A Journey Into Modern Physics Part 1 - LIGHT edition: From Atoms to quarks, electrons and the Higgs field

Discover the Secrets of the Universe – One Particle at a Time

A Journey into Modern Physics Part 1 – LIGHT.
This is a special edition of Part 1 of the main series 'A Journey into Modern Physics' adapted for curious young minds.

Have you ever wondered what everything is really made of? What atoms actually are, or what mysterious forces keep the universe ticking? If you’re 16–18 years of age or thereabouts, and have an interest in science—or just like asking big questions—this book is for you.

A Journey into Modern Physics – LIGHT (Part 1) isn’t your typical science textbook. It’s a guided exploration into the mind-blowing world of modern physics, written in a way that’s easy to follow, even if you’ve never studied physics before. We’ll take you from the familiar to the strange—from the atom to the invisible fields that shape reality.

This book is perfect if you're thinking about a future in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, as physics is the foundation stone of how the universe works. But even if you're just curious about how things work at the smallest level, there's a lot here, in part 1, to spark your imagination.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll explore in the first part of your journey:

⚛️ Chapter 1: What is an atom, really?
Think atoms are mostly empty space? Think again. We’ll bust that myth and dive into the mysterious world of subatomic particles like electrons and quarks.

💥 Chapter 2: How do we know what’s inside an atom?
From ancient guesses to cutting-edge discoveries, you’ll learn how science pieced together the puzzle of the particle zoo—then tamed it with a surprising new idea: quarks.

〰️ or ☉ Chapter 3: Wave or particle? Why not both?
Particles like electrons (and even light!) behave in seriously weird ways. We'll explore the strange and essential concept of wave-particle duality—one of the wildest ideas in physics.

⚛ Chapter 4: How do electrons build atoms?
Discover how electrons "fill" atoms in structured, rule-based ways—like cosmic Lego bricks snapping into place, forming everything from hydrogen to xenon and beyond.

🔩 Chapter 5: What holds everything together?
Explore the four fundamental forces of nature—and the strange world of quantum fields and force-carrying particles that make our universe work.

💡 Chapter 6: What’s the deal with the Higgs field?
You might have heard about the Higgs boson, but what really gives particles mass? (Spoiler: it’s not what you think.)

Best of all, you don’t need to be a maths genius to get something out of this book. The small number of equations are kept light, and everything is explained clearly—with loads of links for you to dig deeper, if you're interested.

Every section starts with a question or a statement—so you can dive straight into what fascinates you most. And with a handy index, you’ll never get lost.

So why read this book?
Because modern physics is the foundation of our understanding of reality. Because it’s weird, wonderful, and endlessly surprising. And because if you’re the kind of person who always wants to know why, this is your kind of adventure.