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The Picture Book of Quantum Mechanics
by Hans Dieter Dahmen Siegmund BrandtThe aim of this book is to explain the basic concepts and phenomena of quantum mechanics by means of visualization. Computer-generated illustrations in color are used extensively throughout the text, helping to establish the relation between quantum mechanics--wave functions, interference, atomic structure, and so forth--and classical physics--point mechanics, statistical mechanics, and wave optics. Even more important, by studying the pictures in parallel with the text, readers develop an intuition for such notoriously abstract phenomena as the tunnel effect excitation and decay of metastable states wave-packet motion within a well systems of distinguishable and indistinguishable particles free wave packets and scattering in 3 dimensions angular-momentum decomposition stationary bound states in various 3-dimensional potentials hybrid states Kepler motion of wave packets in the Coulomb field spin and magnetic resonance Illustrations from experiments in a variety of fields, including chemistry, and molecular, atomic, nuclear, and particle physics, underline the basic as well as the practical importance of quantum mechanics. In the present, fourth edition all computer graphics are presented in full color. It also contains additional physics topics such as hybridization. Praise for Previous Editions "The book is highly recommended as a complement to any standard textbook in quantum mechanics, but it will also be valuable to all of us who studied quantum mechanics without the pictures." -- International Journal of Quantum Chemistry "This book would be an excellent basis for the study of special topics in a quantum physics course. Most serious students of physics and all of their teachers will want to consider having this orderly and graphic outline of introductory quantum theory at their fingertips." -- American Journal of Physics "Their aim is the presentation of the 'principal ideas of wave mechanics' in such a way that students can build a quantum intuition out of their graphics." -- Scientific American "This is a unique book. It does not provide a complete course in quantum theory, but as a companion work of reference it should be quite useful to students in providing insights into the dynamical structure of the theory." -- Nature
Science and Man's Behavior
by Trigant BurrowEdited and compiled by William E. Galt after Burrow's death, Science and Man's Behavior: The Contribution of Phylobiology details the practices and therapies of one of the founding fathers of behavioral psychology. As a psychologist, Burrow was most interested in understanding and resolving man's behavioral conflict. He worked to shed light on behavioral disorders through his use of group- and phylo-therapy. Join Galt on a journey through Burrow's theories and practices in this important early text on a groundbreaking twentieth-century methodology. Trigiant Burrow was a founder of phylobiology and was a pioneer of using phyloanalysis as a therapy tool. Burrow was a trained doctor, biologist, and psychologist who specialized in experimental psychology. He studied psychoanalysis with Carl Jung and brought the European techniques to the United States. He studied and practiced experimental and behavioral psychology in Baltimore, Maryland for most of his life.
Wonders of the Human Body
by Anthony RavielliDetailed, easy to understand children's book about how the human body functions.
Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolution Of Global Intelligence
by George DysonDarwin Among the Machines tells the story of humankind's journey into the digital wilderness. Introducing a cast of familiar and not-so-familiar characters, historian of science George B. Dyson traces the course of the information revolution, illuminating the lives and work of visionaries--from Thomas Hobbes to John von Neumann--who foresaw the development of artificial intelligence, artificial life, and artificial mind. This profound and elegant book derives both its title and its outlook from Samuel Butler's 1863 essay, "Darwin Among the Machines. " Observing the beginnings of miniaturization, self-reproduction, and telecommunication among machines, Butler predicted that nature's intelligence, only temporarily subservient to technology, would resurface to claim our creations as her own. Updating Butler's arguments, Dyson distills the historical record to chronicle the origins of digital telecommunications and the evolution of digital computers, beginning long before the time of Darwin and exploring the limits of Darwinian evolution to suggest what lies beyond. Weaving a cohesive narrative of his brilliant predecessors, Dyson constructs a straightforward, convincing, and occasionally frightening view of the evolution of mind in the global network, on a level transcending our own. Dyson concludes that we are in the midst of an experiment that echoes the prehistory of human intelligence and the origins of life. Just as the exchange of coded molecular instructions brought life as we know it to the early earth's primordial soup, and as language and mind combined to form the culture in which we live, so, in the digital universe, are computer programs and worldwide networks combining to produce an evolutionary theater in which the distinctions between nature and technology are increasingly obscured. Nature, argues Dyson, is on the side of the machines.
Einstein
by Philipp FrankMuch has been written about Albert Einstein, technical and biographical, but very little remains as valuable as this unique hybrid of a book written by Einstein’s colleague and contemporary. Both rich in personal insights and grounded in a deep knowledge of twentieth-century science, Phillip Frank's biography anchors the reader with a lucid overview of physics and draws an intimate portrait of the Nobel Prize-winner.
How We Invented the Airplane: An Illustrated History
by Orville WrightIt was the realization of a dream as old as mankind. On December 17, 1903, two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, achieved the first sustained, powered, heavier-than-air flight in a machine of their own design and construction. This book offers a concise and fascinating history of that remarkable accomplishment, much of it in the words of the inventors themselves. The heart of the book is Orville Wright's personal account, written in connection with an obscure lawsuit filed against the U.S. government. Long forgotten until a typewritten copy was discovered among the Wright papers at the Library of Congress, it is the best, most detailed account of how the Wright brothers succeeded in creating the machine that lifted man into the sky on wings.The brothers first became interested in the problem of flight after reading about the glider experiments of Otto Lilienthal, a 19th-century German engineer. Experimenting first with kites and gliders, they developed a revolutionary wing design that helped solve the crucial problem of maintaining lateral equilibrium. Later, they added a movable rudder that eliminated the tendency of the machine to go into a tailspin. In addition to these critical innovations, the two inventors developed new accurate tables of "life" pressures and an original theory of air propellers. Slowly, methodically, with patience, perseverance, ingenuity, and inspired invention, they solved the problems that had defeated so many experimenters before them.Finally, on a gusty winter day in North Carolina, the Wright brothers flew their little motor-driven biplane off the sand at Kitty Hawk (actually Kill Devil Hills) and into the pages of history. Although the first flight lasted only about 12 seconds and covered barely 120 feet, it was the first time a machine carrying a man and driven by a motor had lifted itself from the ground in controlled free flight. A new era had begun and the world would never be the same again.The achievement of the Wright brothers is placed in historical context in the absorbing and informative introduction to this volume, written by Fred C. Kelly, author of two standard works on the Wrights. Mr. Kelly has also written an illuminating commentary, including fascinating anecdotes about the Wrights, their personalities and later aspects of their career. As an extra bonus, a lively popular account of the Wrights' success, written in 1908 by both brothers, has been included in an Appendix. Enhanced by 76 photographs, including many rare views of the Wrights and their flying machines, this book offers a thrilling reading experience for anyone interested in aviation, its pioneers, or the mechanics of flights.
Icebound Summer
by Sally CarrigharIn Icebound Summer, we are taken through a brief and intense arctic summer when seemingly frozen and lifeless tundra comes to life.
Mapping the Darkness: The Visionary Scientists Who Unlocked the Mysteries of Sleep
by Kenneth MillerThirty-two days underground. No heat. No sunlight. 4 June 1938. Nathaniel Kleitman and his research student make their way down the seventy-one steps leading to the mouth of Mammoth Cave. They are about to embark on one of the most intrepid and bizarre experiments in medical history, one which will change our understanding of sleep forever. Undisturbed by natural light, they will investigate what happens when you overturn one of the fundamental rhythms of the human body. Together, they enter the darkness. When Kleitman first arrived in New York, a penniless twenty-year-old refugee, few would have guessed that in just a few decades he would revolutionise the field of sleep science. In Mapping the Darkness, Kenneth Miller weaves science and history to tell the story of the outsider scientists who took sleep science from the fringes to a mainstream obsession. Reliving the spectacular experiments, technological innovation, imaginative leaps and single-minded commitment of these early pioneers, Miller provides a tantalising glimpse into the most mysterious third of our lives.
Nuclear Physics
by W. HeisenbergFrom the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who developed the famous uncertainty principle, Nuclear Physics provides an in-depth look at the study of the atom. The book was compiled from a series of Heisenberg's lectures on the subject, and is detailed and accessible enough for anyone interested in the subject. Heisenberg begins with a short history of atomic physics before delving into the theory of the processes and reactions within the atom. Nuclear Physics is an essential book to understanding the atom, giving readers an unparalleled look at nuclear physics from one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century.
Nuclear Physics: Out Of My Later Years, Scientific Autobiography, And Nuclear Physics
by W. HeisenbergThe Nobel Prize–winning physicist offers a fascinating popular introduction to nuclear physics from early atomic theory to its transformative applications. Theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg is famous for developing the uncertainty principle, which bears his name, and for his pioneering work in quantum mechanics. A central figure in the development of the atomic bomb and a close colleague of Albert Einstein, Heisenberg wrote Nuclear Physics &“for readers who, while interested in natural sciences, have no previous training in theoretical physics.&” Compiled from a series of his lectures on the subject, Heisenberg begins with a short history of atomic physics before delving into the nature of nuclear forces and reactions, the tools of nuclear physics, and its world-changing technical and practical applications. Nuclear Physics is an ideal book for general readers interested in learning about some of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century.
Nuclear Physics
by W. HeisenbergFrom the Nobel Prize winning physicist who developed the famous uncertainty principle, Nuclear Physics provides an in-depth look at the study of the atom. The book was compiled from a series of Heisenberg s lectures on the subject, and it is detailed and accessible enough for anyone interested in the subject. Heisenberg begins with a short history of atomic physics before delving into the theory of the processes and reactions within the atom. Nuclear Physics is an essential book to understanding the atom, giving readers an unparalleled look at nuclear physics from one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. A controversial WWII figure, Werner Heisenberg was a German physicist. Born in 1901 to an academic family, Heisenberg was interested in scientific and philosophical pursuits from a young age. After graduating from the University of Munich, where he studied under physicist Arthur Sommerfield, Heisenberg went on to establish a career in the study of atomic and particle theory. He won the Nobel Prize in 1932 for his Uncertainty Principle. Heisenberg was one of the top German scientists during World War II, and he worked as the director of the German Uranium Project developing an atomic bomb for Germany. He did not succeed in this effort, however, before the end of the war. He was incarcerated from 1945 46 for his role in the Nazi regime, but in the 50s and 60s, Heisenberg continued to contribute his research to the field of nuclear physics. He retired in 1970 and resided in Munich until his death in 1973.
The Odonata of Canada and Alaska: The Zygoptera–Damselflies
by Edmund WalkerDr. Walker makes a signal contribution in gathering together all available information on the dragonflies of Canada and Alaska. The order as a whole and the zygoptera are covered. The treatment is not confined to taxonomy and geographical distribution, but includes data on habitats, seasons of adult life, and brief notes on habits when these are available.
Planned Management of Forests (Routledge Library Editions: Forestry)
by N. V. BrasnettOriginally published in 1953, this book was compiled to provide students of forestry with a simple outline of what the management of forests involves, and of the way in which forestry operations are organized and controlled. Topics discussed and explained include economic considerations, stock mapping, topography, climate, soils, form and distribution of crops, scientific forestry, destruction of forests, regulation by volume, area and size and forest protection.
Science and the Modern World
by Alfred North WhiteheadThe history of science, including mathematics, relativity, quantum mechanics, science and philosophy, science and religion.
Science and the Modern World
by Alfred North WhiteheadThis book originally published in 1925, redefines the concept of modern science. Taking readers through the history of modern science, Whitehead shows how cultural history has affected science over the ages in relation to such major intellectual themes as romanticism, relativity, quantum theory, religion, and movements for social progress.
Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece
by George Sarton"There are few scholars or scientists today who write as beautifully or as interestingly as [Sarton] . . . [his] book is magnificent." -- Ashley Montagu, Saturday ReviewAlthough science did not begin in ancient Greece (millennia of work in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other regions preceded Greek efforts) it is nevertheless true that methodic, rational investigation of the natural universe originated largely with early Hellenic thinkers. Thus, the major part of this book is of necessity devoted to Greece. Drawing wherever possible on original sources, Dr. Sarton, one of the world's foremost historians of science, paints a vivid and illuminating picture of mathematics, astronomy, physics, biology, medicine, and other sciences as they emerged from the mists of prehistory and ultimately flourished within the context of Greek society. The book is divided into three parts. Part One begins with the earliest evidence of prehistoric mathematics, astronomy, and other science. Dr. Sarton then describes the achievements of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the dawn of Greek culture and the remarkable flowering of Ionian science in the sixth century B.C. Thales of Miletos, Anaximandrox, and Xenophanes are among the important figures discussed. An entire chapter focuses on the influential doctrines of Pythagoras.Part Two opens with the glory of Athens in the fifth century B.C. and its magnificent achievements in poetry and the arts, philosophy, and science. Described in lucid detail are groundbreaking contributions of Heracleitos, Anaxagoras, Protagoras, Zenon of Elea, Parmenides, Democritos, and many others. Also included in this section are perceptive discussions of geographers and historians of the fifth century (Herodotos, Thucydides, and others) and Greek medicine of the fifth century (chiefly Hippocratic). Part Three focuses on the extraordinary Greek thinkers of the fourth century B.C.: Plato and the Academy, Aristotle, Xenophon and many others, including such important schools of thought as the cynics, stoics, skeptics, and epicureans. Major attention is given to mathematics, astronomy and physics, natural sciences and medicine, Aristotelian humanities, and historiography and other topics. "Of great value to the general historian and an exciting, arresting story for the lay reader. -- The Yale Review
Evolution and Human Destiny
by Fred Kohler"Evolution and Human Destiny" is a methodical examination of the evolution of living matter in general and the development of man and human society in particular. Raising pertinent questions on whether the road of human development will lead steadily upward, or whether it will be interrupted by severe setbacks with all the attendant sufferings for mankind.
Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science
by Martin Gardner"Although we are amused, we may also be embarrassed to find our friends or even ourselves among the gullible advocates of plausible-sounding doubletalk." -- Saturday Review"A very able and even-tempered presentation." -- New YorkerThis witty and engaging book examines the various fads, fallacies, strange cults, and curious panaceas which at one time or another have masqueraded as science. Not just a collection of anecdotes but a fair, reasoned appraisal of eccentric theory, it is unique in recognizing the scientific, philosophic, and sociological-psychological implications of the wave of pseudoscientific theories which periodically besets the world.To this second revised edition of a work formerly titled In the Name of Science, Martin Gardner has added new, up-to-date material to an already impressive account of hundreds of systematized vagaries. Here you will find discussions of hollow-earth fanatics like Symmes; Velikovsky and wandering planets; Hörbiger, Bellamy, and the theory of multiple moons; Charles Fort and the Fortean Society; dowsing and the other strange methods for finding water, ores, and oil. Also covered are such topics as naturopathy, iridiagnosis, zone therapy, food fads; Wilhelm Reich and orgone sex energy; L. Ron Hubbard and Dianetics; A. Korzybski and General Semantics. A new examination of Bridey Murphy is included in this edition, along with a new section on bibliographic reference material.
Music, Physics and Engineering (Dover Books On Music Ser.)
by Harry F. OlsonNow thoroughly revised and enlarged, this book offers the most comprehensive coverage available of all aspects of the production, reception, and reproduction of sound. Written clearly and concisely, all its chapters can be understood without specialized training in music, physics, engineering, or mathematics.Dr. Olson discusses the nature of sound waves; explains the division of sound into scale patterns and the traditional method of notating them; describes the individual characteristics of all musical instruments currently in use (including the human voice); shows how the ears hear; discusses concert hall and recording studio acoustics, amplification systems, etc; describes the elements of sound reproduction systems from the telephone to the stereo record player; and concludes with a new chapter on the production, development, and potentialities of electronic music.Under these broad headings, readers will find a close analysis of the way in which a violin produces sound; descriptions of carbon, crystal, dynamic, velocity, and unidirectional microphones; a comparison of the relative absorbency of 22 acoustic materials, building materials, and objects; a description of how music can be produced by a digital computer; and much, much more. Conductors will find suggestions on positioning their orchestras; performers will understand the dynamics of their instruments; recording engineers and acousticians will discover a remarkably comprehensive reference work; and music teachers, students, physicists, and enthusiasts in general will find easy access to a vast wealth of information.
Newton's Philosophy of Nature: Selections from His Writings
by Sir Isaac Newton H. S. ThayerAside from the Principia and occasional appearances of the Opticks, Newton's writings have remained largely inaccessible to students of philosophy, science, and literature as well as to other readers. This book provides a remedy with wide representation of the interests, problems, and diverse philosophic issues that preoccupied the greatest scientific mind of the seventeenth century.Grouped in sections corresponding to methods, principles, and theological considerations, these selections feature cross-references to related essays. Starting with an examination of the methods of natural philosophy--including the rules of reasoning, the formulation of hypotheses, and the experimental method--the essays explore the laws of motion and the relationships between God and gravity, creation, and universal design. Discussions of questions related to natural philosophy include theories on light, colors, and perceptions. The volume concludes with absorbing selections from the Opticks and a helpful series of historical and explanatory notes.
The Sensory Order: An Inquiry into the Foundations of Theoretical Psychology
by F. A. HayekThe Nobel Prize-winning economist explores how the mind works—an early landmark in the field of cognitive science. The Sensory Order, first published in 1952, sets forth F. A. Hayek's classic theory of mind in which he describes the mental mechanism that classifies perceptions that cannot be accounted for by physical laws. Though Hayek is more commonly known as an icon in the field of economics, his genius was wide-ranging—and his contribution to theoretical psychology is of continuing significance to cognitive scientists as well as to economists interested in the interplay between psychology and market systems, and has been addressed in the work of Thomas Szasz, Gerald Edelman, and Joaquin Fuster. &“A most encouraging example of a sustained attempt to bring together information, inference, and hypothesis in the several fields of biology, psychology, and philosophy.&”—Quarterly Review of Biology
Vision Through the Atmosphere (Heritage)
by W.E.K. MiddletonIn recent years, the problem of seeing through the atmosphere has been given intensive and costly consideration in several quarters, but particularly in the Untied States and Great Britain. A problem which once concerned mainly the meteorologists has become of great importance in military tactics as well as in peacetime transportation. The present volume is the only full account in English of the physical, physiological, and psychological factors which lie at the basis of the calculation of the range of vision through the atmosphere. There is an extended chapter on instruments and one on the author's own theory of the colours of distant objects. The figures are from many sources althrough many of them have been drawn specially for this book. The bibliography contains 420 entries nearly all of which are directly referred to in the text.
The World of Flying Saucers A Scientific Examination of a Major Myth of the Space Age (Classics To Go)
by Donald H. MenzelExcerpt: "Both as scientists and as devotees of science fiction, we have long been interested in space travel. When reports of unidentified flying objects began to increase in the years between 1947 and 1952, one of us (D.H.M.) collected and studied the limited information available about the sightings. He soon concluded (with a slight feeling of disappointment!) that the flying saucers were not vehicles from other worlds but were only mundane objects and events of various kinds, some of them commonplace, some familiar chiefly to meteorologists, physicists, and astronomers."
A Century of Science 1851-1951 (Routledge Library Editions: 20th Century Science)
by Herbert DingleFirst published in 1951 to coincide with the British Festival, this book explores the developments in science which had occurred since the Great Exhibition of 1851. Covering the full range of scientific development which had emerged in that time – from fundamental physics to evolution and genetics, and from geology to medical surgery – this accessible collection of essays charts with impressive comprehension and clarity the momentous changes which had occurred in the pursuit of science since the mid-nineteenth century, and ably demonstrates the appropriateness of citing the twentieth century as the advent of the scientific age. A Century of Science will appeal to those interested in the history of science, those wishing to ground their knowledge of specific scientific disciplines in a broader understanding of the subject, and also to the general reader who values scientific progress and the questions it continues to raise.
Everything Has a History (Routledge Revivals)
by J. B. HaldaneIn this collection, first published in 1951, the central theme is that everything has a history, and that we cannot fully understand anything without some knowledge of its history. Professor Haldane writes mainly on geology, astronomy and zoology, but includes a variety of other topics, including eugenics, Einstein, and C. S. Lewis. His outlines of zoology, of the geology of England, and of the evidence for astronomical theories, will be of great use to students and teachers.