Boltzmanns Atom: The Great Debate That Launched A Revolution In Physics

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely delightfull
Review: The name "Boltzmann" is well known to students of the physical sciences. There are constants and equations that bear Boltzmann's name and Boltzmann's H-theorem relates the thermodynamic quantity, entropy, to statistics and mechanics. Boltzmann, not a particularly sympathetic figure, comes to life in this book through Lindley's effective device of comparing Boltzmann and his work with contemporary scientific personalities and thought. Lindley (Cambridge Univ.) shows how the contributions of Boltzmann placed the then-new science of thermodynamics on firm theoretical ground and also laid the foundations for the disciplines of statistical mechanics and, to a great extent, quantum mechanics. Lindley is a theoretical physicist with editorial experience on scientific journals and also the author of two other popular books on science. He brings to his subject a deep understanding of the scientific significance of Boltzmann's contributions and knowledge of the social, political, and scientific issues of Boltzmann's era. Too often the sciences are taught formally with little appreciation for the personalities and the evolution of the thought of those responsible for the results. Lindley's book corrects this for the crucial period when the atom was born and theoretical physics became a subject of its own. General readers; undergraduates through professionals.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely delightfull
Review: The name "Boltzmann" is well known to students of the physical sciences. There are constants and equations that bear Boltzmann's name and Boltzmann's H-theorem relates the thermodynamic quantity, entropy, to statistics and mechanics. Boltzmann, not a particularly sympathetic figure, comes to life in this book through Lindley's effective device of comparing Boltzmann and his work with contemporary scientific personalities and thought. Lindley (Cambridge Univ.) shows how the contributions of Boltzmann placed the then-new science of thermodynamics on firm theoretical ground and also laid the foundations for the disciplines of statistical mechanics and, to a great extent, quantum mechanics. Lindley is a theoretical physicist with editorial experience on scientific journals and also the author of two other popular books on science. He brings to his subject a deep understanding of the scientific significance of Boltzmann's contributions and knowledge of the social, political, and scientific issues of Boltzmann's era. Too often the sciences are taught formally with little appreciation for the personalities and the evolution of the thought of those responsible for the results. Lindley's book corrects this for the crucial period when the atom was born and theoretical physics became a subject of its own. General readers; undergraduates through professionals.