A largely satisfying highlight reel suggesting that if you slept through high-school physics, it might well have been the...
Ambitious work presenting crucial scientific milestones through the experimental devices that recorded, measured, or otherwise enabled them.
Don’t worry that the history of science will be couched solely in terms of gimmicks and doodads, however. Crump (Solar Eclipse, not reviewed) knows that hardware alone, no matter how ingenious or shockingly simple, can't carry this kind of rendering. Technical details can add intrigue, as in the 1895 example of Wilhelm von Röntgen impulsively thrusting his own hand into the path of an unknown beam (the first X-rays), then marveling in the eerie glow as its skeletal shadow appeared against a backdrop. But what really fascinate here are Crump’s incisive and lively vignettes animating the personalities of scientists who often struggled against long odds. Sure, there’s some math, but it’s confined to real numbers and simple computation. The author’s deftness at capturing the tenor of the times helps make what could otherwise have been a dry cataloguing of events a fairly engaging read, for example, the disdain of the scientific community for rocketeer Wernher von Braun as a mere “engineer” who never gave a second thought to the kinds of horrific war machines his technology might enable. There are a few monumental goofs to consider as well: When Greece's intellectual demigod Aristotle publicly sniffs at the intuitive notion of his predecessor Democritus that matter must be composed of infinitesimal particles, Crump tags it as a single act that deferred any real advancement in a key theoretical branch until the day in 1909, some 2,000 years later, when New Zealander Ernest Rutherford revealed and defined the atomic nucleus. One might quibble with Crump’s decision to structure this in parallel pathways as opposed to a central chronology, which results in an annoying if necessary level of chapter cross-referencing. A companion CD with hyperlinks and a searchable time line would help validate this approach.
A largely satisfying highlight reel suggesting that if you slept through high-school physics, it might well have been the teacher's fault.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7867-0907-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2001
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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