The first law: energy. Nothing for free: the conservation of work --
Swinging, falling, and rolling: the initial foundations of energy --
Untangling the mess: energy, momentum, force, and matter --
The missing link: heat: the final piece in the energy puzzle --
Nature's compensation: entropy. Thoughts of heat engines: the thermodynamic origins of entropy --
Dissipation: the relationship between heat and work --
The preferred direction: entropy as nature's signpost --
The other side of entropy: entropy's connection to matter and atoms --
The pieces: atoms. Speculations of atoms: thoughts of existence pave the way for atoms --
Two new philosophies: rational versus spiritual view of nature --
Realizing atoms: the physical foundations of the atom --
Final doubts to rest: the atom as physical reality --
Uncertainty: quantum mechanics. Discrete: energy's devious secret --
Light quanta: Particles and waves: the beginning --
The quantum atom: revisiting the atom --
Quantum mechanics: nature's lottery --
Epilogue: From here to there.

Energy, entropy, atoms, and quantum mechanics form the very foundation of our universe. But how do they govern the world we live in? What was the difficult path to their discovery? Who were the key players that struggled to shape our current understanding? The Cosmic Machine takes you from the earliest scientific inquiries in human history on an exciting journey in search of the answers to these questions. In telling this fascinating story of science, the reader is masterfully guided through the wonderment of how scientific discoveries (and the key players of those discoveries) shaped the world as we know it today. With its unique blend of science, history, and biographies, The Cosmic Machine provides an easily accessible account without sacrificing the actual science itself. Not only will this book engage, enlighten, and entertain you, it will inspire your passion and curiosity for the world around us.