Motion Mountain - vol. 5 - The Adventure of Physics: Motion Inside Matter - Pleasure, Technology and the Stars (Volume 5)

This physics volume presents motion inside matter. It explains how chemistry, biology, material properties, stars, nuclear reactors and particle physics follow from the quantum of action. The volume leads from molecular motors in muscles to the colour of gems, from the working of nerves to the processes that make volcanoes erupt, and from the structure of DNA to the reasons that stars shine. This is the fifth volume (418 pages, of December 2013) of the Motion Mountain Physics Textbook, written to be surprising and challenging on every page. It provides a simple, modern and vivid introduction to the motion inside people, animals, nuclei, and stars, including the physics of perception and the senses, of crystals and of elementary particles. The text is written in an easy style, uses little mathematics, and is accessible to undergraduates, teachers and anybody who is interested in the precise description of nature. Enjoy the reading!