Detailed project information
Below you will find much more detailed information about the volume than is found on the home page.
Volume structure
After an Introduction, a Reader’s Guide, and an essay on Order of Magnitude Thinking/Estimation in Part I of the volume, there will be seven substantive parts and then a concluding essay.
Part II is “Concepts,” which will contain between 60 and 70 one-page (1,000-word) articles. This part will be in the style of an “Encyclopedic Dictionary,” with short essays defining, elaborating, and providing perspective on central concepts in physics. The entries will include some history, some interpretation, and an occasional equation, and they will also naturally link to later parts of the book.
“Milestone Observations and Experiments” is the title of Part III. It will contain approximately 40 articles, each of which will be 3–10 pages (3,000–5,000 words) in length. Physics is an empirical science, and it is very important to highlight the grounding of our concepts in concrete facts. Fortunately, this can be done in an entertaining and informative way, by focusing on historic experiments that have shaped physics.
Part IV is “Unifications”, which will contain approximately eight articles, each of which will be five pages (5,000 words) in length. Unification of seemingly diverse ideas has been a major theme running through the history of physics and is one of its great intellectual achievements. It is an ongoing process and drives a lot of research activity today. It is also a very attractive way of presenting important ideas: the process of unification has elements of conflict, drama, and fulfilment that lend themselves naturally to storytelling.
“Great Equations” is Part V of the volume. There will be approximately twenty articles in this section, each about five pages (5,000 words) in length. A special feature of physics, among the natural sciences, is the precision and power of its quantitative results, captured in great equations. They represent another kind of unification, for they assert the equality of a priori different things. The great equations give us another very attractive way to present important ideas.
Part VI is “The State of the Art,” which forms the backbone of the book. Here, leading figures in subject areas at the forefront of contemporary physics will contribute approximately fifty articles, each about 5–15 pages (5,000–15,000 words) in length.
“The Human Side” (Part VII) follows. There will be approximately forty articles in this section, each about 2–5 pages (2,000–5,000 words) in length. Physics is a human activity, and dedicated discussion of that side of the subject is very much in line with the goals of this volume. We envisage substantial articles and think-pieces around the themes related to physics as a human endeavor.
“At the Frontier ” (Part VIII) is the last substantive section of the book. Approximately thirty articles will be included in this section, each approximately three pages (3,000 words) in length. Physics remains a dynamic subject, featuring deep unsolved mysteries, exciting challenges, and open opportunities. Many examples will have been touched upon at different points in the preceding sections. But it will be fitting, at the conclusion of this Companion, to address the future explicitly and in an organized way.
Finally, there will be a concluding essay written by the Volume Editors.
Contributors
A list of confirmed authors follows below.
Frank Wilczek
Cristiane Morais Smith
Al Shapere
Princeton Companion to Physics 