DOES thinking about nothing make it something, the philosopher Thales asked. Reading a book about it sure does. Nothing is a fascinating topic, impacting on the structure of matter and the origin of the universe. An atom is almost a perfect void, and the cosmos itself may be a fluctuation in the quantum vacuum. Close offers a concise history of physics, from Aristotle to Higgs, discussing relativity, quantum mechanics and cosmology. It’s a nice read for people with little background knowledge, but those more familiar with physics will be left wanting more of nothing.
The Void
Oxford University…
