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The Matter of Everything
- Twelve Experiments that Changed Our World
- Narrated by: Suzie Sheehy
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Bloomsbury presents The Matter of Everything by Suzie Sheehy, read by Suzie Sheehy.
The astonishing story of 20th-century physics, told through the 12 experiments that changed our world.
For millennia, people have asked questions about the nature of matter. In the 20th century, this curiosity led to an unprecedented outburst of scientific discovery that changed the course of history.
In The Matter of Everything, accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the people who, through a combination of genius, persistence and luck, staged these groundbreaking experiments. From the physicists who soared in hot air balloons on the trail of new particles, to the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German lab, and from the race to split open the atomic nucleus to the quest to find the third generation of matter, Sheehy shows how these experiments informed innumerable aspects of how we live today. Radio, TV, the chips in our smartphones, MRI scanners, radar equipment and microwaves, to name a few: these were all made possible by our determination to understand, and control, the microscopic.
Pulling physics down from the theoretical and putting it in the hands of the people, The Matter of Everything is a celebration of human ingenuity, creativity and curiosity: a powerful reminder that progress relies on the desire to know.
Critic Reviews
"A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously." (Philip Pullman)
"A magical tour of the great experiments defining the most incredible century in physics." (Andrew Steele, best-selling author of Ageless)
What listeners say about The Matter of Everything
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- KJ
- 25-07-2022
Simple questions that changed our lives
A step by step adventure on how we know what we know about particle physics and how it has radically changed our lives for the better.
This books unravels what the questions and processes were, and who made them, to explain the very small.
It explains particle physics and its relevance in a way that is both simple to grasp and inspiring to anyone interested in science.
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- douggyi
- 24-08-2022
Informative, engaging and a pleasure to listen to.
I've only ever once requested a refund for an Audible title, and that was for an author-narrated book. In that single case, the writer perhaps shouldn't have been offered a microphone. The title was a good seller in other formats, so it wasn't the subject matter that was the problem.
I'm very happy to say that the title being reviewed here, "The Matter of Everything", is the opposite of that other book. Suzie Sheehy seems to be the perfect choice to narrate her writing. The author's understanding of and enthusiasm for her field of expertise beams through her writing style, and her delivery matched that, keeping me engaged for the entirety of the recording.
I sometimes failed to get my head around the science being presented in the book, but that was in no way any fault of Suzie's. The matters (pardon the pun) Suzie has researched, had practical experience in, and previously had to communicate to experts and novices alike are some of the most complex concepts discovered in the past two hundred years. The inability of a novice such as I to grasp all of them, despite the clear writing style and delivery here, is probably not unexpected. I'm also happy to accept that it might be a case of me having to know my limits and read about less lofty topics.
Suzie, I hope that you have other titles in you that will be put into print and narrated by yourself. Short of that, I at least hope you will have many opportunities to bring your communication skills to bear in relating the work of others to us mortals.
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- Peter Bondy
- 07-10-2022
A great new voice in popular science writing
This is a wonderfully researched and informative book, full of great information and anecdotes about the scientific process and those involved in these discoveries.
It is an excellently constructed journey through the complex history of our research and discoveries into what the universe is made of. A complex journey is made comprehensible but without sacrificing the scientific details lovers of science want.
And on top of all that the narration is perfect, something uncommon for narrators of their own work. It is read with clarity and enthusiasm.
Frankly I’m already looking forward to Suzie’s next book, whatever and whenever that may be. I found this one to be virtually faultless.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-08-2023
Great overview & insight of getting where we are
loved it. very well written and read by the author. a good balance of knowledge for those who understand parts of the physics that led us to where we are today (with great tid bits along the way) but also put in great context for those who may not be across more detailed physics
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