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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 920 BOO | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The history of atomic science, as told through the lives of its most brilliant and creative minds. This dramatic presentation brings to life the thoughts, battles, and breakthroughs of the figures that made science history, from Lucretius to Feynman. Contains over 100 biographies in all, covering the most notable thinkers, and also many important, but little-remembered contributors to the rise of atomic theory. Chronological format and broad historical sweep give this fascinating account special value as a reference source.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
In a continuum of brief biographies, sorted into chapters that, however, observe the chronology of physics rather than of physicists' birthdates, Boorse and company trace the history of atomic science. Lucretius, the Roman poet whose De Rerum Natura passed Greek atomic theory to scientists of the Enlightenment, is by far the most ancient entrant, and the Nobel laureate high energy physicists C. N. Yang and T. D. Lee, the newest. Each biography is titled to denote the subject's particular contribution to the discipline (e.g., "The Discovery of the Electron: J. J. Thomson," "The Exclusion Principle: Wolfgang Pauli," etc.). Each includes a small portrait and concentrates upon the individual's scientific achievements. Personal particulars are largely ignored or treated perfunctorily. In keeping with the development of physical knowledge, the prose becomes increasingly, but never too, technical. An exceedingly attractive, readable presentation of physics for the lay reader that many libraries may want to add to reference as well as circulating collections, although the lack of both an index and a detailed table of contents makes quick searching for particular persons and topics impossible. --Ray Olson
Choice Review
This encyclopedic survey of atomic and subatomic physics claims to have "parts" reprinted from The World of the Atom, edited by H.A. Boorse and L. Motz (CH, Oct '66). In fact, it is entirely reprinted from the earlier book, with only minor editing and the addition of three pages on recent theoretical developments. The new title omits the texts of the landmark papers that were featured in the first; photographs of many of the principal scientists have been added. The story is nonmathematical and can be appreciated by beginning undergraduates as well as by more experienced scientists. The authors begin with the precursors of Lucretius and continue well into the present century with the exciting developments of quantum physics and relativity. This book, instead of being read from cover to cover, will rather serve as a ready source of information about the cast of characters and their respective contributions to this fascinating field. There is no point in owning both titles, but if the earlier is missing from a collection, this will be a most valuable addition. -J. U. Trefny, Colorado School of Mines
