Inventing reality : physics as language / Brude Gregory

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. In the beginning was the word -- 2. The invaluable concept of force -- 3. The indispensable idea of fields -- 4. The ingenious notion of atoms -- 5. The unimaginable unity of spacetime -- 6. The imponderable nature of matter -- 7. The intransigent presence of paradox.

This volume traces the history of the basic concepts in physics and the evolution of its language, showing that science is the imaginative creation of the inquisitive human mind. The author discusses the work of such scientists as Bohr, Einstein and Weinberg. Contents: In the beginning was the word; the invaluable concept of force; the indispensible idea of fields; the ingenious notion of atoms; the unimaginable unity of spacetime; the imponderance nature of matter; the inexhaustible fecundity of space; the improbable prevalence of symmetry; W and Z fields; the ineffable colour of quarks; the unlimited imagination of physicists; the inscrutable essence of mathematics; the unspeakable power of language; the last word. Appendices: is there a fact in the matter?; Schroedinger's cat; the problem of measurement; language domains.