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Title: E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis ISBN: 0-425-18164-2 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 09 October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.15 (68 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The Basics
Comment: Bodanis rightly points out that the special theory of relativity is unjustly considered to be impossible to understand. With that as his starting point, in this "biography of the world's most famous equation" Bodanis takes us through the background of each element of the equation (E,=,m,c and ^2) and leads us through their union by Einstein in 1905. Then he takes us through some of the implications this equation has had for the twentieth century, including the development of the atomic bomb and the discovery of black holes.
All in all, Bodanis does a fine job with his book. His presentation is easy enough to follow so that nearly anyone should be able to get the basics here. Additionally, the story, as he tells it, is motivated historically which is something that I really like. We meet a number of the important figures in scientific history (including the important women, two of whom get a lot of time in this volume--Emile du Chatelet and Lise Meitner) and learn about their contributions to the development of the theory.
The main weakness of this volume is that it is also too simplistic. It serves as a great introduction for the scientifically challenged but there is very little depth here. (To someone who has read Richard Rhodes' brilliant "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" this lack of depth in certain areas will stand out.) Also, Bodanis' judgement of certain figures--Heisenberg and Hahn, in particular--is rather harsh. I may even agree with his assessment but people's lives, especially in times of war, are more complicated that can be summed up in a few negative lines.
Still, Bodanis has done a fine job here. I would encourage anyone with an interest in science to take a look at this book, especially those who think that something like relativity theory is beyond their basic understanding. This book will show them that they can learn this stuff. And when you're ready to handle more, Bodanis has given us extensive notes and a bibliography from which to move on to something higher.
Rating: 4
Summary: You don't have to be Einstein
Comment: Not having a background in science myself, I found this book to be informative and quite absorbing. I grew up with constant references to "E=MC2" but never knew what it was all about. The quotation sounded smart, I never felt smart enough to understand it, so I have obliviously gone through my life not knowing what all the fuss was about. Mr Bodanis book is written for those of us who don't have a scientific clue. It was easy for me to follow, and all the background historical information helped to support the core story of the theory of relativity. Give it a chance...it is not for science "snobs".
Rating: 5
Summary: It Doesn't Really "Matter"
Comment: I liked this book. Having read it I believe that I have a better basic understanding of Einstein's formula than I possessed prior to the time I purchased it. I realize that I am not ready nor prepared to enroll at Cambridge or Harvard seeking a doctorate in Quantum Mechanics, but I'm glad I read this book.
The critical reviews of this book posted by many experts miss the point. David Bodanis has provided the target reader with basic generalizations about Einstein's equation in a manner designed not as a definitive textbook but as an introduction to some of the basic concepts of physics. Even more importantly he has done so by using a method specifically designed to be understood by the generalists among us. Rather than dull our senses with elongated mathematical equations, David Bodanis describes these physics concepts in human terms; by telling biographical stories, through analogy and by breathing real life into a mathematical equation.
As a target reader of this book, I seek a basic understanding not a Nobel Prize in physics. Even if the explanations are in places a bit technically inaccurate David Bodanis efforts are worthy of great praise and worthy of your time. For those who criticize the technical accuracy of this book, I am comforted by the fact that once Einstein's formula has run its physical course in the absolute stillness of a silenced universe it will not "matter."
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Title: The Secret House: The Extraordinary Science of an Ordinary Day by David Bodanis ISBN: 0425188426 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Newton's Gift: How Sir Isaac Newton Unlocked the System of the World by David Berlinski ISBN: 0743217764 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 05 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Relativity : The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein ISBN: 0517884410 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 06 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Ideas & Opinions by Albert Einstein ISBN: 0517003937 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 12 December, 1988 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife, Matt Zimet ISBN: 0140296476 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 05 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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