Thirty Years that Shook Physics (eBook)

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

BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACEPREFACEINTRODUCTIONI 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 EffectII N. BOHR AND QUANTUM ORBITS Rutherford's Theory of the Nuclear Atom Quantizing a Mechanical System Sommerfeld's Elliptical Orbits Bohr's InstituteIII W. PAULI AND THE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE Quotas for Electron Levels The Spinning Electron Pauli and Nuclear Physics The NeutrinoIV L. DE BROGLIE AND PILOT WAVES Schrödinger's Wave Equation Applying Wave MechanicsV W. HEISENBERG AND THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE Discarding Classical Linear TrajectoriesVI P. A. M. DIRAC AND ANTI-PARTICLES Unifying Relativity and Quantum Theory Anti-Particle PhysicsVII E. FERMI AND PARTICLE TRANSFORMATIONS The Forces Behind ß-Transformation Using Fermi Interaction Laws Fermi's Research in Nuclear ReactionsVIII H. YUKAWA AND MESONSIX MEN AT WORKAPPENDIX BLEGDAMSVEJ FAUSTINDEX