Table of Contents

Introduction: The World According to Physics.- Part I: Three Key Ideas and a Shortcut.- The Atomic Idea.- The Wave-Particle Duality.- Equilibrium and Minimization of Total Energy.- Dimensional Analysis: A Shortcut to Physics Relations.- Part II: Structures Mediated by Strong Interactions.- From Quark and Gluons to Hadrons.- From Protons and Neutrons to Nuclei.- Part III: The Realm of Electromagnetism.- From Nuclei and Electrons to Atoms.- From Atoms to Molecules.- From Atoms and Molecules to Solids (or Liquids).- Part IV: Gravity at the Front Stage.- Planets.- Stars, Dead or Alive.- The Observable Universe.- Epilogue: The Anthropic Principle.- Answers to Multiple-Choice Questions.- Answers to Some Unsolved Problems.