Dover Science

Since time immemorial, people have attempted to explain the origin of the world, from the creation myths of the ancients to the more sophisticated views that developed with the progress of observational astronomy. This lively and authoritative survey by an internationally famous physicist and one of the formulators of the Big Bang theory of cosmology offers captivating perspectives on the births of the galaxies, stars, chemical elements, and planetary systems. The author of such popular books as One Two Three . . . Infinity, George Gamow has introduced millions of readers to the concepts of relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, and other scientific subjects. Illustrated with diagrams and Gamow's own drawings, this remarkably accessible book explains complex and difficult concepts in a direct and simple manner, with minimal references to mathematics. The Creation of the Universe addresses both the Big Bang and Steady State theories of cosmogony, and is equally suitable for scientists from every field, as well as nonspecialists. Preface. Appendix. Index. 40 figures.

Atomic physics is a mighty Hercules that dominates modern civilization, promising immense reserves of power but threatening catastrophic war and radioactive pollution. The story of the atom's discovery and the development of techniques to harness its energy offers fascinating insights into the forces behind twenty-first-century technology. This compelling history portrays the human faces and lives behind the beginnings of atomic science. The Infancy of Atomic Physics ranges from experiments in the 1880s by William Crookes and others to the era just after the First World War, when Rutherford's first speculations on the structures of the atomic nucleus led to the discovery of the neutron -- and thus to nuclear weapons and nuclear power. It describes the dramatic researches as they were made, and it shows how they were interpreted in the scientific language of their time. This survey not only depicts the impressions of leading scientists like Thomson, Rutherford, Einstein, and Bohr, but it also reflects the views of ordinary laboratory scientists as well as the ways in which innovations were introduced to the wider public.

One of the founders of modern quark theory traverses the eons to bring readers within the first millisecond of the Big Bang. Trefil employs minimal mathematics in this compelling and lucid narrative, which not only offers a remarkable view of the universe's beginnings, but also speculates about its end. 1983 edition.