The Grip of Gravity: The Quest to Understand the Laws of Motion and Gravitation

by Prabhakar Gondhalekar

Overview

Gravity is one of the most inexplicable forces of nature, controlling everything, from the expansion of the Universe to the ebb and flow of ocean tides. The search for the laws of motion and gravitation began more than two thousand years ago, a quest that Prabhakar Gondhalekar recounts in The Grip of Gravity. Beginning with Aristotle and concluding with Planck, Gondhalekar outlines a 'genealogy' of gravity and lucidly explains how previous explanations have shaped the most recent development in the field, string theory. In this work, physicist and astronomer Gondhalekar describes experiments, both planned and proposed, and clearly explains natural phenomena like ocean tides, seasons, ice ages, the formation of planets, stars, and exotic objects like black holes and neutron stars, which are all controlled by gravity. Including anecdotes and thumb-nail sketches of the personalities involved, The Grip of Gravity provides an introduction to the foundation of modern physics and shows how the current developments in string theory may lead to a new and radical interpretation of gravity. Prabhakar Gondhalekar is an Honorary Fellow in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College, London. Until his retirement in 1998, he was the head of the Space Astronomy Group at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, where he had been a researcher for 18 years. His research has included a number of topics in galactic and extragalactic astronomy, with his major work focusing on the interstellar medium and active galactic nuclei. Gondhalekar has been awarded Royal Society, Leverhulme Trust, and NATO Research Fellowships to do research in universities in the United States and Israel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521803168
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/23/2001
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Prab Gondalekhar studied physics at Imperial College, London and his doctorate in physics was awarded by the University of London.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Aristotle; 2. Kepler; 3. Galileo; 4. Newton; 5. Einstein; 6. Dicke; 7. Hubble and Eddington; 8. Planck; Chronology; Notes; Further reading; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...an interesting and comprehensive summary of the history of research on the gravitational force...This book has a clear structure and is easy to read." CHOICE

"It is an absorbing book, full of novel insights and packed with theoretical and experimental information that will hold (or rather grip) the attention of all readers interested in gravity." American Journal of Physics

"Prabhakar Gondhalekar traces the gradual unfolding of our understanding of the laws of motion and universal gravitation and the associated concepts of space, time, and relativity....Drawing on a vast body of knowledge, he also explains natural phenomena that are controlled by gravity-including ocean tides, ice ages, and black holes." Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society

From the Publisher