Big Science; Ernest Lawrence and the Invention That Launched the Military-Industrial Complex
Language: English
Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 2015
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Ground Zero Books, Ltd., Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.Ground Zero Books, Ltd.
AbeBooks seller since August 14, 1998
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 27.22
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
x, [2], 512, [2] pages. Includes Acknowledgments, Bibliography, Notes, and Index. Two small tears to rear dust jacket. Black mark on bottom edge. Michael A. Hiltzik (born November 9, 1952) is an American columnist and reporter. In 1999, he won a beat reporting Pulitzer Prize for co-writing a series of articles about corruption in the music industry with Chuck Philips. He won two Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. Ernest O. Lawrence's invention of the cyclotron revolutionized nuclear physics, and ultimately would transform everything about how science was done. Lawrence would win the Nobel Prize in physics and would become the confidant of presidents and leaders of industry. He would become deeply involved in the Manhattan Project that produced the atomic bomb, and influence the decision to appoint Robert Oppenheimer as head of the bomb project in Los Alamos. He advocated for the hydrogen bomb, but also urge an end to the arms race. Since the 1930s, the scale of scientific endeavor has grown exponentially. The first particle accelerator could be held in its creator's lap, while its successor grew to seventeen miles in circumference and cost ten billion dollars. We have invented the atomic bomb, put man on the moon, and probed the inner workings of nature at the scale of subatomic particles--all the result of Big Science, the model of industrial-scale research paid for by governments, departments of defense, and corporations that has driven the great scientific projects of our time. The birth of Big Science can be traced nearly nine decades ago in Berkeley, California, when a young scientist with a talent for physics declared, "I'm going to be famous " His name was Ernest Orlando Lawrence. His invention, the cyclotron, would revolutionize nuclear physics, but that was only the beginning of its impact, which would be felt in academia, industry, and international politics. It was the beginning of Big Science. First Simon & Schuster Hardcover Edition. …
Seller Inventory # 78924
- Title
- Big Science; Ernest Lawrence and the Invention That Launched the Military-Industrial Complex
- Author
- Hiltzik, Michael
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster, New York
- Publication year
- 2015
- Condition
- Very good
- Dust jacket
- Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1451675755
- ISBN 13
- 9781451675757
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Seller catalogs
- Atomic Bomb
Since the 1930s, the scale of scientific endeavors has grown exponentially. Machines have become larger, ambitions bolder. The first particle accelerator cost less than one hundred dollars and could be held in its creator’s palm, while its descendant, the Large Hadron Collider, cost ten billion dollars and is seventeen miles in circumference. Scientists have invented nuclear weapons, put a man on the moon, and examined nature at the subatomic scale—all through Big Science, the industrial-scale research paid for by governments and corporations that have driven the great scientific projects of our time.
The birth of Big Science can be traced to Berkeley, California, nearly nine decades ago, when a resourceful young scientist with a talent for physics and an even greater talent for promotion pondered his new invention and declared, “I’m going to be famous!” Ernest Orlando Lawrence’s cyclotron would revolutionize nuclear physics, but that was only the beginning of its impact. It would change our understanding of the basic building blocks of nature. It would help win World War II. Its influence would be felt in academia and international politics. It was the beginning of Big Science.
This is the incredible story of how one invention changed the world and of the man principally responsible for it all. Michael Hiltzik tells the riveting full story here for the first time.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
"Michael Hiltzik tells an epic story, one with arenas of tragedy as well as triumph, and he tells it well."--Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
"20th-century science delivered a series of revolutions, none more instantaneous than the microseconds it took to explode the first atomic bomb. By framing this story--and the development of the cyclotron that made it possible--from the Lawrence/Livermore perspective rather than the Oppenheimer/Los Alamos perspective that has dominated most accounts, Michael Hiltzik sheds fresh light on the transition from small science to big science that we take for granted today. Especially timely is a fascinating account of Lawrence's attempt to return to small science: how do you encourage a small group of scientists to produce big results, rather than the other way around?"--George Dyson, author of Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe
"An astonishing story. . . . Compelling characters abound."--Jon Butterworth "Nature "
"The author of several books on the interplay of society and technology, Hiltzik is best at making the science of Lawrence's lab accessible to the reader."--Gregg Herken "The Washington Post "
"Lucidly written. . . . Hiltzik's tale is important for understanding how science and politics entwine in the United States, and he moves it along efficiently, with striking details and revealing quotations."--Robert P. Crease "The New York Times Book Review "
"This is an astonishing story: US physicist Ernest Lawrence is at its core, but its scope is broad and full of context and characters."--Jon Butterworth "Nature "
"Absorbing and expansive. . . . Beyond the sheer thrill of the story, Hiltzik's delightful book is invaluable as a basis for reckoning how Big Science can persevere and evolve."--Jonathon Keats "The Los Angeles Times "
"As Michael Hiltzik's commanding new analysis argues, Lawrence was far more than just another scientist tinkering with another machine. . . . Hiltzik has written not so much a biography as a study of Lawrence's role in broader questions involving postwar science and politics."--Alexandra Witze "Dallas Morning News "
Lucidly written. . . . Hiltzik s tale is important for understanding how science and politics entwine in the United States, and he moves it along efficiently, with striking details and revealing quotations. --Robert P. Crease "The New York Times Book Review ""
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Ground Zero Books, Ltd.
Silver Spring, MD, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since August 14, 1998
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 20 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 3.78 | £ 5.66 |
Payment methods
- Check
- Invoice
- Money Order
- Paypal
Store description
Founded and operated by trained historians, Ground Zero Books, Ltd., serves the book collector, the scholar, and institutions. We focus on the individual, and pride ourselves on our personal service. Please contact us with your wants, as we have many books not yet listed in our database.
Specialty
Military History, Nuclear, American Revolution, Military Medicine, Vietnam, World War II, British Empire, World War I, Unit Histories, Civil WarSeller's business information
Ground Zero Books, Ltd.
9033 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD U.S.A. 20910-2254
Terms of sale
Books are subject to prior sale. Please ask us to hold a book for you before you
mail your check. Books are returnable within 7 days, if not satisfactory. MD
residents add 6% state sales tax.
The mailing address for Ground Zero Books, Ltd. (a subchapter-S corporation) is
P.O. Box 8369, Silver Spring, MD 20907-8369. You can reach us by phone at 301-
585-1471, by fax at 301-920-0253, or by e-mail at gzbooksltd@aol.com. Ground Zero
Books, Ltd., is owned & operated by R. Alan Lewis & Lynne Haims.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Ground Zero Books, Ltd., Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A., +1 240-316-0119, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books
weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact
you to let you know extra shipping is required.