicuramente vincente。Consiglio questo libro anche ai giovani studenti che si chiedono quale potrebbe essere la loro carriera lavorat Leggere e capire un libro di Fisica per me è semplice come cesellare i bordi di un francobollo con uno scalpello da ghiaccio， ringrazio quindi libri come questo che rendono così avvincente la comprensione di concetti a volte per me molto ostici。Parlare degli esperimenti che hanno portato a certe scoperte per poi spiegarne la portata， è un punto di vista originale e sicuramente vincente。Consiglio questo libro anche ai giovani studenti che si chiedono quale potrebbe essere la loro carriera lavorativa， una volta intrapreso il cammino dello studio della Fisica， c’è un capitolo dedicato anche a voi。 。。。more

Jiachen Guo ，

Other than the irrelevant excerpts about how female physicists were mistreated （often comes without warning and disturb the main theme of the chapter） and lack of illustrations of the experiments （this is a sin）， this is a fun book to read about some of the experiments that contributed to the understanding of modern particle physics。

Bella Azam ，

Reading about different physics experiments from brilliant minds all around the world are both fascinating and also mindblowing。 With complex concepts introduced in an interesting narratives， the author， a physicist herself make the book about particles sounds interesting。 As someone who came from science background， with more knowledge on biology and psychology than physics， i found the detailing and explanations in here are easy to follow。 However， i do think it can get very hard to follow for Reading about different physics experiments from brilliant minds all around the world are both fascinating and also mindblowing。 With complex concepts introduced in an interesting narratives， the author， a physicist herself make the book about particles sounds interesting。 As someone who came from science background， with more knowledge on biology and psychology than physics， i found the detailing and explanations in here are easy to follow。 However， i do think it can get very hard to follow for those who are not familiar with many of the technical terms in physics and can hinder your reading。Though its always intriguing to read these amazing discoveries by scientists and how they contributed to our society from MRI （Magnetic resonance imaging） used to scan our internal organs/body thus we can determine exact location of certain disease， to x rays， tungsten bulb， hot air balloons。 We should understand that with each theorization invented by one scientist will then get polished or experimented by another to improve from the previous theory and with this， there is constant evolving theory and experimentation。 Meaning there are so many things to be researched and yet they are still not fully understood。 The scope of life is infinite and also finite at the same time depending on how we perceive them。 。。。more

Annie ，

The matter of everything: twelve experiments that changed our worldSuzie SheehyI had to reach deep into my physics knowledge， such as it is， to understand some of this。 It is intriguing， hopeful， and readable nonetheless。

Mary ，

The amazing world of the infinitesimally smallReview- Suzie Sheehy has done a marvellous job in showing the importance of physics in our everyday lives。 Taking us through 12 key experiments she takes us from the early days of discovering the nature of matter right the way through to CERN， the Large Hadron Collider and the detection of the Higgs Boson。 It’s quite a ride。The stories of the individuals concerned， the history of the experiments and the discoveries made are fascinating but what struc The amazing world of the infinitesimally smallReview- Suzie Sheehy has done a marvellous job in showing the importance of physics in our everyday lives。 Taking us through 12 key experiments she takes us from the early days of discovering the nature of matter right the way through to CERN， the Large Hadron Collider and the detection of the Higgs Boson。 It’s quite a ride。The stories of the individuals concerned， the history of the experiments and the discoveries made are fascinating but what struck me most is that far from being secreted away in academia todays physicists are a shining example of the values of collaboration and sharing。 From the world wide web to using particle accelerators to improve medical diagnosis and the treatment of cancer CERN now shares it’s work and discoveries openly for the good of mankind。 In some cases the technologies are shared before they can even make use of them themselves to maximise the benefits to others。For me this elevates the book and the work physicists do。 I finished the book with a greatly increased respect for their dedication to finding the answers to some of the biggest questions about the nature of the universe。 But even more so for showing that collaboration and sharing knowledge can deliver so much more for the human race as a whole。 There are important lessons here that can be applied to business and life。I would have given the book five stars but the version I read lacked diagrams and illustrations which I felt would have supported and enhanced the text。 。。。more

Mr SW McElroy ，

What a wonderful， inspiring book！I heard about this book through an interview with Suzie Sheehy on BBC Radio 4。 I was hooked on hearing and bought the Kindle edition shortly after。 The book was excellent。 I knew the stories of the pioneers， but Suzie brought them to life。 I felt I was with Rutherford， Geiger and Marsden in their Heath Robinson lab。The role of women was handled very sensitively。Her passion for the humanity and collaboration of physics is a lovely conclusion。

Robin Barnwell ，

Quantum books take you from Newton to Faraday to Maxwell to Planck to Einstein to Bohr。 This book takes you on a similar Particle journey from X-rays， electrons & Microwaves through to the LHC @ CERN。Really good book。 I especially liked the practical spin-offs that came out of these discoveries， in particular all the medical advances e。g。 NMR， CT scans， radiotherapy etc…

Phil Martin ，

A fascinating read， carefully explained。 The author brings her own scientific experience and enthusiasm to these stories of discovery and writes really well。 An excellent history of the search for fundamental particles。 My prior knowledge of science in general is pretty rudimentary but this book provided a good basic understanding of the standard model of particle physics - and it was always engaging and even exciting！

Surya ，

OK better

Vivien ，

Beautifully written， beautifully read。 It was startling to fall back into a particle physics past--I couldn't even remember the second generation quarks， embarrassing--but this story brings it all to life again， perhaps moreso than it was ever brought to life to begin with！Disclosure: I'm friends with the author， but it's no mean feat to inspire me with physics again--colour me inspired。 Someone please tell me the shortcut version of this month's fifth force discovery news articles。 Beautifully written， beautifully read。 It was startling to fall back into a particle physics past--I couldn't even remember the second generation quarks， embarrassing--but this story brings it all to life again， perhaps moreso than it was ever brought to life to begin with！Disclosure: I'm friends with the author， but it's no mean feat to inspire me with physics again--colour me inspired。 Someone please tell me the shortcut version of this month's fifth force discovery news articles。 。。。more

Hugh Mason ，

It's not easy to connect disparate experiments and abstract theories spread across a century of discovery into a narrative that is accessible to lay readers。 By and large Sheehy succeeds， adding a sincere and personal perspective reflecting her own curiosity about the world and her fascination with being part of our collective journey of discovery。 Recommended for anyone considering studying Physics at undergraduate level。 It's not easy to connect disparate experiments and abstract theories spread across a century of discovery into a narrative that is accessible to lay readers。 By and large Sheehy succeeds， adding a sincere and personal perspective reflecting her own curiosity about the world and her fascination with being part of our collective journey of discovery。 Recommended for anyone considering studying Physics at undergraduate level。 。。。more

Jenny ，

Fascinating， well researched， interesting to read， but quite hard going as pure text。 Perhaps a diagram or photo might have livened it up a little。 but well worth applying oneself and reading。

Rahel ，

I appreciated this so much， a deep-dive into the history of our understanding of matter。 Not even close to a subject I'm familiar with but curiosity in any science is fascinating to me！ I appreciated this so much， a deep-dive into the history of our understanding of matter。 Not even close to a subject I'm familiar with but curiosity in any science is fascinating to me！ 。。。more

John Ennew ，

A brilliant ride through the past 120 or so years of particle physics through the description of 12 experiments。 Brilliant for those wondering what goes on at CERN and how it came to be。 I enjoyed the descriptions of the characters involved and the competitive race to be the ones to prove or disprove the theories over time。 Highly recommended。

Ian Lea ，

Twelve physics experiments， which I could have realized。 But that's not a problem。 As usual I got lost with some of the science but it's good and well-written。 Twelve physics experiments， which I could have realized。 But that's not a problem。 As usual I got lost with some of the science but it's good and well-written。 。。。more

MarmottanReads ，

Really enjoyed this explanation of some of the key experiments that have had huge impact in the world of physics。 Nicely written， not a casual read but worth the time to really immerse myself in。

Nick Evans ，

This is not an easy read but it’s massively rewarding。 If you’re remotely interested in science then this neat explainer of how we developed the science of particle physics and the outcomes that came from its discoveries will fascinate you。 Well worth a solid read， beautifully written and technically clever in explaining hard ideas to mere mortals。

Karoliina ，

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。For anyone with a better understanding of physics， I can imagine this book being a treasure trove of fascinating historical facts about their field。 However， I struggled with this one。 I generally enjoy history of science and especially how scientific thought has developed over time， but I don't have a background in science myself。 I do have experience in scientific communication， though， and can appreciate that it is tricky。 F I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。For anyone with a better understanding of physics， I can imagine this book being a treasure trove of fascinating historical facts about their field。 However， I struggled with this one。 I generally enjoy history of science and especially how scientific thought has developed over time， but I don't have a background in science myself。 I do have experience in scientific communication， though， and can appreciate that it is tricky。 Finding the right balance between accurate information and keeping everything understandable for a lay reader is hard。 This book erred on the side of precise， scientific explanations， and I often felt overwhelmed by the level of detail here。 From context cues， it was obvious that certain changes to an experiment， for example， were revolutionary， but as I know nothing about physics， the importance of those changes were completely lost on me， and therefore I had trouble engaging with the story outlined here。 。。。more

Mairead ，

Wow！

Meg Briers ，

definitely coming at it from the POV of a physicist， rather than a historian but her love of the subject came through， and an enjoyable read

K Bates ，

The Matter of everything - twelve experiments that changed our world。 This is a beautifully written， accessible book about how scientifc discoveries and breakthroughs have changed our lives and changed our world， and without the genious， luck， endeavour and sheer hard work and persistence of all those involved we would not have had radio， TV， x-rays， MRI scanners to name but a few。I can't pretend to have understood everything， but Suzie Sheehy has made a difficult and dry subject hugely interest The Matter of everything - twelve experiments that changed our world。 This is a beautifully written， accessible book about how scientifc discoveries and breakthroughs have changed our lives and changed our world， and without the genious， luck， endeavour and sheer hard work and persistence of all those involved we would not have had radio， TV， x-rays， MRI scanners to name but a few。I can't pretend to have understood everything， but Suzie Sheehy has made a difficult and dry subject hugely interesting and enlightening。 。。。more

Nicholas Mead ，

This book made me both amazed by the human process the led to the discovery's studied during m undergraduate degree and looking back fondly at my year in the Manchester University particle physics department。 😀 This book made me both amazed by the human process the led to the discovery's studied during m undergraduate degree and looking back fondly at my year in the Manchester University particle physics department。 😀 。。。more

Rob Sedgwick ，

（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）The story of the atom and quantum mechanics has been written many times， but usually， it is the theorists who take the glory and the experimentalists who play second fiddle。 Here the roles are reversed with the lab workers cast in the starring role and the theoreticians their support act。This book started quite slowly for me with a very familiar tale of the story of the discovery of the nature of the atom， starting with （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley）The story of the atom and quantum mechanics has been written many times， but usually， it is the theorists who take the glory and the experimentalists who play second fiddle。 Here the roles are reversed with the lab workers cast in the starring role and the theoreticians their support act。This book started quite slowly for me with a very familiar tale of the story of the discovery of the nature of the atom， starting with Röntgen and X-rays， and progressing to the discovery of the electrons and then the nucleus。 But gradually a pattern began to emerge: it was the experimentalists who were discovering all this stuff。 Theoreticians like Bohr， Schrodinger， Planck and Einstein barely get a mention。As the book progresses， the experiments gradually get more complicated and start to involve more people and require massive amounts of organisation and funding。 I remember doing variants of some of the early experiments myself on a lab workbench during my time as a Physics undergraduate， but the days when a brilliant individual can break new ground in particle physics in the corner of a lab have， it would seem， long disappeared。In reality， each of the experimentalists is drawing on the work of those before them （standing on the shoulders of giants as Newton said） and Suzie Sheehy has made a good job at making this a near-continuous narrative of discoveries built upon their predecessors。 Again and again， in every chapter， the author points out the technology spin-offs of the search for the understanding of matter， and the list is very impressive， and nobody should question the value of funding first-class research in these areas。It looks like Dark Matter is where the next progress is likely to be made， and it is extraordinary how， despite all the work described in the book， and the brilliant lives devoted to research， there is still so much which is not understood。If there is a theme to a book for me it was: look at all this we have achieved， and we have to continue。 。。。more

jean ，

I was looking forward to reading this book as I struggle with many of the concepts in physics and was hoping to understand more， particularly as they often seem to describe the very essence of life。I imagine as an author it is very difficult to pitch a book like this at the right level for most readers and unfortunately this wasn't the book to help me as I think I need a better level of understanding to start with and I felt a bit lost even in the author's introduction。 I'm not sure if it was ju I was looking forward to reading this book as I struggle with many of the concepts in physics and was hoping to understand more， particularly as they often seem to describe the very essence of life。I imagine as an author it is very difficult to pitch a book like this at the right level for most readers and unfortunately this wasn't the book to help me as I think I need a better level of understanding to start with and I felt a bit lost even in the author's introduction。 I'm not sure if it was just my particular downloaded copy but I also struggled with sudden changes from experiments to biography of the scientist involved and their hairstyle。 （part 1）I tried dipping in and out but sadly in the end I didn't finish the book。 I'm sure many other readers will really enjoy it though。thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an advance copy of this book 。。。more

Annarella ，

This is a book that made me love physic even this topic is not amongst my favorite。It's fascinating， well researched， informative， and well written。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine This is a book that made me love physic even this topic is not amongst my favorite。It's fascinating， well researched， informative， and well written。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Helen ，

A comprehensive and informative guide that is well written。 It explores the advances and applications of physics in everyday life， tracking historical advancements and how they have been built on。

Catalina ，

I am in absolute awe at how amazingly complex our universe is， but also at how extraordinary we are as a species。 The Matter of Everything is a tour de force of some of the most important physics discoveries we have ever made。 Suzie Sheehy has a way with words， making extremely complex theories and experiments seem not only accessible to truly fascinating。 From the historical context， to the actual experiments， to the implications and the far and wide applications of this discoveries， nothing ha I am in absolute awe at how amazingly complex our universe is， but also at how extraordinary we are as a species。 The Matter of Everything is a tour de force of some of the most important physics discoveries we have ever made。 Suzie Sheehy has a way with words， making extremely complex theories and experiments seem not only accessible to truly fascinating。 From the historical context， to the actual experiments， to the implications and the far and wide applications of this discoveries， nothing has been left out。 Sheehy did a brilliant job at making us understand and see how amazing science is， and how physics is so interconnect with everything else。 How important it is to cooperate， to pull together resources and mental capacity and human energies to help humanity become richer in knowledge。 Knowledge that ultimately will translate in a better life for more and more people。 *Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0