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Forces of Nature

Page 25

by Professor Brian Cox


  McDonald, Arthur B. 245

  McNair, Ron 265

  Melipona domestica 23

  mesons 41

  Messier 80 61, 61

  microstate 181–2, 183

  microwaves 235

  Mie scattering 261

  Mie, Gustav 261

  Miller, Stanley 176, 177, 178, 179, 179, 196–7, 202

  Milton, John: Paradise Lost 151

  Mimas 56

  Mitchell, Edgar 80

  Monet, Claude: Coquelicots (Poppies) 80, 81, 127; Poppy Field (Giverny) 134, 134–5, 135

  Moon 42; formation of 102–5; lunar eclipse and 258–9, 258–9, 260; tides on Earth and 116–17, 120, 121, 122, 122, 124, 124

  morphology diagram 75, 75

  motion 78–147; formation of Earth see Earth; inertia and 83, 88, 91, 93, 126; Newton’s laws of 51, 71, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91, 110, 117, 127, 136; reference frames and 88, 91, 109–10, 121, 124, 127, 129, 131, 134, 136, 143; seasons and orbit of Earth 92–101, 92, 94–5, 96, 97, 98–9, 100, 100–1, 101; spacetime and 47, 134–47; storms and orbit of Earth 106–15, 106–7, 108, 109, 110–11, 112–13, 114, 115, 124; Theory of Special Relativity and 30, 80, 88, 126–31, 134, 144; tides and orbit of Earth 116–25, 116, 117, 118–19, 120, 121, 122–3, 124, 125, 125

  Mount Ijen volcano, Indonesia 154–5, 155, 156, 156–7

  muon neutrino 40, 245

  Mycoplasma 180

  N

  NASA 42, 108, 114, 152, 183, 202, 209, 224, 228, 237, 249, 265, 274

  natural selection 22, 23, 24, 26–7, 62, 63, 67, 69, 169, 175, 183, 187, 195, 198, 237, 268

  Neptune 209, 210

  neutrino 40, 40, 229, 244–7

  neutron 28, 35, 40, 41, 103, 155, 158, 171, 227, 229, 257, 271

  New Horizons 95

  Newton, Isaac 82, 84, 135, 138; absolute time and 126, 127, 135, 136; Law of Universal Gravitation 16, 47, 49, 51, 53–4, 56, 60, 71, 93, 95, 117, 121, 121, 124; Newton’s Constant 47, 109; Opticks 229; Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica 47, 51, 82, 83, 83, 93, 127, 161, 162; rainbow colours, discovers origin of 217, 220; three laws of motion 51, 71, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 93, 110, 117, 119, 121, 124, 127, 128–9, 131

  Nobel Prize in Physics: 1909 237; 1921 129, 242; 1926 28; 1965 242; 1969 41; 2015 245, 247

  nuclear box 30, 33

  nuclear fusion 229, 244–5

  nuclear physics 224–5, 226–9, 244–5

  O

  oceans: colour and 250–7, 250, 251, 252–3, 254, 255; symmetry in 72; tides 115, 116–25, 116, 117, 120, 121, 122–3, 124, 125

  octopus, bilateral symmetry 72, 72

  Olympus Mons 53, 53, 54–5, 56

  Omega-minus 41

  Oparin, Alexander: ‘The Origin of Life’ 175–6

  Orwell, George: Politics and the English Language 37; ‘Some Thoughts on the Common Toad’ 104–5

  oxidation reaction 188, 188–9, 189

  oxygen 28, 30, 30, 31, 33, 35, 42, 67, 103, 151, 158, 171, 175, 183, 188, 189, 190, 195, 229, 254–5, 257, 260, 265, 266, 268, 274

  P

  P680 reaction centre 266, 268

  P700 reaction centre 266, 268

  Pais, Abraham 240

  Pale Blue Dot 209, 209, 211, 213, 257, 275

  Pallas (asteroid) 56

  Papas of Alexandria 23

  particle physics 35, 40, 41, 245 see also under individual area of particle physics

  Pasteur, Louis 175–6, 176, 177

  Pauli exclusion principle 30, 229

  Penrose tiling 24

  periodic table 155, 156, 158, 158

  Perkins, George Henry 16

  Perrin, Jean Baptiste 28

  Phobetor 271

  Phobos 50, 51, 51, 56, 57

  photoelectric effect 242

  photons 36, 37, 39, 40, 139, 186, 211, 241, 242, 254, 255, 257, 259, 260–1, 265, 266

  photosynthesis 176, 186, 187, 190, 195, 198, 265, 265, 266, 267, 267, 268, 268, 269, 274

  photosystem 1 265, 266, 266

  photosystem 2 265, 266, 266

  Pioneer 10 95, 97

  Pioneer 11 95

  pions 41

  Planck, Max 47, 239, 240–1, 240, 242; Planck’s Constant 239–42, 242; Planck temperature 47

  Planetary nebula 180, 181

  planetesimals 49, 51

  planets: discovery of new 271, 271; formation of 49, 50, 51, 51

  plants, colour of 264–9, 264, 265, 266, 267

  Plato 71, 163

  Platonic solids 71

  Poltergeist 271

  Pomeranchuk, Isaak 35

  Pomeron 35, 39

  positron 229

  Pouillet, Claude 224

  Priestley, Joseph 28

  proton 28, 30, 33, 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, 42, 155, 158, 190–1, 195, 197, 198, 227, 229, 235, 246, 257, 266

  protoplanetary disc 49, 50, 61, 61

  PSR B1257+12 B 271

  Ptolemy 82, 82, 107, 213

  pulsar 271

  Pythagoras 71, 136, 147

  Q

  Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) 39

  Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) 39, 242

  quantum physics 28, 30, 33, 39, 47, 49, 54, 75, 91, 144, 158, 183, 229, 239, 240, 242, 243, 244, 255 see also under individual area of quantum physics

  Quantum Universe, The (Cox & Forshaw) 30

  quarks 37, 39, 40, 40, 41, 41, 155, 227, 229

  R

  radial symmetry 72, 73

  radio transmission 237

  radio waves 209, 235, 237

  rainbows 91, 212–21, 216, 217, 218, 219, 259, 261, 275

  Rayleigh scattering 260–1, 261

  Rayleigh-Jeans law 239

  Rayleigh, Lord (John William Strutt) 260

  reanimation 162, 162, 163, 163, 167

  red dwarf 271, 274

  redox reactions 188, 190, 191, 195

  reference frame 88, 91, 109–10, 121, 124, 127, 129, 131, 136, 143

  relativity: Theory of General Relativity 47, 56, 88, 144, 168; Theory of Special Relativity 30, 80, 88, 126–31, 134, 144 see also Einstein, Albert

  respiratory chain 190–1, 195, 198

  Rho 41

  Riccioli, Giovanni 107; Almagestum Novum (New Almagest) 107, 108, 109, 110, 111

  Rosetta spacecraft 51

  Royal Institution 131

  Royal Society 109, 131

  Rubens, Heinrich 239, 240

  runaway accretion 49

  Rutherford, Ernest 225

  S

  Sagan, Carl 209, 210, 211, 213

  Saturn 97, 151, 173; Cassini spacecraft and 202–3; moons 202–3, 202, 203, 209, 220–1, 222, 222; Voyager missions and 202 209

  scaling violation 39

  Schrödinger, Erwin 30, 183

  Schwinger, Julian 242

  Scorpius, constellation of 61, 61

  Scott, Sir Walter 167

  Sea of Cortez 194–5, 195, 196

  seasons 92–101, 92, 94–5, 96, 97, 98–9, 100, 100–1, 101

  see-saw mechanism 246

  Selene 103

  Shelley, Mary: Frankenstein 160, 160, 167, 168, 179, 189

  Sigmas 41

  Sirius B 228, 228

  sky, light and 258–61, 258–9, 260, 261, 262, 263, 263

  Snell’s law/Snell-Descartes law 219

  snowflake: structure of 16, 16, 17, 18–19, 19, 26, 28, 28, 41, 74, 75–7, 75, 76–7

  Space Shuttle Atlantis 114, 224, 224

  spacetime 47, 134–47

  Special Relativity, Theory of 30, 80, 88, 126–31, 134, 144

  Spherical Bastard 69

  Spilker, Linda 203

  spin, subatomic particles and 30

  square-cube law 64

  Standard model particles 246

  Stokes, George Gabriel 221

  storms 106–15, 106–7, 108, 109, 110–11, 112–13, 114, 115, 124

  strange quark 41

  strong nuclear force 35, 39, 40, 40, 41, 75, 109, 225, 229

  Sun: age of 169, 224, 225; colour and 213: coronal mass ejec
tions/solar flares 226, 226–7; emission of light 224; formation of 49; nuclear physics of 226–7, 226–7, 228, 228, 229, 244–5; neutrino, solar 244–7; planets move in elliptical orbits around 16, 82, 82, 83, 83; solar constant 224; solar energy, harnessing the power of 225, 225; solar spectrum 242, 242; source of power output 224–5, 226–7; why does it shine? 222–3, 224–9, 224, 225

  Suomi-NPP satellite 249

  Super Moon, The 259

  Super-Kamiokande Neutrino Detector, Japan 246, 246–7

  ‘super-multiplets’ 41, 41

  surface-area-to-volume ratio 69

  symmetry 14–77, 127–8; discs and 60–1; fundamental forces of nature and 34–41; honeycomb structure and 22–4, 22, 23, 26–7, 26, 27; shapes and sizes of life and 62–9; spherical nature of Earth and 42–61; snowflake structure and 16, 16, 17, 18–19, 19, 26, 28, 28, 41, 74, 75–7, 75, 76–7; symmetry and symmetry breaking in nature 70–2; water molecule and 28, 29, 30, 30, 31, 31, 33, 75, 76

  synapse 166–7, 167

  Szent-Gyorgi, Albert 189, 265

  T

  Tarragona Castells competition, Spain 43, 44–5, 46–7, 47, 51–2

  Tasiilaq, Greenland 95–6, 98, 100–1, 101

  tau neutrino 245

  Tegetmeier, William Bernhardt 23

  Thales of Miletus 37

  Theia 103

  Theodoric of Freiberg: De iride et radialibus impressionibus 214

  thermodynamics 69, 179, 180–7, 181, 182, 191, 195

  Thingvellir, Iceland 250, 251, 251, 252–3, 253

  tides 116–25, 116, 117, 118–19, 120, 121, 122–3, 124, 125, 125

  time 80–1, 126, 127, 135, 136; absolute time and 126, 127, 135, 136; inertia and 83, 88, 91, 93, 126; Newton’s laws of motion and 51, 71, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91, 110, 117, 127, 136; reference frames and 88, 91, 109–10, 121, 124, 127, 129, 131, 134, 136, 143; relativity and see relativity; time dilation 135, 136; spacetime 47, 134–47; ‘timelike separated’ events 143, 144, 147 see also motion

  TIROS-3 satellite 108, 109

  Titan 56, 57, 209, 220, 221–2, 221, 222

  Tomonaga, Sin-Itiro 242

  Torre degli Asinelli drop-experiment, Bologna, 109

  tower, maximum height of 51–2

  Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite 274

  Triton 209

  Tyndall, John 175

  U

  ultraviolet catastrophe 239–41

  undulatory (wave) theory of 221

  University College London 202, 271

  Ununoctium 158

  up quark 39, 40, 41, 155, 227, 229

  Uranus 209, 210

  Urey, Harold 176, 177, 179, 196–7, 202

  V

  Varro, Marcus Terentius 24

  Viking 1 orbiter 51

  Vitruvius: De architectura 71

  Volt 131

  Volta, Alessandro 131, 231

  Voyager spacecraft 208, 209, 210, 211, 211; Voyager 1 95, 96, 97, 209; Voyager 2 95, 209

  W

  W and Z bosons 40

  water: absorption of light 250, 251, 251, 252–3, 253, 254–5, 254–5, 256, 257, 257; structure of water molecule 28, 29, 30, 30, 31, 31, 33, 75, 76

  Watson, James 176, 178, 178, 179

  weak nuclear force 40, 40, 41, 75, 109, 227

  weather systems 109–15, 110–11, 112–13, 114, 115

  Weinberg, Steve 54

  Western Australia 170–1, 171, 172, 173

  Weyl, Harmann 80, 140

  white dwarf 228, 228, 229

  Wigner, Eugene 231

  Wilson, Edward O. 37

  Withnail and I (movie) 81

  X

  X-rays 235

  Y

  yellow dwarf 271

  Young, Thomas 221, 221

  Z

  Z-scheme 265–6, 266

  zircon 170–1, 171, 172, 173

  Zweig, George 41

  Zwicky, Fritz 69

  Picture Credits

  The listed page numbers and image credits relate to the hardback edition of this publication and should therefore be referenced in accordance with a copy of the physical edition.

  Top=t; middle=m; bottom=b; left=l; right=r

  pp2, 192, 255tr © BBC; pp6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 60, 61, 151, 152–153, 165, 209, 211t, 211b, 220, 221b, 228b, 249, 261, 275t, 274 © NASA; pp13, 141, 142, 145, 199, 255bl, 255br, 276, 280–281, 286 © Brian Cox; pp14–15 © Kimberley Coole/Getty Images; p16 © Wilson Bentley Digital Archives of the Jericho Historical Society/snowflakebentley.com; p18 © NOAA/Science Photo Library; p21 © Chris Hill/National Geographic Creative; p22 © photomyeye/dreamstime.com; p25 © Andrew Newey; p26 © Anthony Lee/Getty Images; p27 © Henrik Sorensen/Getty Images; p28 © Robert Sisson/National Geographic Creative; pp29, 170, 205 © Stocktrek Images/Getty Images; p31 © Frans Lanting/National Geographic Creative; p32 © Maria Stenzel/National Geographic Creative; p34 © DESY/Science Photo Library; p38 © Nick Wall/Science Photo Library; p42t, b © Central Press/Stringer/Getty Images; pp43t, 57, 96, 125b, 132, 133 © NASA/Science Photo Library; p43b © Felix Pharand-Deschenes, Globaia/Science Photo Library; pp44–45, 46 © Jose Fuste Raga/Getty Images; p48 © Michael Collins/Corbis/Getty Images; p49 © Matt Cardy/Getty Images; p50 © European Space Agency/Rosetta/Osiris Team/Science Photo Library; p51 © ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); p52 © Julie Thurston Photography/Getty Images; p53 © US Geological Survey/Science Photo Library; pp54, 208 © Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; pp58–59 © Tony & Daphne Hallas/Science Photo Library; pp62–63 © Martin Barraud/Getty Images; p65 © Martin Harvey/Getty Images; p66t © Brian J. Skerry/Getty Images; pp66b, 67t, 72t, 72b, 73, 78–79, 101t, 102, 110, 112–113, 114 © Corbis/Getty Images; p68 © Mark Carwardine; p69b © George Steinmetz/National Geographic Creative; p70 © Sheila Terry/Science Photo Library; p71 © David Alan Harvey/Magnum Photos; p74 © Carsten Peter/National Geographic Creative; p76 © Todd Gipstein/National Geographic Creative; p77 © Al Petteway & Amy White/National Geographic Creative; p81 © Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images; pp82t, 176, 230 © Universal History Archive/Getty Images; pp82b, 107t © Print Collector/Getty Images; p83 © Universal History Archive/UIG/Science Photo Library; p84 © Stock Montage/Getty Images; pp86–87 © Babak Tafreshi/Getty Images; p89 © Manuela Schewe-Behnisch/EyeEm/Getty Images; p90 © Blend Images / Alamy; p92 © Corbis/Getty Images; p94 © George F. Mobley/National Geographic Creative; p99 © Frans Lanting/Corbis/Getty Images; pp100, 101b © Peter Adams/Getty Images; pp104–105 © Eckhard Slawik/Science Photo Library; p106 © Larry Landolfi/Science Photo Library; p108 © NOAA Archives; p109t © Royal Institution of Great Britain/Science Photo Library; pp115, 168, 177, 210, 214, 228t © Science & Society Picture Library/Getty Images; p116 © Ron Erwin; pp117t, 130, 169 © Hulton Archive/Getty Images; p117b © Education Images/Getty Images; p118 © Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/Getty Images; p120 © Katarina Stefanovic/Getty Images; p122 © Tarso Sarraf/Getty Images; p123 © Carrie Vonderhaar/Ocean Futures Society/National Geographic Creative; pp124t, 224 © NASA/Getty Images; p124b © SVF2/Getty Images; p126 © Ullstein Bild/Getty Images; p128 © PNA Rota/Getty Images; p129 © Keystone/Getty Images; p134 © Dea/V. Pirozzi/Getty Images; p137 © James King-Holmes/Science Photo Library; pp138–139 © Tim Platt/Getty Images; pp148–149 © Monthon Wa/Getty Images; p150 © Marek Mis/Science Photo Library; pp154–155 © HHPHOTOS/Getty Images; p156t © Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; p156b © Barcroft Media/Getty Images; p157 © Sylvester Chong/Getty Images; p159 © Brian J. Skerry/Getty Images; p160tr © Matt Cardy/Getty Images; p160tl © Culture Club/Getty Images; p160b Image courtesy Library of Congress, USA; p161 © Stock Montage/Getty Images; pp162, 163 © Wellcome Library, London; p166 © Biology Pics/Science Photo Library; p172 © G. Brad Lewis/Getty Images; p173 © Dirk Wiersma/Science Photo Library; p174 © Hans Wild/Getty Images; p178 © A. Barrington Brown, Gonville and Caius College/Science Photo Library; pp179, 240, 263b © Bettmann/Getty Images; p180 © Damian Peach/Science Photo Library; p181 © Imagno/Getty Images; p182 © National Nuclear Security Administration/digital version by Science Faction/Getty Images; pp184–185 © Ol
ivier Morin/Getty Images; p187 © Reuters; pp188–189 © Jane Fulton Alt/Gallery Stock; pp190m, 217 © Science Photo Library; p191 © Ashley Cooper/Getty Images; p194 © wildestanimal/Getty Images; p195 © Georgette Douwma/Science Photo Library; p196 © NASA/Image courtesy D. Kelley and M. Elend/University of Washington; p197 © Ralph White/Getty Images; pp200–201 © RGB Ventures/SuperStock/Alamy; p202 © RGB Ventures/SuperStock/Alamy; p203 © NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/Science Photo Library; p204t © NASA/World History Archive & ARPL; p204b © Frances Roberts/Alamy; pp206–207 © Justin Locke/National Geographic Creative; p212 © Design Pics Inc/National Geographic Creative; pp215, 221t © Universal Images Group/Getty Images; p216 © Arabic Manuscripts Collection/New York Public Library/Science Photo Library; p218 © Stuart Franklin/Magnum Photos; pp222–223 © Tetra Images/Getty Images; p225 © Westend61/Getty Images; pp226–227 © NASA/SDO/Getty Images; p231 © Heritage Images/Getty Images; pp232t, 233t © Royal Institution of Great Britain/Science Photo Library; p232b © Tim Laman/National Geographic Creative; p233b © Thomas Hoepker/Magnum Photos; p234 © Greg White; p236 © Harold Cunningham/Getty Images; p238 © Marc Moritsch/National Geographic Creative; p241 © Jan Greune/LOOK-foto/Getty Images; p243 © Physics Today Collection/American Institute of Physics/Science Photo Library; p244 © Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/Science Photo Library; p245t © Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory/Science Photo Library; p245b © Randsc/Alamy; pp246–247 © The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images; pp250, 252 © Wild Wonders of Europe/Lundgren/Naturepl.com; p251 © Jonathan Irish/National Geographic Creative; p253t © Rene Frederick/Getty Images; p253b © Elli Thor Magnusson/Getty Images; p254 © Marcin Dobas/Alamy; p256t © João Vianna/Getty Images; p256b © Martin Strmiska/Alamy; pp258–259 © Richard Bord/Getty Images; p260 © Paul Fusco/Magnum Photos; p261 diagram based on image created by Robert A. Rohde as licensed under the GFDL; p262 © Granger, NYC/Alamy; p263t © Apollo Photo Archive Collection / Alamy; p264 © Ed Reschke/Getty Images; p267 © Dr Kari Lounatmaa/Science Photo Library; p269 © Brian Lawrence/Getty Images; p270 © Anthony Lee/Getty Images; pp272–273 © Frans Lanting/National Geographic Creative and Getty Images

  Acknowledgements

  Forces of Nature has been a long time in the making. Since January 2014 a world-class team led by Danielle Peck and Giselle Corbett have shown huge intellectual and creative ambition and a large dose of stoicism to deliver the television series that accompanies this book. We’d like to thank everyone involved in the production for the endless commitment they have given to the project.

 

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