10 Physicists
This is a lovely book, easy to read, and sure to provoke debate
Brian Clegg and Rhodri Evans
Brian and popular TV and radio astronomer Rhodri Evans give us a Top Ten list of physicists as the central theme to build an exploration of the most exciting breakthroughs in physics, looking not just at the science, but also the fascinating lives of the scientists themselves.
Brian and popular TV and radio astronomer Rhodri Evans give us a Top Ten list of physicists as the central theme to build an exploration of the most exciting breakthroughs in physics, looking not just at the science, but also the fascinating lives of the scientists themselves.
The Top Ten are:
1 Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
2 Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
3 Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
4 Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
5 James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)
6 Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
7 Marie Curie (1867-1934)
8 Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
9 Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937)
10 Paul Dirac (1902-1984)
Disagree with the list? So do the authors and the preface-writer Steven Weinberg - but that’s all part of the fun of this kind of book.
Each of these figures has made a huge contribution to physics. Some are household names, others more of a mystery, but in each case there is an opportunity to combine a better understanding of the way that each of them has advanced our knowledge of the universe with an exploration of their often unusual, always interesting lives.
Reviews
This is a lovely book, easy to read, and sure to provoke debate. John Gribbin, author of In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat
A must-read book for anyone interested in the history of ideas. Andrew May, Fortean Times
Highlighting the importance of physics and its practical applications that have transformed our lives, the book explores about the extraordinary contribution of 10 physicists to human knowledge, some household names and others not so well-known. IANS, Business Standard
There’s a fascination produced by this kind of top ten list… the Reader's Digest condensed book of key physicists. Jo Reed, Popular Science website
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