Thirty Years That Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory by George Gamow (En

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Lucid, accessible introduction to the influential theory of energy and matter features careful explanations of Dirac's anti-particles, Bohr's model of the atom, and much more. Numerous drawings. 1966 edition.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

Lucid, accessible introduction to the influential theory of energy and matter features careful explanations of Dirac's anti-particles, Bohr's model of the atom, and much more. Numerous drawings. "Dr. Gamow, physicist and gifted writer, has sketched an intriguing portrait of the scientists and clashing ideas that made the quantum revolution." - Christian Science Monitor In 1900, German physicist Max Planck postulated that light, or radiant energy, can exist only in the form of discrete packages or quanta. This profound insight, along with Einstein's equally momentous theories of relativity, completely revolutionized man's view of matter, energy, and the nature of physics itself. In this lucid layman's introduction to quantum theory, an eminent physicist and noted popularizer of science traces the development of quantum theory from the turn of the century to about 1930 - from Planck's seminal concept (still developing) to anti-particles, mesons, and Enrico Fermi's nuclear research. Gamow was not just a spectator at the theoretical breakthroughs which fundamentally altered our view of the universe, he was an active participant who made important contributions of his own. This "insider's" vantage point lends special validity to his careful, accessible explanations of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Niels Bohr's model of the atom, the pilot waves of Louis de Broglie and other path-breaking ideas. In addition, Gamow recounts a wealth of revealing personal anecdotes which give a warm human dimension to many giants of 20th-century physics. He ends the book with the Blegdamsvej Faust, a delightful play written in 1932 by Niels Bohr's students and colleagues to satirize the epochal developments that were revolutionizing physics. This celebrated play is available only in this volume. Written in a clear, lively style, and enhanced by 12 photographs (including candid shots of Rutherford, Bohr, Pauli, Heisenberg, Fermi, and others), Thirty Years that Shook Physics offers both scientists and laymen a highly readable introduction to the brilliant conceptions that helped unlock many secrets of energy and matter and laid the groundwork for future discoveries.

Author Biography

Modern Science Made Easy By one of the leading physicists of the twentieth century, George Gamow's One, Two, Three...Infinity is one of the most memorable popular books on physics, mathematics, and science generally ever written, famous for having, directly or indirectly, launched the academic and/or scientific careers of many young people whose first real encounter with the wonders and mysteries of mathematics and science was through reading this book as a teenager. Untypically for popular science books, this one is enhanced by the author's own delightful sketches. Reviewers were enthusiastic when One, Two, Three...Infinity was published in 1947. In the Author's Own Words: "If and when all the laws governing physical phenomena are finally discovered, and all the empirical constants occurring in these laws are finally expressed through the four independent basic constants, we will be able to say that physical science has reached its end, that no excitement is left in further explorations, and that all that remains to a physicist is either tedious work on minor details or the self-educational study and adoration of the magnificence of the completed system. At that stage physical science will enter from the epoch of Columbus and Magellan into the epoch of the National Geographic Magazine!" - George Gamow Critical Acclaim for One, Two, Three...Infinity: "This skillful presentation is for the non-professional and professional scientist. It will broaden the knowledge of each and give the imagination wide play." - Chemistry and Engineering News "A stimulating and provocative book for the science-minded layman." - Kirkus Reviews "This is a layman's book as readable as a historical novel, but every chapter bears the solid imprint of authoritative research." - San Francisco Chronice "George Gamow succeeds where others fail because of his remarkable ability to combine technical accuracy, choice of material, dignity of expression, and readability." - Saturday Review of Literature

Table of Contents

BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE PREFACE INTRODUCTION I M. PLANCK AND LIGHT QUANTA Statistical Mechanics and Thermal Radiation Max Planck and the Quantum of Energy Light Quanta and the Photoelectric Effect The Compton Effect II N. BOHR AND QUANTUM ORBITS Rutherford's Theory of the Nuclear Atom Quantizing a Mechanical System Sommerfeld's Elliptical Orbits Bohr's Institute III W. PAULI AND THE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE Quotas for Electron Levels The Spinning Electron Pauli and Nuclear Physics The Neutrino IV L. DE BROGLIE AND PILOT WAVES Schrodinger's Wave Equation Applying Wave Mechanics V W. HEISENBERG AND THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE Discarding Classical Linear Trajectories VI P. A. M. DIRAC AND ANTI-PARTICLES Unifying Relativity and Quantum Theory Anti-Particle Physics VII E. FERMI AND PARTICLE TRANSFORMATIONS The Forces Behind ss-Transformation Using Fermi Interaction Laws Fermi's Research in Nuclear Reactions VIII H. YUKAWA AND MESONS IX MEN AT WORK APPENDIX BLEGDAMSVEJ FAUST INDEX

Kirkus US Review

George Gamow is one of our wittiest science writers. In this chatty account of the development of quantum theory he demonstrates once again his ability to entertain the layman. Gamow was originally a student of paleontology in Russia (he learned "to tell a dinosaur from a cat by the shape of the little toes"). He went on to become a mathematical physicist celebrated for numerous esoteric theories including his development of the Big Bang idea of cosmic creation. His background is a cosmopolitan one and he worked closely with most of the big European names in quantum theory: Planck, Bohr, Pauli, De Broglie, Heisenberg, Dirac, Fermi, etc. Consequently he can expatiate on working habits and idiosyncrasies as well as theories. There's a hilarious version of Faust at the ends closely imitating the meters of the original but geared to the interests of the theoretical physicist: "My Mass is zero,/ My Charge is the same./ You are my hero,/ Neutrino's my name," etc. Gallery goers will be amused by the drawings, which are supposedly a mixture of Botticelli and Pop. This is for those who do not know what our younger educated elite is studying today. (Kirkus Reviews)

Long Description

Lucid, accessible introduction to the influential theory of energy and matter features careful explanations of Dirac's anti-particles, Bohr's model of the atom, and much more. Numerous drawings. 1966 edition.

Details ISBN048624895X Author George Gamow Language English ISBN-10 048624895X ISBN-13 9780486248950 Media Book Format Paperback Imprint Dover Publications Inc. Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Illustrations 12ill. Birth 1904 Death 1968 Edition New edition Short Title 30 YEARS THAT SHOOK PHYSICS RE Subtitle The Story of Quantum Theory DOI 10.1604/9780486248950 UK Release Date 2003-03-28 AU Release Date 2003-03-28 NZ Release Date 2003-03-28 US Release Date 2003-03-28 Pages 240 Publisher Dover Publications Inc. Edition Description New edition Year 2003 Publication Date 2003-03-28 DEWEY 530.1209 Audience General We've got this

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