Why Things Are the Way They Are
by Chandr B. S.

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Book Reviews of Why Things Are the Way They Are

Book Review: It's really a book about beginning solid-state physics
Summary: 4 Stars

Not only in the title, but throughout the book, Chandrasekhar illustrates that rare ability to understand the deep significance behind the really important things in science. Nonscientists may be inclined to believe that the quantum world is far removed from our lives, and has little effect on our macroscopic world. Chandrasekhar dashes these notions with many examples, from the color of gold, to the bite of an accidentally touched hot plate. The world in which we live would indeed be a much different place if fermions had symmetric wave functions, and bosons had antisymmetric wave functions, and we would not recognize our world if atoms and crystals did not have quantum fluctuations.

I could not help wishing I'd had the opportunity to read this book as a young student in High School. This is an excellent text that, without quantitative analysis, introduces almost all the important concepts of solid-state physics with illuminating examples of how these phenomena exhibit themselves in our everyday world. Even for first-year students in college physics, the book has great value in its qualitative, examples-oriented way of presenting the quantum world. For those of us with degrees in science, the book offers additional insight and easy bedtime reading.

The topics are broad. Beginning with crystal symmetry, the author introduces, step by step, the concepts of particle-wave duality and isolated electrons bound to protons in the hydrogen atom. There is a brief respite to discuss some elementary issues relating to statistical physics, and then a weaving of the entire tapestry into a qualitative view of the quantum crystal.

With this background (which occupies roughly half the book's volume) Chandrasekhar shows how to use these new tools to understand some of the common phenomena in the world in which we live. He explains electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and the color of metals; why gold is yellow and copper red, and why glass is transmissive. There is a brief discussion about magnets, and his discussion about superconductors is among the best I've seen for the lay audience.

Each chapter has a summary at the end. For the most part these summaries are actually useful, and give a brief review of the information learned in the chapter. Other summaries, however, revert to a type of index, and I found these less useful. The book has a nice index that should help when searching for various subjects, and is organized well, with a logical flow.

About the only thing I found wanting was a statement in the introduction to the effect that science isn't sure if living things can be explained by the laws of physics. The author apparently believes questions about life should not have been addressed in his book, but are rather important matter for philosophers, and theologians as well as scientists. Other than this brief foray into the nebulous realm of superstition, the book is an excellent read. I highly recommend it.

Duwayne Anderson

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