Charge, Why Does Gravity Rule, reviewed

By John Mulhall @johnmlhll | john@maolte.ie is a writer with Irish Tech News for over 7 years and also a Founder, Writer, and Engineer with Maolte Technical Solutions Limited. You can learn more about John and his IT services company at https://maolte.ie.

I reviewed “Charge, Why Does Gravity Rule?” by Professor Frank Close. It is due for publication on Thursday, May 23rd of this year.  It was a complex, yet intriguing, read for me as a non-physics professional. The author made this possible with articulate writing, that delivers real worldly context and understanding to complex areas; making them comprehendible to me as a relative lay person.

Charge, Why Does Gravity Rule, reviewed

This 5 inches by 8.5 inch book is a portable read, that is made more digestible by ten chapters of nearly equal lengths. I guess, if anybody can do it, a physics professor can! All jokes aside, the author wasted no time delving into the history of electrons, protons, their constituent parts, and their relations via a historic timeline of discovery by chapter.

In chapter one, “The 2500-Year-Old-Mystery”, he presents some intriguing questions about the electricity buried in our world. Imagine, when we breathe steadily, we inhale enough electrons to generate 3,000 amps of electricity. It would incinerate us on the spot, yet every time we breathe, we were unharmed. This mystery is part of the book’s intriguing narrative, based on electromagnetism, a pinch of gravity and some particle theory for flavor.

After presenting a well-crafted introduction, setting out some history with the introductions of atomic structures such as the electron and the proton, the chapter moves forward. With some theory explored behind the questions that the book seeks to address, such as the subdivision of electrons, the chapter completes with an overview of Milliken’s measurement of the fundamental magnitude of the electric charge. The recorder method won Milliken a Nobel prize in 1923, and apparently spawned further conjecture and scientific interest, which we know drives all scientific progress.

Chapter two, “The Nuclear Atom” follows the book’s narrative style around the state of electricity buried in nature. Quantum mechanics makes a key introduction in the interactivity around charge relations between the positive nucleus and its bound electron clouds. The lens of history for scientific discovery, established as a theme in chapter one, continues in this chapter, and throughout the book.

Chapter three, “The Electromagnetic Force” sets to build on the exploration of particle theory and its interactivity. It then moves onto quantum electrodynamics, also known as QED. The read follows a clear narrative arc, using history as a narration tool for scientific discovery.

Chapter four, “New Agencies”, starts with the introduction and exploration of neutrinos, and explains why they can be power players with their electron underdog. It progresses the narrative arc in digestible detail, explaining why electrons and neutrinos can face off against the larger proton and neuron in their atomic contest.

Chapters five through seven, moves from the 1950s, and the acceptance of atomic decay, as requiring new discovery to be understood more clearly. The exploration of quarks and its part in this book is extensive, progressing the narrative arc along to chapter eight, “The End of Matter”.

In this chapter, the author explores a few chapter topics in a grand unifying theory. The exploration also looks at the problems impeding a coherent unifying theory, such as theoretical structures with subgroups don’t all follow the same mathematical patterns, and why proton decay as an investigative opportunity was to be followed. This chapter has a strong focus on the exploration of energy via particle theory.

Chapter nine, “Underground Physics” follows this narrative arc forward into the exploration of quantum physics. The historic narrative focused again on experiment exploration, which includes the follow up on proton decay via the Kamiokande detector experiments in the 1990s. The Super Kamiokande detector then followed it, also known as “SuperK”. It was an interesting read, given the Hyper Kamiokande detector is currently under construction. To be operational by 2026, the elusive proton decay rate faces precision pursuit by “HyperK”, and its precision detection capabilities.

Chapter ten, “Mysteries” is the final chapter installment. Charge inequality, once thought impossible, has a historic timeline of discovery from Einstein’s musing over what magnetic fields around the sun and the earth can handle, to a possible underlying force responsible for electromagnetism and gravity.

While Einstein’s experiments failed, applying his calculations to electromagnetism heralded more progress and new theories for exploration were born. Is the universe expanding because of the big bang theory, or is charge inequality because of quantum effects? The battle between proton and electron has an extensive field of play. I wonder where our future discoveries will take us?

The author thoughtfully structured the book to deliver understanding around complex topics. This included hallmark experiments in the historical timelines of discovery, that are clearly written for a wider audience than science professionals only. If you have an interest in science and physics, and the time to read this pearl of understanding; then May 23rd and your journey to your favorite bookstore are your remaining obstacles to sitting back with a good-read.

By John Mulhall @johnmlhll | john@maolte.ie is a writer with Irish Tech News for over 7 years and also a Founder, Writer, and Engineer with Maolte Technical Solutions Limited. You can learn more about John and his IT services company at https://maolte.ie.

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