EVOLUTION OF PHYSICS

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 1938

A dark horse, only in that one might not expect a book by Einstein to be a sales possibility for the layman. And that is what this is. It is ideal for the layman,and he needs little or no previous knowledge of the subject if he is willing to give the successive pages of the volume his careful attention. There is no necessity of struggling with mathematical equations, though -- because of the subject -- there may be a few battles with comprehension. It would be presumption to evaluate the book's accuracy and authority. Sufficient to say that the text advances so logically from step to step that the beauty and simplicity of the reasoning carry one along. It is more than a history of physics. It is an exposition of scientific methods of thinking. From the subject of motion (treated with an analogy to a detective story), it goes on to the study of heat, thence to a consideration of matter, then to the field of magnetism and electricity and the nature of light and color. From there relativity is the obvious next step, the high spot of the book. Next an investigation of matter, and brief touching on other suggested problems, it ends with a short section on the relationship of physics and reality. Taken as a whole, the book offers some of the most difficult ideas in modern science with the background to make it comprehensible. A book for the James and Eddington market -- and more.

Pub Date: March 28, 1938

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1938

Categories: NONFICTION