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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.
List of contents
- 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
About the author
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).
Summary
This book updates Bernstein's original edition of Quantum Profiles with seven added profiles about prolific twentieth century physicists.
Additional text
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.
