What was Albert Einstein like as a person? How did J. Robert Oppenheimer's religious background impact his scientific endeavors? Why did John Stewart Bell get into physics in the first place? Prolific science writer Jeremy Bernstein has followed up on his original Quantum Profiles, published in 1990, with seven added profiles: Wendell Furry, Philipp Frank, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Victor Weisskopf, Tom Lehrer, Max Jammer, and Robert Serber. The profiles on
John Stewart Bell, John Wheeler, and Albert Einstein from the first edition have been revised and expanded, as well. Bernstein presents each profile carefully, and the context provided in
these historical profiles is revolutionary in each approach. Bernstein's unique academic and social background allows readers to fully grasp the character profiles in each chapter. With a conversational writing style, Bernstein lets readers get to know these ten prolific physicists-from personalities to historical and scientific significance-in a whole new way.
What was Albert Einstein like as a person? How did J. Robert Oppenheimer's religious background impact his scientific endeavors? Why did John Stewart Bell get into physics in the first place? Prolific science writer Jeremy Bernstein has followed up on his original Quantum Profiles, published in 1990, with seven added profiles: Wendell Furry, Philipp Frank, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Victor Weisskopf, Tom Lehrer, Max Jammer, and Robert Serber. The profiles on
John Stewart Bell, John Wheeler, and Albert Einstein from the first edition have been revised and expanded, as well. Bernstein presents each profile carefully, and the context provided in
these historical profiles is revolutionary in each approach. Bernstein's unique academic and social background allows readers to fully grasp the character profiles in each chapter. With a conversational writing style, Bernstein lets readers get to know these ten prolific physicists-from personalities to historical and scientific significance-in a whole new way.
Foreword
1. John Stewart Bell
2. John Wheeler
3. Albert Einstein
4. Wendell Furry
5. Philipp Frank
6. J. Robert Oppenheimer
7. Victor Weisskopf
8. Tom Lehrer
9. Max Jammer
10. Robert Serber
Notes
Index
Jeremy Bernstein is Professor of Physics Emeritus at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey and was a staff writer at The New Yorker. He has lectured often on the theory of elementary particle physics and cosmology and is the author of numerous books, including The Tenth Dimension: An Informal History of High Energy Physics (McGraw-Hill) and most recently A Bouquet of Dyson (World Scientific).
"In this delightful set of word portraits, Jeremy Bernstein reveals
how the likes of Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, John Bell and other
scientists have wrestled with the mysteries of quantum physics.
John Wheeler's remark, 'The quantum is the crack in the armor that
covers the secret of existence,' is but one in a wonderful
collection of insights." -- Frank Close OBE, FInstP, University of
Oxford
"In this essential new edition, my favorite essays are about Viki
Weisskopf and Phillip Frank. Bernstein wonderfully focuses on why
these two physicists are so important, and he offers interesting
stories about their personal qualities." -- Paul Halpern,
University of the Sciences
"Bernstein provides unique insights into the personalities of
scientists he has known. His descriptions of Einstein and Bohr's
differences over what the late John Bell called the 'rotten' state
of quantum mechanics, and of Bell's own contributions, are
masterly." -- Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS, University of Oxford
and Director General of CERN (1994-1998)
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