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Oxford Dictionary of Physics (3rd edition)

Article in European Journal of Physics · August 2009

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Paul Craven
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European Journal of Physics (Impact Factor: 0.64). 08/2009; 17(6). DOI:10.1088/0143-

ABSTRACT ISBN: 0 19 280030 2

How does one begin to review a dictionary? My first thought was of a recent sequence of
correspondence in a popular science magazine, during which each contributor took great
delight in unearthing mistakes in Richard Feynmann's Lectures on Physics. However, this
would seem to be a rather negative approach and, in all likelihood, extremely futile given
the experience of Oxford University Press in producing reference works of this kind.
Certainly this reviewer came across no typographical, numerical or explanatory errors. An
alternative, and far more satisfactory, approach was to explore the definition of a word that
I have often read (and often used) but, to my shame, never understood. Obviously an
acronym for some horrendously complicated phrase, this word always conjured up images
of impossibly complex machinery, mysterious magnetohydrodynamical interactions and
baffling energy transport processes. As it was, one simple diagram and a few paragraphs of
text enlightened me. No longer would I be afraid to say `tokamak' in public! The dictionary is
aimed primarily at the sixth-form and undergraduate markets, and is priced accordingly -
well within the budget of the typical student. Associated chemical, mathematical and
astronomical terminology is included, in addition to the physics definitions, and this edition
also incorporates jargon from the latest computing advances that are playing a major role in
the global dissemination of scientific information (Internet, WWW, Bitnet, URL, etc.).
Another useful feature is the inclusion of physics phrases (`order of magnitude', `precession
of the equinoxes', `age of the Universe') as well as single words. Most of the `popular'
science of recent years is contained via entries such as chaos, attractor, fractal, wormhole,
black hole, tachyon, etc., and reference to contemporary experimental (COBE, Bose -
Einstein condensation) and theoretical (Higgs field) research is also given. One simple
addition which would, in my view, enhance the usefulness of this work would be the
inclusion of references to the seminal physics papers of the last century or so. To enable
students to follow up the dictionary entry and peruse the original article concerning, for
example, the Michelson - Morley or Young's slits experiment, would surely lead to a more
fundamental understanding of the physics involved and the way in which science works. The
dictionary contains approximately 4000 entries within 469 pages, and ends with various
Appendices concerning Greek symbols, definitions, conversions and prefixes for SI units,
fundamental constants, the solar system and the electromagnetic spectrum. Diagrams
throughout are clear and well annotated. They are occasional, not excessive, and the
impression of a dictionary is always retained. A final word? Zwitterion. Obviously invented
by a spiteful chemist in order to frustrate Zeeman and Zener in their attempts to be last in
the dictionary of physics.

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