In our scientific age an understanding of physics is part of a liberal education. For lasting benefits the intelligent non-scientist needs a course of study that enables him to learn genuine science carefully and then encourages him to think about it and use it. This book is suitable for those who want to know what physics really is. "[T]he author has blended together the history, the philosophy, and the science of physics into a readable, stimulating account of the major fields of physics."---John N. Howard, Applied Optics