Summary
Energy and its relationship to matter started with big bang—a widely accepted theory in contemporary cosmology, which concerns the origin and evolution of the universe. According to this theory, an incredibly powerful explosion about 13.7 billion years ago started the present universe. Prior to this explosion, matter, energy, space, and time did not exist. All of these physical phenomena emerged from an unimaginably small, infinitely dense object that scientists call the initial singularity. Immediately after the big bang event, the intensely hot universe, which consisted of pure energy, began to expand and cool. As the universe cooled, matter began to form, initially as primeval quark-gluon plasma.
Energy of Matter presents the most important intellectual achievements and technical developments that led people to use matter's energy content more efficiently. Supported by full-color illustrations and interesting sidebars, this new book describes the transformation of matter into energy and vice versa and how it continues in the present.
Chapters include:
- Understanding Energy
- The Big Bang—Source of All Energy and Matter
- The Energy of Motion
- Discovering the Nature of Heat
- Thermodynamics
- Harvesting Energy Locked in Fossil Fuels
- Manipulating Matter's Electromagnetic Properties
- Discovering Equivalence of Energy and Matter
- Renewable Energy Resources
- Hydrogen—Tomorrow's Universal Fuel.
Specifications
Full-color photographs and line illustrations. Index. Appendix. Glossary. Chronology. Further resources.
About the Author(s)
Joseph A. Angelo Jr., Ph.D., is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and is currently an adjunct professor in the science department of Valencia Community College, where he teaches an introductory astronomy course called The Cosmic Perspective. He is the author of many reference books, including the Frontiers in Space set and the award-winning Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy, both for Facts On File.