ix, 337 pages : 24 cm

A Nobel Laureate offers impressions and recollections of the development of modern physics. Rather than a chronological approach, Segrè emphasizes interesting, complex personalities who often appear only in footnotes. Readers will find that this book adds considerably to their understanding of science and includes compelling topics of current interest

Translation of Personaggi e scoperte nella fisica contemporanea

Includes bibliographical references (pages 316-326)

Includes indexes

Introduction -- H. Becquerel, the Curies, and the discovery of radioactivity -- Rutherford in the new world : the transmutation of elements -- Planck, unwilling revolutionary : the idea of quantization -- Einstein, new ways of thinking : space, time, relativity, and quanta -- Sir Ernest and Lord Rutherford of Nelson -- Bohr and atomic models -- A true quantum mechanics at last -- The wonder year 1932 : neutron, positron, deuterium, and other discoveries -- Enrico Fermi and nuclear energy -- E.O. Lawrence and particle accelerators -- Beyond the nucleus -- New branches from the old stump -- Conclusions -- Appendix 1. Stefan's law, Wien's law -- Appendix 2. Planck's hunt for the blackbody radiation formula -- Appendix 3. Einstein's heuristic argument for postulating the existence of light quanta -- Appendix 4. Brownian motion -- Appendix 5. Blackbody energy fluctuations according to Einstein -- Appendix 6. Specific heat of solids according to Einstein -- Appendix 7. A and B of Einstein -- Appendix 8. J.J. Thomson's parabola method for finding e/m of ions -- Appendix 9. Bohr's hydrogen atom -- Appendix 10. Quantum mechanics in a nutshell

A Nobel Laureate offers impressions and recollections of the development of modern physics. Rather than a chronological approach, Segre emphasizes interesting, complex personalities who often appear only in footnotes. Readers will find that this book adds considerably to their understanding of science and includes compelling topics of current interest

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