Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Nature of Matter: Understanding the Physical World

By: David W. Ball, The Great Courses
Narrated by: David W. Ball
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £25.99

Buy Now for £25.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Matter is the raw material of the universe. Discover how the immense variety of matter - stars, mountains, plants, people - is generated by a limited number of chemical elements that combine in simple, well-defined ways. Consider carbon, a relatively common atom with many faces: diamond, which is the hardest known mineral; graphite, which is among the softest known substances; and carbon nanotubes, which are 300 times stronger than steel and have remarkable electrical properties.

In the 24 engaging lectures of The Nature of Matter, no scientific background is needed to appreciate such miracles of everyday life as a bouncing rubber ball or water's astonishing power to dissolve. Moreover, the study of matter has led directly to such inventions as semiconductor circuits for computers, new fabrics for clothes, and powerful adhesives for medicine and industry. These discoveries were hard won by scientific sleuths, but we can all sit back and enjoy the details - just as we delight in the solution to a good detective story. Since prehistoric times, knowledge of materials has driven the development of civilization. The Stone Age was succeeded by the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Industrial Age, and now the age of silicon - the element that is the basis of the semiconductor revolution.

Where will new methods and materials take us next? Professor Ball notes that the "fun part about being a chemist is that we still have lots of combinations of these raw materials to explore". Join this outstanding teacher and researcher on this exciting journey of discovery into the substance of everyday life.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC
  • Lecture
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Thermodynamics: Four Laws That Move the Universe cover art
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition cover art
Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime cover art
The Evidence for Modern Physics cover art
The Science of Energy cover art
The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality cover art
Understanding the Misconceptions of Science cover art
Chemistry and Our Universe cover art
The Great Questions of Philosophy and Physics cover art
Macroeconomics Made Clear cover art
The Foundations of Western Civilization cover art
The Learning Brain cover art
How the Earth Works cover art
Major Transitions in Evolution cover art
The American Civil War cover art
Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science cover art

What listeners say about The Nature of Matter: Understanding the Physical World

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    71
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    60
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

so very interesting, brilliantly delivered.

listen again and again. you'll remember another gripping fact about the universe and what makes it tick.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative and engaging

There was so much in this book that was beyond my pay grade but it was truly fascinating and well worth the effort to get through it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant listen! Ive leaent a lot

As a student learning about health sciences this has given me the footing in knowledge to understand the basics in my course. I am inspired and i have learned a lot thankyou

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book goes into some detail in most areas

Good book would highly recommend. One of the better great courses narrators/lecturers. Hope there are more like this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent entry into the world of physics

A great introduction that left me wanting more. Fortunately, there are dozens of additional courses. Recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very interesting but sometimes difficult to follow

I won’t lie - as a non-physicist I did not understand everything but these parts that I did were very interesting, especially diamonds and surfaces.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

No SI units

Be prepared to deal with Fahrenheit, feet, pounds, etc. Otherwise, it's good enough. Transition music is low key and no clapping, which is always a bonus.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Give Yourself a Materials Science Refresher

If you are science student or just a person with an interest in "techy" things then you will like this. Its very informative, sometimes in a "broad brush" and sometimes with little details you'd need in an exam. And I really enjoyed the book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

Have read this book 10 times and keep going back for more. The concepts bring your everyday life into the chemical and physalis realms of science. It is just magical.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

nice chemistry physics primer

a good overview on chemistry and physics. I'm coming form electrical engineering background so i dove in the subjects years ago.. I found a good refresher. note that is not using SI units but imperials so the few phisical properties reported are misleading if you are not used

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful