This new resource introduces students and researchers to the fundamentals of the Physical Sciences. Entries are written in easy-to-understand language, so readers can use these entries as a solid starting-off point to develop a thorough understanding of this oftentimes confusing subject matter.

Emphasises on contemporary applications and an intuitive problem-solving approach that helps students discover the exciting potential of chemical science. This book incorporates fresh applications from the three major areas of modern research: materials, environmental chemistry, and biological science.

Now in paperback, this book provides an overview of the physics of condensed matter systems. Assuming a familiarity with the basics of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, the book establishes a general framework for describing condensed phases of matter, based on symmetries and conservation laws. It explores the role of spatial dimensionality and microscopic interactions in determining the nature of phase transitions, as well as discussing the structure and properties of materials with different symmetries. Particular attention is given to critical phenomena and renormalization group methods. The properties of liquids, liquid crystals, quasicrystals, crystalline solids, magnetically ordered systems and amorphous solids are investigated in terms of their symmetry, generalised rigidity, hydrodynamics and topological defect structure. In addition to serving as a course text, this book is an essential reference for students and researchers in physics, applied physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering, who are interested in modern condensed matter physics.