THE RING OF TRUTH: An Inquiry into How We Know What We Know

MIT professor (Astronomy, Physics) Morrison's companion volume to a six-part fall PBS series: breezy, anecdotal, colorful illuminations of how the scientific method has worked from Galileo to particle physics, with excursion tours of such addenda as glassmaking techniques, the beating of gold, and champion bicyclists' breakfast menus; but also of quantum ladders and Brownian motion. On the positive side: Morrison's enthusiasm for the history of science and his marvelous clarity make his discussions of the six concepts that demarcate the series--""Looking,"" ""Change,"" ""Mapping,"" ""Clues,"" ""Atoms,"" and ""Doubt""--educational and invigorating. On the negative: anecdotes, rather than scientific ideas, inform the presentation of material, which is more suitable to TV viewing than to serious reading. The TV series--which Morrison narrates--begins October 20.