Smashing Physics

Inside the Discovery of the Higgs Boson

By: Jon Butterworth

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

The first insider account of the work at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the discovery of the Higgs particle - and what it all means for our understanding of the laws of nature.

The discovery of the Higgs boson made headlines around the world. Two scientists, Peter Higgs and François Englert, whose theories predicted its existence, shared a Nobel Prize. The discovery was the culmination of the largest experiment ever run, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider.

But what really is a Higgs boson and what does it do? How was it found? And how has its discovery changed our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature? And what did it feel like to be part of it?

Jon Butterworth is one of the leading physicists at CERN and this book is the first popular inside account of the hunt for the Higgs. It is a story of incredible scientific collaboration, inspiring technological innovation and ground-breaking science. It is also the story of what happens when the world's most expensive experiment blows up, of neutrinos that may or may not travel faster than light, and the reality of life in an underground bunker in Switzerland.

This book will also leave you with a working knowledge of the new physics and what the discovery of the Higgs particle means for how we define the laws of nature. It will take you to the cutting edge of modern scientific thinking.

Jon Butterworth is one of the leading physicists on the Large Hadron Collider and is Head of Physics and Astronomy at UCL. He writes the popular Life & Physics blog for the Guardian and has written articles for a range of publications including the Guardian and New Scientist.

Jon has appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Material World, The Infinite Money Cage, BBC Newsnight, Horizon, Channel 4 News, and Al Jazeera. He frequently gives public lectures including at the Welcome Institute and the Royal Institution.

©2014 Jon Butterworth (P)2014 Audible Studios

Smashing Good Book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Smashing Physics to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This does not seem applicable to this book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The story about the children filing into the pool, swimming around, getting out, and the whole event being a surreal moment. I enjoyed the humorous and human interludes that were perfectly intertwined with a very dry and serious topic such as particle physics.

Any additional comments?

Fantastic book! As a mathematics major in college and someone that's studied physics, this was a very interesting and enjoyable listen.

Outstanding

Mr. Butterworth has a nice folksy way of writing, excellently captured by Mr. Keeble. And this is the very best sort of science writing. Butterworth makes a heroic effort to make comprehensible to the layman what is extremely complex. Many times I was out of my depth, but on the other hand, never did I feel that Butterworth was talking down to me. There are of course many successful scientific journalists, some better than others, but very few scientist of Mr. Butterworth's cutting edge caliber who can write. My guess is that his insights and descriptions have an authenticity that the journalist cannot hope to emulate. I have a nodding acquaintance with the subject matter and I feel that I have benefited not only from hearing the story but also from being exposed to Butterworth's observations about the relationships between investigative science on the one hand and the academic scientific community, the government, the press and the general public on the other. I do believe that a more solid ground in nuclear physics would have helped appreciate the excitements and disappointments involved. I also think this is not a book for the complete layman. But for me, it was an opportunity to bring myself up to date with developments even if my understanding was somewhat superficial, and it was an opportunity to enjoy Mr. Butterworth's engaging style.

A fun brain workout for me!

I'm sure I could listen to this about a dozen times before the law of diminishing returns takes effect. I have learned much from this book. The author's sense of humor kept my attention throughout.

Great book

Story of the LHC and the search for higgs boson. Some parts were too much for me, as a physics layman, but I liked it anyhow.
Narrator was superb. Excellent work with voice.

a lovely listen

well written, fairly easy to understand, and enjoyable to listen to. author explains complex thinking in a way that most common people will understand. narrator gives wonderful expression to the story.

excellently written and told story

esoteric material story told very well. author wrote a good story. story read very well. no errors heard, and lots of quite technical words used correctly with the correct emphasis. not all that common for technical words to be spoken and emphasized correctly throughout a complex story. helps that the author and performer are both Brits!. Keebles diction is excellent

Go inside the LHC

A view from an experimental physicist inside the Large Hadron Collider. An excellent peek into the miracle of modern particle physics.

Complicated!!!

I have a natural science degree, but this book sailed quite far over my head. It would be good to study some basic terminology in particle physics before reading this one.

Excellent Narration

The narrator makes even physics soothing. He could make reciting the telephone book sound good. I don't easily give 5 stars. The narration deserves it.

I have been soured by bad narration before, Napoleon's Buttons. The narrator of that book did not even learn to pronounce the words properly. This book redeaned me from my discomforts from that last sciece book experience.

The book was also well written.

Interesting...but I didn't get as much as i hoped.

The booked lacked an easy to understand flow.
The author mixed up who the audience is. Some of the book is very simple (too simple) and the other is very complex (i have no idea whats going on).
I had a few moments where I was able to connect the dots on other information I knew about CERN and particle physics. Would not recommend making e this your intro to quantum related stuff.