December 1996 Physics Today Contents


Articles:

The Pool-Table Analogy with Axion Physics

A tilted room houses a mysteriously horizontal pool table, sending an imaginary character named TSP on an intellectual journey that parallels that of physicists interested in the strong CP problem and axion physics -- Pierre Sikivie
Dark Matter Axions '96 (paper by Sikivie cited in article)

Topological Ideas and Fluid Mechanics

New mathematical techniques and greater computational power have made it possible to apply knot theory and braid theory to fluid flows -- Renzo L. Ricca and Mitchell A. Berger

Special Focus: Undergraduate Texts

Part 1: The Introductory Calculus-Based Physics Textbook

Physics professors who teach the introductory course frequently complain about the first-year textbooks. Here are some of the books being developed in response -- Joseph Amato

Part 2: Upper-Division Undergraduate Text Reviews

(See Books Department)


Departments:

Search and Discovery

Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Lee, Osheroff and Richardson for discovery of superfluidity in He-3. A quarter of a century ago three Cornell experimenters found that when they cooled He-3 below 3 mK it had three different superfluid phases and behaved anisotropically.

Nobel Chemistry Prize goes to Curl, Kroto and Smalley for discovering fullerenes. Carbon is unique in its ability to combine with other atoms in innumerable ways. But only recently have we learned that pure carbon can form itself into a dazzling proliferation of molecular shapes.

Washington Reports

The 1996 election ends in a political status quo, with both sides calling for comity, not collision

At last, nuclear powers sign comprehensive test ban but doubts remain on nonsigners and subcritical tests

Engineering academy picks Wulf to replace deposed president

Physics Community

AIP-Manpower Inc agreement aims to boost industry's use of physicists. Will temp agencies provide more physicists with an entree into the industrial workforce?

Swiss neutron source starts up

EPS moves to France, makes other changes

Gross will be next director of ITP

Maiani to head CERN council

AIP reports look at master's recipients and postdocs

Woodall will lead AVS in 1998

Siegman elected vice president of OSA

Books

Special Focus: A selection of undergraduate textbooks

Laser Fundamentals, W. T. Silfvast (reviewed by W. B. Bridges)

Vibrations and Waves, W. Gough, J. P. G. Richards and R. P. Williams (reviewed by L. Roelofs)

Reasoning About Luck: Probability and Its Uses in Physics, V. Ambegaokar (reviewed by R. H. Howes)

Cellular Biophysics, Volumes 1 and 2, T. F. Weiss (reviewed by E. V. Mielczarek)

An Introduction to High-Performance Scientific Computing, L. D. Fosdick, E. R. Jessup, C. J. C. Schauble and G. Domik (reviewed by R. L. Place)

Mechanics of Materials, D. Roylance;
Mechanics of Materials, R. R. Craig Jr (reviewed by C. S. Lynch)

Lasers and Electro-Optics: Fundamentals and Engineering, C. C. Davis (reviewed by J. R. Brandenberger)

Newton's Principia: The Central Argument, D. Densmore (reviewed by J. B. Brackenridge)

Understanding Relativity: A Simplified Approach to Einstein's Theories, L. Sartori (reviewed by L. C. Shepley)

Advanced University Physics, S. B. Palmer and M. S. Rogalski (reviewed by K. S. Krane)

Department-head standards in undergraduate texts

Plus...

Our regular sections: Physics Update, Letters, New Products, We Hear That, and Information Exchange.

And...

Our Annual Index.


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