The Prism and the Pendulum: The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments in Science - Hardcover

Crease, Robert P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1400061318 ISBN 13: 9781400061310

Publisher: Random House Inc, 2003

Synopsis

We see the first measurement of the earth's circumference, accomplished in the third century B. C. by Eratosthenes using sticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault's mesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earth on its axis. We meet Galileo - the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten - drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all.

About this title

About the Authors

Robert P. Crease is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Stony Brook University in New York, and historian at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

<b>Robert P. Crease</b> is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Stony Brook University in New York, and historian at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He writes a monthly column, “Critical Point,” for <i>Physics World</i> magazine. His books include <i>Making Physics: A Biography of Brookhaven National Laboratory; The Play of Nature: Experimentation as Performance; The Second Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Twentieth-Century Physics</i> (with Charles C. Mann); and―with Robert Serber―<i>Peace & War: Reminiscences of a Life on the Frontiers of Science</i>. Crease’s translations include <i>American Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn</i>. He lectures widely, and his articles and reviews have appeared in <i>The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian,</i> and elsewhere. He lives in New York City.

From the Inside Flap

Is science beautiful? Yes, argues acclaimed philosopher and historian of science Robert P. Crease in this engaging exploration of history’s most beautiful experiments. The result is an engrossing journey through nearly 2,500 years of scientific innovation. Along the way, we encounter glimpses into the personalities and creative thinking of some of the field’s most interesting figures.<br><br>We see the first measurement of the earth’s circumference, accomplished in the third century B.C. by Eratosthenes using sticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault’s mesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earth on its axis. We meet Galileo―the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten―brilliantly drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all.<br><br>We also learn why these ten experiments exert such a powerful hold on our imaginations. From the ancient world to cutting-edge physics, these ten exhilarating moments reveal something fundamental about the world, pulling us out of confusion and revealing nature’s elegance. <i>The Prism and the Pendulum</i> brings us face-to-face with the wonder of science.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Inc
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1400061318
• ISBN 13: 9781400061310
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 244