Rating: 
Summary: Superb ! Makes Quantum mechanics read like a child's story.
Review: Like most of us, Mr tompkins does not understand the world of relativity and quantum mechanics. That is, until he visits a world where the fundamentals of the universe are stretched and squashed. When the speed of light is only 10 miles per hour riding a bike is a whole new experience. The book is informative and gives the reader a chance to really visualise concepts that otherwise may be out of reach.
Rating:
Summary: Good introduction to modern physics
Review: This book is about 50 years old, but it has aged well. The basic ideas discussed in the book have not changed, although some discoveries in the intervening years have made a few parts obsolete. Gamow's writing is witty, yet rigorous. Without compromising scientific accuracy, he manages to make his narrative engaging and entertaining.Gamow touches on some classical topics, as well as relativity and quantum mechanics. For instance, he explains probability theory and how it relates to thermodynamics using a vignette about a gambling system to win at Monte Carlo. The author, renowned for his contributions to 20th Century physics and to its popular exposition, assumes a fair amount of sophistication on the part of the reader. This does not mean that it will be beyond the reach of most people, but it will challenge the reader. This book is one of the recommended readings for a class I teach at drphysics.com. Many of my students have found this book to be helpful.
Rating:
Summary: What a Delight
Review: This is one of the best introductions to the concepts of relativity and quantum theory I have ever read. Not only does it have excellent nonmathmatical and easy to understand description of these areas of modern physics, but it has a interesting and funny story to move it along. It also includes a more technical description for those who are up to it(even the technical description is nothing too difficult, and also nonmathmatical, it can be skipped)
Rating:
Summary: What a Delight
Review: This is one of the best introductions to the concepts of relativity and quantum theory I have ever read. Not only does it have excellent nonmathmatical and easy to understand description of these areas of modern physics, but it has a interesting and funny story to move it along. It also includes a more technical description for those who are up to it(even the technical description is nothing too difficult, and also nonmathmatical, it can be skipped)
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful introduction to modern physics.
Review: Whe I taught introductory physics, the section on modern physics was pretty hard to grasp for some of my students. When I found this text, then titled "Mr. Tompkins in wunderland", I began to use it to help them (and me!) with the less intuitive concepts. I wish I could have met the obviously delightful man. What all physics teachers should be. I am so glad to see this back in print after all these years so a new generation of budding physicists can be delighted with their physical world.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Without a doubt, this is one of the best books to read to develope a sense of the joy, wonder and weirdness of modern physics. I first read this book in high school and its one of the reasons that I'm doing a PhD now. An excellect introduction.
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