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E=mc2:  A Biography Of The World's Most Famous Equation

E=mc2: A Biography Of The World's Most Famous Equation

List Price: $40.00
Your Price: $40.00
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Fascinating read!
Review: I loved this book. It is a first rate physics primer that reads like a great mystery. David Bodanis ( author of The Secret House and The Secret Family, which I also recommend )has a way of ending chapters with intriguing statements or questions that make it difficult to stop reading. His treatment of the Allied Forces' attempts to sabbotage the heavy water facility at Vermork, Norway during WWII is a lot like a short Ken Follett novel. Since finishing the book, I find myself looking for ways to bring up E=mc2 topics in conversations ( "...speaking of smoke detectors, did you know that they derive the power to generate their smoke-sensitive beams from the radioactive decay of americium?" or "...just imagine, the glare from the explosion over Hiroshima would have been viewable from Jupiter" ). This is popular science writing at its best.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent for those with an interest, but little background
Review: A lot of my favorite books address a subject that I am aware of but unfamiliar with. When one of these books is done well, it ends up being a great reading experience where the pages keep turning and you come to understand an important topic of which you previously had no real comprehension.

E=mc2 is just such a book. Bodanis approaches the topic with the layperson in mind and tells a really interesting story about the history of each character (including the equal sign) in the equation and finishes with a truely gripping, instant by instant description of the first milliseconds of the first atomic bomb detonating over Hiroshima.

You finish the book with new understanding and with a new respect for the power held in this simple equation. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in understanding the meaning behind the equation they've heard a thousand times.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Learn a lot and have fun
Review: I'm one of those people who enjoys knowing how things work. I loved physics in college. Although I didn't choose to further my studies in physics formally, I have continued to read texts and treatises on the subject. THIS is one of the best books you can read to start you off.
While it is a bit simple with regards to the actual physics concepts, the history (another subject I enjoy immensely) is extremely interesting, and it puts the subject into perspective. It also offers the opportunity to begin a basic understanding of how Newtonian physics and relativity both play a part in our lives.
This book isn't about formulas or complicated diagrams. It's a lot of fun to read, and if your knowledge of physics is cursory, you'll get a lot out of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful
Review: In this book, the first truly comprehensive history of the world's most famous equation, Davis Bodanis does more than just write a biography--he tells one heck of a story.
This book encompasses all parts of the equation--energy, mass, and so forth--along with a history of the equation itself. He writes in such a way that is is acessible to everyone, even a person, like me, who just happens to be in ninth grade. It is a truly wonderful book largely because of how he writes it. He talks about the race to develop a bomb after the equation was developed, the controversy surrounding those who helped it to develop, and the suspense that is present in every day history. At the same time, he also writes about scientific fact in a clear, engaging style. If you're looking for an interesting book about the equation everyone knows and no one understands, look no further! This is the book for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply,a wonderful book on Science.
Review:

To write such a readible book on such a complicated subject is no mean feat.Bodanis has pulled it off in spades.
One should not shy away from this book because they might think it is too difficult for them to understand.Even though I finished studying engineering 40 years ago;I found it a very easy read,and anyone with a High School background would have no trouble with it.
Bodanis shows how a handful of scientists discovered the source of energy and how mankind could use it;all in a short span of about 25 years.Even with the great advancement we have already seen we are only at the beginning of learning what the universe is all about and what still awaits mankind in the future.
After reading this book,one is left with the thought "You ain't seen nothing yet!"It is also interresting how Bodanis has shown that these geniuses were ordinary people in many ways and how they struggled with the establishment and personal relationships;just as the rest of us do.
If you can think of trying to explain to a person who was seeing his first machine in the 1800's;a spinng wleel for instance,and then imagine his wonderment if told about a spaceship;you get the sense of what lies ahead from our present endeavors in space exploration.It boggles the mind!
Also,about a third of this book is jam-packed with references for future readings.
While very enjoyable on its own,this book is worth keeping as an excellent reference.Check it out;you'll be glad you did.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: This book took a very unique perspective explaining the world's most famous equation. He explains every part of the equation (even the history of the = sign). For example, for E (energy) he explains what it is, the history of it's discovery and use, etc. and how it fits into Einstein's equation. He does the same for mass (m) and the speed of light (c) and even explains why c has to be squared. It is not difficult to understand, he thouroughly explains everything and at the same time isn't too lengthy or boring. I borrowed the book from the library initially but loved it so much that I bought a copy to keep for myself. It was absolutely wonderful!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining but inaccurate
Review: Entertaining science history - but, eh, is it scientifically valid? No mention of the Lorentz Equations (Einstein did not just invent relativity - instead, he made the step of seeing it as real, not en equation). And protons get "larger" when they approach the speed of light? Oh?? Does he not mean SMALLER but HEAVIER? He seems to be confusing mass with size - a pretty fundamental error for a book about science. This rather spoils the book for me - he is really very inaccurate in his explanation of the effects of relativity.

But - the stories are fun and -as fasr as I know the facts -accurate. If he were a bit more scientific he'd get 4 or 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Energy is mass
Review: Enjoyable book devoted to the world's most famous equation. As simple as it is, few truly understand what Einstein uncovered in 1905 -- that is, that energy and mass are one and the same.

This book does a pretty good job of explaining the mathematics and physics both before, during, and after the period during which Einstein developed his special and general relativity theories. The personal histories of the players involved are just as fascinating as the concepts being explained.

This book is written for the lay person, so those with a hard science background may be frustrated by the "simple" explanations, but I found them very readable. A substantial end notes section (~100 pages) also provides background material, and the author's web site (davidbodanis.com) has even more detail. The extensive and excellent biography at the end of the book make me wish for more time so that I could explore depth each of the areas touched upon in the book!

Worth the read!


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Reading this book requires E.
Review: The simple equation having only 5 symbols is deep in meaning. It took the genious of Einstein to put the equation together way back in 1905 - - - What E found was: Energy equals mass when you accelerate mass to the speed of light squared. That's 670,000,000 mph times itself.
C stands for 'celeritis' in latin and it means, 'swiftness.' C squared is 448,900,000,000,000,000 mph!
No speedometer exists on Earth that can travel that fast! WOW!
Einstein knew that energy could naturally transform itself into mass under specific and unique condtions.
The equation was published in 1905 and essentially remained dormant and untested until the war.
Then it became a horrifying reality that Einstein himself wished he never uncovered all those years ago.
Other scientists converged their great minds together in a think tank called the Manhatten Projet, and the world changed for the worse --- upon their nuclear discoveries.
Did Fat Boy really need to do what he did?
NEVER! THe controversy broils to this day.
It is so strange to contemplate that in the pool of the most intelligent men on Earth, not a one of them was smart enough to forsee the evil that they created.
Like the saying goes, "You can lead a man to wisdom, but you can't make him think."
None of them thought about what this nuclear power could do when left in terrorist grips.
This book tells the story behind the famous little equation.
Einstein did play a part in developing nuclear arsonel, even though he later denied he encouraged it.
Please see his letter to President FDR on pages 117 - 18.
The reader is left to draw thier own conclusions on that.
Regardless of the controversy, I read this book and must give it my highest recommendations to all who ever wondered what this equation means. It's deep but not complex.
It's complex but not inaccessable by average minds.
What's really chilling is reading what is not said in between the lines of this book.
Could we have avoided the discovery of the Atomic bomb?
Imagine our world without it.....and to think, the Germans weren't all that close to uncovering the secret behind the destruction.
This is a good book about E = mc 2.
Read it and learn that all discoveries have a dark side.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: meandering history of relativity
Review: In this slim and easy-to-read volume, David Bodanis gives us a meandering history of relativity. First, he looks at each of the individual pieces of the equation (even the equals sign gets its own chapter). Then, he builds up a discussion of other relevant work that led to Einstein's famous equation. He next discusses its applications. The book closes with an immense amount of back matter, including the footnotes and suggested further reading on the topic.

This book is not for physics students who are already intimately familiar with the requisite mathematics and physics. It is intended for a general audience that probably can't remember calculus (or was never introduced to it in the first place). Bodanis engages in a bit of handwaving to make the more difficult parts easier to accept; in general, he acknowledges this. I can't fault him for this decision, although the mathematician in me occasionally found it a bit frustrating.

Make sure that you read the footnotes! It's not necessary to flip back and forth between the main text and the footnotes, but at least read them when you've reached the end of the chapter. Scan past the ones that are simply listing the source material, and read the ones that are longer. There's a lot of great information to be found in those footnotes that doesn't quite fit into the main text. Some of it tells you a bit about what was going through the author's mind when he wrote his book, other material elaborates on what is in the book.

Also, read through the list of suggested readings. It's like getting book recommendations from a well-read friend. The suggestions are thorough, insightful, and often entertaining.


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