The atom stands at the heart of our understanding of the physical world, and the quest to describe its nature has driven some of the most profound revolutions in the history of science. This book by Alessio Mangoni explores three fundamental topics of quantum physics, guiding the reader through the structure of matter from its everyday scale down to its deepest constituents. Beginning with the atom and its description within quantum theory, the treatment moves to the elementary particles that make up protons, neutrons, and other composite particles, presenting the Standard Model with its quarks, leptons, and force-carrying bosons such as the photon. The book then addresses the four fundamental forces of nature — gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear interactions — examining both their classical formulations and the quantum and relativistic frameworks required for a complete theoretical account. Written in the accessible and concise style of the Fisica Tascabile series, the volume offers a clear and self-contained introduction to these topics, suitable for anyone seeking a solid conceptual grounding in modern quantum physics.
The atom stands at the heart of our understanding of the physical world, and the quest to describe its nature has driven some of the most profound revolutions in the history of science. This book by Alessio Mangoni explores three fundamental topics of quantum physics, guiding the reader through t...