Quips Quotes And Quanta

This book deals with the history of physics, covering important developments in physics from the end of the nineteenth century to about 1930. Major topics include relativity theory (both special and general) and quantum mechanics. This book is unique in that it concentrates on anecdotes about the physicists creating the new ideas. Both thematic and biographical in nature, it contains a heavy emphasis on personal incidents or quotes. Readers will be entertained with humorous incidents in the lives of some famous scientists, and simultaneously learn quite a bit of modern physics without the mathematical details, but with the important concepts. Academics and anyone interested in science in the most general sense are likely to want to read this book.

When a ship's surgeon during a routine episode of bloodletting noticed that the sailors' blood was brighter in the tropics than in the north, he hypothesized that heat was a form of energy. When a young boy tried to visualize what a beam of light would look like by riding alongside it at the same speed, he began thinking along lines that eventually changed our views of space and time. When a student caught hay fever and went to recover on Heligoland, he started a major revolution in physics. These are but just some of the stories covered in this entertaining book that deals with the history of physics from the end of the 19th-century to about 1930. Quips, Quotes and Quanta (2nd Edition) is unique in that it contains anecdotes on physicists creating new ideas. Often the thinking of the creators of what is now called “modern physics” is revealed through quotes. Thematic and biographical in nature, this book also includes many personal incidents. This second edition has been revised to include new material: a prologue, epilogue, glossary and chronology, and photographs as well as additional quotes and anecdotes.

When a ship's surgeon during a routine episode of bloodletting noticed that the sailors' blood was brighter in the tropics than in the north, he hypothesized that heat was a form of energy. When a young boy tried to visualize how a beam of light would look like by riding alongside it at the same speed, he began thinking along lines that eventually changed our views of space and time. When a student caught hay fever and went to recover on Heligoland, he started a major revolution in physics. These are but just some of the stories covered in this entertaining book that deals with the history of physics from the end of the 19th-century to about 1930. Quips, Quotes and Quanta (2nd Edition) is unique in that it contains anecdotes on physicists creating new ideas. Often the thinking of the creators of what is now called "modern physics" is revealed through quotes. Thematic and biographical in nature, this book also includes many personal incidents. This second edition has been revised to include new material: a prologue, epilogue, glossary and chronology, and photograph's as well as additional quotes and anecdotes.

A collection of anecdotes about physics and the physicists who create new ideas.

This enlightening book, a sequel to QUIPS, QUOTES, AND QUANTA, helps readers to understand how physicists think about and look at the world. Starting with the discovery and investigation of cosmic rays, the book proceeds to cover some major areas of modern physics in laymen's terms. Unlike other books that deal with the history of physics, this volume concentrates on anecdotes about the physicists who created the new ideas, with a heavy emphasis on personal incidents and quotes. At the same time it presents, in every day language, the ideas created by these physicists. Both thematic and biographical in nature, readers will be entertained with humorous events in the lives of some famous scientists. Readers will also learn quite a lot about modern physics without the mathematical details, but with the important concepts intact.

British chemistry has traditionally been depicted as a solely male endeavour. However, this perspective is untrue: the allure of chemistry has attracted women since the earliest times. Despite the barriers placed in their path, women studied academic chemistry from the 1880s onwards and made interesting or significant contributions to their fields, yet they are virtually absent from historical records. Comprising a unique set of biographies of 141 of the 896 known women chemists from 1880 to 1949, this work attempts to address the imbalance by showcasing the determination of these women to survive and flourish in an environment dominated by men. Individual biographical accounts interspersed with contemporary quotes describe how women overcame the barriers of secondary and tertiary education, and of admission to professional societies. Although these women are lost to historical records, they are brought together here for the first time to show that a vibrant culture of female chemists did indeed exist in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Contents:IntroductionGetting an Education: The Professional SocietiesThe London Co-educational CollegesThe London Women's CollegesEnglish Provincial UniversitiesThe Cambridge and Oxford Women's CollegesUniversities in Scotland and WalesHoppy's 'Biochemical Ladies'Women CrystallographersWomen in PharmacyThe Role of Chemists' WivesWomen Chemists and the First World WarThe Interwar Period and Beyond Readership: Historians of science, chemists, those with an interest in women's studies, educationalists, and general readers. Keywords:History;Chemistry;Science;Women;Education;University;SchoolKey Features:Presents the only published account of the lives and contributions of British women chemists from 1880 to 1949Examines the role of certain secondary schools and colleges/universities in encouraging women to choose a career in chemistryHighlights the role of certain males in championing the women chemists' cause and in mentoring individual womenDiscusses the reasons why women clustered in certain fields and the forgotten role of women chemists during the First World WarReviews:“Chemistry was Their Life has been very well researched and is extensively referenced … It is of great interest also to read of the battle which these women had to obtain recognition by professional societies.”Chemistry World “Chemistry was Their Life is an important contribution to the history of chemistry, providing a glimpse into the lives of pioneering British women. It has a lot of information about the women who worked in one or another capacity as chemists … It is warmly recommended to all chemists, chemistry historians, and to scientists involved with gender studies.”Structural Chemistry

Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson. A. Zee's introduction places Feynman’s book and his seminal contribution to QED in historical context and further highlights Feynman’s uniquely appealing and illuminating style.