Thirty Years that Shook Physics

Modern Science Made EasyBy one of the leading physicists of the twentieth century, George Gamow's One, Two, Three…Infinity is one of the most memorable popular books on physics, mathematics, and science generally ever written, famous for having, directly or indirectly, launched the academic and/or scientific careers of many young people whose first real encounter with the wonders and mysteries of mathematics and science was through reading this book as a teenager. Untypically for popular science books, this one is enhanced by the author's own delightful sketches. Reviewers were enthusiastic when One, Two, Three…Infinity was published in 1947. In the Author's Own Words:"If and when all the laws governing physical phenomena are finally discovered, and all the empirical constants occurring in these laws are finally expressed through the four independent basic constants, we will be able to say that physical science has reached its end, that no excitement is left in further explorations, and that all that remains to a physicist is either tedious work on minor details or the self-educational study and adoration of the magnificence of the completed system. At that stage physical science will enter from the epoch of Columbus and Magellan into the epoch of the National Geographic Magazine!" — George Gamow Critical Acclaim for One, Two, Three…Infinity:"This skillful presentation is for the non-professional and professional scientist. It will broaden the knowledge of each and give the imagination wide play." — Chemistry and Engineering News "A stimulating and provocative book for the science-minded layman." — Kirkus Reviews "This is a layman's book as readable as a historical novel, but every chapter bears the solid imprint of authoritative research." — San Francisco Chronice "George Gamow succeeds where others fail because of his remarkable ability to combine technical accuracy, choice of material, dignity of expression, and readability." — Saturday Review of Literature

• BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACEPREFACEINTRODUCTIONI M. PLANCK AND LIGHT QUANTAStatistical Mechanics and Thermal RadiationMax Planck and the Quantum of EnergyLight Quanta and the Photoelectric EffectThe Compton EffectII N. BOHR AND QUANTUM ORBITSRutherford's Theory of the Nuclear AtomQuantizing a Mechanical SystemSommerfeld's Elliptical OrbitsBohr's InstituteIII W. PAULI AND THE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLEQuotas for Electron LevelsThe Spinning ElectronPauli and Nuclear PhysicsThe NeutrinoIV L. DE BROGLIE AND PILOT WAVESSchrödinger's Wave EquationApplying Wave MechanicsV W. HEISENBERG AND THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLEDiscarding Classical Linear TrajectoriesVI P. A. M. DIRAC AND ANTI-PARTICLESUnifying Relativity and Quantum TheoryAnti-Particle PhysicsVII E. FERMI AND PARTICLE TRANSFORMATIONSThe Forces Behind ß-TransformationUsing Fermi Interaction LawsFermi's Research in Nuclear ReactionsVIII H. YUKAWA AND MESONSIX MEN AT WORKAPPENDIX BLEGDAMSVEJ FAUSTINDEX