Beating The Odds: The Life And Times Of E A Milne
E A Milne was one of the giants of 20th century astrophysics and cosmology. His bold ideas, underpinned by his Christianity, sparked controversy — he believed two time scales operate in the universe.Struggling against poverty, Milne won five scholarships to Cambridge, but he never finished his degree. In World War I he was invited to develop Horace Darwin's device for anti-aircraft gunnery and after the Armistice his prowess in ballistics took him straight to a Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. By the age of thirty he was a Manchester professor and a Fellow of the Royal Society. At Oxford he battled to improve the university's attitude towards science, and established a world-centre of astrophysics. He suffered from Parkinsonism in his forties, the consequence of his having had encephalitis lethargica as a young man. However, buoyed by his Christian faith, he did not slacken his pace. When he died, twice widowed, the author — Milne's daughter — was a teenager.This book is born out of curiosity. The author's aim is to show the human face of science, how the course of her father's life was shaped by circumstance and by the influence of illustrious friends and colleagues such as Einstein, Eddington, G H Hardy, J B S Haldane, Hubble, F A Lindemann and Rutherford. Against all odds, Milne emerged as a scientific powerhouse — and a rebellious one at that.
1123812657
Beating The Odds: The Life And Times Of E A Milne
E A Milne was one of the giants of 20th century astrophysics and cosmology. His bold ideas, underpinned by his Christianity, sparked controversy — he believed two time scales operate in the universe.Struggling against poverty, Milne won five scholarships to Cambridge, but he never finished his degree. In World War I he was invited to develop Horace Darwin's device for anti-aircraft gunnery and after the Armistice his prowess in ballistics took him straight to a Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. By the age of thirty he was a Manchester professor and a Fellow of the Royal Society. At Oxford he battled to improve the university's attitude towards science, and established a world-centre of astrophysics. He suffered from Parkinsonism in his forties, the consequence of his having had encephalitis lethargica as a young man. However, buoyed by his Christian faith, he did not slacken his pace. When he died, twice widowed, the author — Milne's daughter — was a teenager.This book is born out of curiosity. The author's aim is to show the human face of science, how the course of her father's life was shaped by circumstance and by the influence of illustrious friends and colleagues such as Einstein, Eddington, G H Hardy, J B S Haldane, Hubble, F A Lindemann and Rutherford. Against all odds, Milne emerged as a scientific powerhouse — and a rebellious one at that.
28.0 In Stock
Beating The Odds: The Life And Times Of E A Milne

Beating The Odds: The Life And Times Of E A Milne

by Meg Weston-smith
Beating The Odds: The Life And Times Of E A Milne

Beating The Odds: The Life And Times Of E A Milne

by Meg Weston-smith

Paperback

$28.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

E A Milne was one of the giants of 20th century astrophysics and cosmology. His bold ideas, underpinned by his Christianity, sparked controversy — he believed two time scales operate in the universe.Struggling against poverty, Milne won five scholarships to Cambridge, but he never finished his degree. In World War I he was invited to develop Horace Darwin's device for anti-aircraft gunnery and after the Armistice his prowess in ballistics took him straight to a Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge. By the age of thirty he was a Manchester professor and a Fellow of the Royal Society. At Oxford he battled to improve the university's attitude towards science, and established a world-centre of astrophysics. He suffered from Parkinsonism in his forties, the consequence of his having had encephalitis lethargica as a young man. However, buoyed by his Christian faith, he did not slacken his pace. When he died, twice widowed, the author — Milne's daughter — was a teenager.This book is born out of curiosity. The author's aim is to show the human face of science, how the course of her father's life was shaped by circumstance and by the influence of illustrious friends and colleagues such as Einstein, Eddington, G H Hardy, J B S Haldane, Hubble, F A Lindemann and Rutherford. Against all odds, Milne emerged as a scientific powerhouse — and a rebellious one at that.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781848169074
Publisher: Imperial College Press
Publication date: 06/10/2013
Pages: 308
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xvii

Acknowledgements xix

List of Figures xxiii

Abbreviations in the Footnotes xxv

Chapter 1 A Foothold on the Ladder 1

Chapter 2 The Upheavals of War 15

Chapter 3 Adventures with Reflections 23

Chapter 4 The Trials of Trumpets 45

Chapter 5 Cambridge Rhapsody 61

Chapter 6 Riding on a Sunbeam 83

Chapter 7 New Horizons 93

Chapter 8 A Scientific Wilderness 103

Chapter 9 Cut and Thrust 121

Chapter 10 Family versus College 141

Chapter 11 Cosmic Inspiration 149

Chapter 12 Oxford's Enlightenment 165

Chapter 13 The Pendulum and the Atom 183

Chapter 14 Lifeline 203

Chapter 15 Mathematics, Bombs and Bureaucracy 215

Chapter 16 An Invitation 239

Chapter 17 A Race Unfinished 253

Epilogue 271

Index 273

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews