Commonly Asked Questions in Physics

Preface

When the editors at Taylor & Francis contacted me to suggest this project, I was skeptical at first. I’ve written college-level textbooks but had never before attempted a book intended for such a wide audience. As we began to discuss the project, however, I grew more excited about the possibilities. Those of us who practice physics for a living frequently encounter people from all walks of life who, once they know our profession, pepper us with questions about anything and everything that smacks of physics. In our modern world with its rapid electronic communication, you often hear brief sound bites that mention the latest discoveries, such as the Higgs boson, dark energy, or fusion-powered energy. When they hear or read about these, ...