Century of Physics

"...A panoramic view of the physics landscape of the past century, in which are embedded an impressive number of major physics accomplishments. And [the book] describes these accomplishments in a language that is comprehensible to an educated reader with or without training in physics...In choice of topics, Bromley is about as complete as can be imagined...An immensely entertaining and illuminating read." PHYSICS TODAY "Springer presents an expanded narrative with Bromley's fine sampling of images of 20th-century physics...Bromley's upbeat text will convince you that there's a wealth of work to keep physicists busy while Super-K is put back together." --American Scientist "Pictures are the stars of this book, bringing the highly readable narrative to life. The reader's eyes are spoiled by images...he covers topics as diverse as superconductivity and the evolution of computers...and covers the research activity of laboratories all around the world." --www.cerncourier.com PHYSICS TODAY "The accomplishments of physics in the 20th century are among the most illustrious achievements of our civilization, and Bromley is certainly one of those advocates of physics with the credentials to articulate them. Given so nearly impossible a task, Bromley nevertheless manages to pull it off...in a language that is comprehensible to an educated reader with or without training in physics...In choice of topics, Bromley is about as complete as can be imagined...I found the volume to be an immensely entertaining and illuminating read, and I was greatly impressed by the amount of thought and just plain hard work the author imposed on himself to get it done."

• Form the Contents: Part 1: An Historical Overview, 1900-1949: What is Physics?- The Early 20th Century.- Activities in the Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory.- The Development of Quantum Mechanics.- 1932-Annus Mirabilis.- The Discovery of Nuclear Fission.- The Manhattan Project.- The MIT Radiation Laboratory.- The Merger of Natural Philosophy and Invention.- Physics in the 1930's.- The Immediate Post-War Period; Part 2: The Explosive Growth of Post-War Physics, 1950-1999.- Materials Science.- Superconductivity.- Bukckyballs and Nanotubes.- Surface Science.- Fluid Physics.- Self-Similarity.- Development of the Transistor.