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"A worthy addition to the Feynman shelf and a welcome follow-up to the standard-bearer, James Gleick's Genius." —Kirkus Reviews
Perhaps the greatest physicist of the second half of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman changed the way we think about quantum mechanics, the most perplexing of all physical theories. Here Lawrence M. Krauss, himself a theoretical physicist and a best-selling author, offers a unique scientific biography: a rollicking narrative coupled with clear and novel expositions of science at the limits. From the death of Feynman’s childhood sweetheart during the Manhattan Project to his reluctant rise as a scientific icon, we see Feynman’s life through his science, providing a new understanding of the legacy of a man who has fascinated millions.
"Richard Feynman was a legend for a whole generation of scientists, long before anyone in the public knew who he was," writes Krauss (Physics/Arizona State Univ.;The Physics of Star Trek, 2007 etc.) in this engaging biography.
The author's first introduction to the physicist who became a hero to him occurred in high school, when a science teacher gave him Feynman's (1918–1988) popular work The Character of Physical Law. In 1974, Krauss, then an undergraduate physics major, attended a keynote address by Feynman, and a photo of him talking to the physicist appeared in a national magazine. However, it was really only after the 1986 Challenger disaster that Feynman's name became widely known—as a member of the NASA investigatory panel, he placed an O-ring in a glass of ice water, demonstrating its vulnerability to cold. This incident encapsulates Feynman's creative genius and his ability to solve puzzles by unconventional means—whether about the foundations of quantum physics or simply a matter of poor engineering. Krauss traces how he refused to accept the conventional wisdom on any subject but would scrutinize it from different points of view before coming to his own conclusion. Feynman's work has had an impact on almost every aspect of modern science today, from nanotechnology to particle physics, semi-conductors and high-temperature superconductors. In the author's view, he was arguably the most important scientist in the latter half of the 20th century, comparable to Einstein in influence, although his genius was not to achieve fundamentally new results but to look at "old things from a new viewpoint." Krauss explains the complicated scientific material in a clear, lively style that would have earned Feynman's approval.
A worthy addition to the Feynman shelf and a welcome follow-up to the standard-bearer, James Gleick's Genius (1992).
Introduction xi
Part I The Paths to Greatness
Chapter 1 Lights, Camera, Action 3
Chapter 2 The Quantum Universe 18
Chapter 3 A New Way of Thinking 36
Chapter 4 Alice in Quantumland 51
Chapter 5 Endings and Beginnings 59
Chapter 6 Loss of Innocence 76
Chapter 7 Paths to Greatness 92
Chapter 8 From Here to Infinity 108
Chapter 9 Splitting an Atom 124
Chapter 10 Through a Glass Darkly 141
Part II The Rest of the Universe
Chapter 11 Matter of the Heart and the Heart of Matter 163
Chapter 12 Rearranging the Universe 180
Chapter 13 Hiding in the Mirror 193
Chapter 14 Distractions and Delights 218
Chapter 15 Twisting the Tail of the Cosmos 233
Chapter 16 From Top to Bottom 263
Chapter 17 Truth, Beauty, and Freedom 287
Epilogue Character Is Destiny 314
Acknowledgments and Sources 321
Index 325
LarryEd
Posted August 18, 2011
Don't waste your time with this book. Feynman's own books are much better and clearer. Read Feynman's QED to get some real insight into his thinking.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A perspective on Feynman from his scientific contributions, which can still be seen in Quantum Computing today. Seems he was busy calculating and solving problems right up to his death. Also covered his entrance into his now famous lecture series, which I now understand undergraduates were somewhat too intimidated to take (and not many passed.) I have one copy of the lecture series myself which I page through from time to time,
If you have no science background, or interest in science this book is probably not for you. It delves somewhat deeply into his science and what he accomplished in that realm, and not much about his personal life,
Anonymous
Posted August 11, 2011
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Posted April 15, 2011
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Posted July 9, 2011
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Posted December 25, 2011
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Posted January 21, 2012
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Posted December 17, 2011
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Posted April 28, 2011
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Overview
"A worthy addition to the Feynman shelf and a welcome follow-up to the standard-bearer, James Gleick's Genius." —Kirkus Reviews
Perhaps the greatest physicist of the second half of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman changed the way we think about quantum mechanics, the most perplexing of all physical theories. Here Lawrence M. Krauss, himself a theoretical physicist and a best-selling author, offers a unique scientific biography: a rollicking narrative coupled with clear and novel expositions of science at the limits. From the death of Feynman’s childhood sweetheart during the Manhattan Project to his reluctant rise as a scientific icon, we see ...