Joy Of Discovery, The: Great Encounters Along The Way
Walter Thirring is the last offspring of an Austrian family of scientists. In this moving narrative, he describes how he survived the Nazi occupation and became instrumental in reconstructing European science.Thirring is one of the last living physicists who worked on the greatest discoveries and with the greatest scientists of the 20th century. He recollects encounters with the old masters like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Pauli and others as well as his collaborations with the present stars like Murray Gell-Mann and Elliott Lieb. The book presents the challenges faced when one of the major paradigm shifts took place, namely, the shift away from atomistic theory and Newtonian physics towards field theory and quantum mechanics. Every step is presented in clear, understandable language which reflects Thirring's extensive experience in training the next generation. Additionally, Thirring describes his fascinating and profound life experiences, growing up under Nazi occupation, serving in the war, striving to establish scientific excellence and in reaching out across the Iron Curtain. A true Renaissance man, he concludes by discussing his love of music, and it is clear that his passion for learning is only matched by his passion for music, a sampling of which can be found at .A work that inspires at every junction and is decisively re-readable, Thirring's autobiography is assuredly a must-have for anyone interested in science, physics and history.
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Joy Of Discovery, The: Great Encounters Along The Way
Walter Thirring is the last offspring of an Austrian family of scientists. In this moving narrative, he describes how he survived the Nazi occupation and became instrumental in reconstructing European science.Thirring is one of the last living physicists who worked on the greatest discoveries and with the greatest scientists of the 20th century. He recollects encounters with the old masters like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Pauli and others as well as his collaborations with the present stars like Murray Gell-Mann and Elliott Lieb. The book presents the challenges faced when one of the major paradigm shifts took place, namely, the shift away from atomistic theory and Newtonian physics towards field theory and quantum mechanics. Every step is presented in clear, understandable language which reflects Thirring's extensive experience in training the next generation. Additionally, Thirring describes his fascinating and profound life experiences, growing up under Nazi occupation, serving in the war, striving to establish scientific excellence and in reaching out across the Iron Curtain. A true Renaissance man, he concludes by discussing his love of music, and it is clear that his passion for learning is only matched by his passion for music, a sampling of which can be found at .A work that inspires at every junction and is decisively re-readable, Thirring's autobiography is assuredly a must-have for anyone interested in science, physics and history.
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Joy Of Discovery, The: Great Encounters Along The Way

Joy Of Discovery, The: Great Encounters Along The Way

Joy Of Discovery, The: Great Encounters Along The Way

Joy Of Discovery, The: Great Encounters Along The Way

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Overview

Walter Thirring is the last offspring of an Austrian family of scientists. In this moving narrative, he describes how he survived the Nazi occupation and became instrumental in reconstructing European science.Thirring is one of the last living physicists who worked on the greatest discoveries and with the greatest scientists of the 20th century. He recollects encounters with the old masters like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Pauli and others as well as his collaborations with the present stars like Murray Gell-Mann and Elliott Lieb. The book presents the challenges faced when one of the major paradigm shifts took place, namely, the shift away from atomistic theory and Newtonian physics towards field theory and quantum mechanics. Every step is presented in clear, understandable language which reflects Thirring's extensive experience in training the next generation. Additionally, Thirring describes his fascinating and profound life experiences, growing up under Nazi occupation, serving in the war, striving to establish scientific excellence and in reaching out across the Iron Curtain. A true Renaissance man, he concludes by discussing his love of music, and it is clear that his passion for learning is only matched by his passion for music, a sampling of which can be found at .A work that inspires at every junction and is decisively re-readable, Thirring's autobiography is assuredly a must-have for anyone interested in science, physics and history.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9789814322966
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date: 10/25/2010
Pages: 208
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Family Background/Childhood (1927-1938) 1

The Thirrings 2

My Mother 5

My Brother 7

My Father 9

My Wife 15

Stolen Youth (1938-1945) 19

In the "United" Third Reich 19

In the Army 24

The Horrors of War 32

Training and Education (1945-1959) 35

The Theory of Relativity 39

Excursus on the special theory of relativity 41

Dublin and Glasgow (1949-1950) 47

At Glasgow University 51

Göttingen and Zürich (1950-1952) 56

The Essence of Matter 60

Berne (1952-1953) 69

Princeton (1953-1954) 73

Quantum Field Theory 82

Berne (1954-1956) 84

Curved Space 86

MIT and the University of Washington (1956-1958) 88

Excursus on Parity 91

Berne (1958-1959) 94

Master Years (1959 and After) 101

Vienna (1959-1968) 101

Geneva (1968-1971) 111

Return to Vienna (1971) 123

Stability of Matter 123

Doing Physics with Walter Elliott Lieb 134

Unforgettable Characters 136

Arnold Sommerfeld 137

Guido Beck 140

Felix Ehrenhaft 143

Contemporary Mathematics in Physics 148

The Erwin Schrödinger Institute 157

Entropy 164

Du holde Kunst, A Hymn to the Art of Music 171

The Computer 174

The Cardinal König Encounters 181

What has Scientific Research Achieved? 185

Picture Credits 189

Index of Names 191

Subject Index 195

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