The End of Sparta - A Novel

This cohesive book begins with the wavefunction to develop the basic principles of quantum mechanics such as the uncertainty principle and wave-particle duality. Comprehensive coverage of quantum theory is presented, supported by experimental results and explained through applications and examples without the use of abstract and complex mathematical tools or formalisms. From there, the book:

• Takes the mystery out of the Schrodinger equation, the fundamental equation of quantum physics, by applying it to atoms

• Shows how quantum mechanics explains the periodic table of elements

• Introduces the quantum mechanical concept of spin and spin quantum number, along with Pauli's Exclusion Principle regarding the occupation of quantum states

• Addresses quantum states of molecules in terms of rotation and vibration of diatomic molecules

• Explores the interface between classical statistical mechanics and quantum statistical mechanics

• Discusses quantum mechanics as a common thread through different fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology

Each chapter features real-world applications of one or more quantum mechanics principles. "Study Checkpoints" and problems with solutions are presented throughout to make difficult concepts easy to understand. In addition, pictures, tables, and diagrams with full explanations are used to present data and further explain difficult concepts.

For the past fifteen years, acclaimed science writer Margaret Wertheim has been collecting the works of "outsider physicists," many without formal training and all convinced that they have found true alternative theories of the universe. Jim Carter, the Einstein of outsiders, has developed his own complete theory of matter and energy and gravity that he demonstrates with experiments in his backyard,-with garbage cans and a disco fog machine he makes smoke rings to test his ideas about atoms. Captivated by the imaginative power of his theories and his resolutely DIY attitude, Wertheim has been following Carter's progress for the past decade.

Centuries ago, natural philosophers puzzled out the laws of nature using the tools of observation and experimentation. Today, theoretical physics has become mathematically inscrutable, accessible only to an elite few. In rejecting this abstraction, outsider theorists insist that nature speaks a language we can all understand. Through a profoundly human profile of Jim Carter, Wertheim's exploration of the bizarre world of fringe physics challenges our conception of what science is, how it works, and who it is for.

Noah Levine has become the voice of the next generation of American Buddhism. In The Heart of the Revolution, he invites us on a journey to discover the loving heart. Despite being an acclaimed Buddhist teacher, Levine doubted whether he could ever release the anger deep within. After many years he finally realized the truth of this essential Buddhist belief—compassion is a natural quality of the heart that is often lying dormant, waiting to be uncovered. Levine now reveals the tools that helped him embrace his true Buddha nature. The practices he describes in this book are not a quick fix but a map to a hidden treasure. Free yourself from the unnecessary suffering of life and join the rebellion fueled not by hatred but by forgiveness, compassion, and kindness.