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A portrait of the American physicist whose seminal work on the magnetic properties of the atomic nucleus earned him a Nobel Prize and whose pioneerintg work contributed to the development of the atomic bomb and radar (view table of contents)

An incisive, richly illustrated history of the evolution of physics over the course of the twentieth century follows the accomplishments of such innovative scientists as Einstein, Bohr, Schrodinger, Bethe, and Feynmann and assesses their contributions in terms of our current knowledge of the universe and its origins. BOMC & QPB.

Analyzes several of Albert Einstein's theories, including his particle theory of light, theory of Brownian motion, and theory of special relativity, and explores the context of these ideas and their continued impact on society.

Product Description: Documenting one of the most remarkable flowerings of knowledge in human history, this work describes the experiments and achievements of innovative physicists such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, Hans Bethe and Richard Feynman...read more

Seduced by simplicity, physicists find themselves endlessly fascinated by hydrogen, the simplest of atoms. Hydrogen has shocked, it has surprised, it has embarrassed, it has humbled--and again and again it has guided physicists to the edge of new vistas where the promise of basic understanding and momentous insights beckoned. The allure of hydrogen, crucial to life and critical to scientific discovery, is at the center of this book, which tells a story that begins with the big bang and continues to unfold today. In this biography of hydrogen, John Rigden shows how this singular atom, the most abundant in the universe, has helped unify our understanding of the material world from the smallest scale, the elementary particles, to the largest, the universe itself. It is a tale of startling discoveries and dazzling practical benefits spanning more than one hundred years--from the first attempt to identify the basic building block of atoms in the mid-nineteenth century to the discovery of the Bose-Einstein condensate only a few years ago. With Rigden as an expert and engaging guide, we see how hydrogen captured the imagination of many great scientists--such as Heisenberg, Pauli, Schrödinger, Dirac, and Rabi--and how their theories and experiments with this simple atom led to such complex technical innovations as magnetic resonance imaging, the maser clock, and global positioning systems. Along the way, we witness the transformation of science from an endeavor of inspired individuals to a monumental enterprise often requiring the cooperation of hundreds of scientists around the world. Still, any biography of hydrogen has to end with a question: What new surprises await us?