The Magick of Matter: Crystals, Chaos and the Wizardry of Physics

(Paperback, Main)

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Description

As heard on BBC Radio 4 Start The Week

'Felix Flicker brilliantly reveals the secrets behind the modern-day magic we call physics' Marcus du Sautoy

Imagine you had a crystal that lit upon your command: magic must be at work, and you must surely be a wizard. But what if you discovered that you routinely cast such spells Are the spells no longer magic ... or are you a wizard

The modern term for wizardry is condensed matter physics. It is the study of the world around us - the states of matter and how they emerge from the quantum realm. Thanks to its practical magic we can make lasers which cut through solid metal, trains which hover in mid-air, and crystals which light our homes. It is one of the best-kept secrets in science; a third of all physicists work on it, yet its story has never been told.

Join Felix Flicker as he introduces the magic of condensed matter physics. It will be a journey that reveals the subtle spells that conjure crystals from chaos and create new particles that have never before existed.

The Magick of Matter will revolutionise what you know about physics and reality; you'll never see the world in the same way again.

Reviews

'The Magick of Matter explicitly sets out to stop us taking ordinary, everyday stuff for granted, and to restore our sense of wonder at the wizardry of the world' - Tom Sutcliffe, BBC Radio 4

'Conversational and lively ... the author's wonder and sense of excitement shine through ... a fascinating tale of an often-overlooked pillar of modern science' - Nature Physics

'Well-handled and consistently engaging. It combines fascinating facts with real insights into what are in some cases relatively unfamiliar aspects of physics.' - Peter Forbes

'Felix Flicker brilliantly reveals the secrets behind the modern-day magic we call physics. A beautifully crafted book to inspire the next generation of scientific wizards and to help the current generation to understand the bizarre universe we inhabit' - Marcus du Sautoy, author

'Playful, profound and penetrating: an exhilarating gallop through the mystical world of matter' - Charles Foster, author

Author Bio

Felix Flicker is a lecturer at the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University. He is the author of scientific papers in both Nature and Science as well as popular science articles. While he cannot claim formal credentials as a wizard, he has a black belt in Kung Fu and is also the former British Champion of Shuai Jiao (Chinese Wrestling).