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From X Rays To Quarks: Modern Physicists And Their Discoveries

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. 1980 edition.

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.

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 337
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780716711476
  • Genres
  • physics, science, history
  • Release date
  • 1984