Mr Tompkins Learns the Facts of Life Reissue edition by Gamow, George (2011) Paperback

Mr Tompkins #3

by George Gamow

George Gamow's first Tompkins book, Mr Tompkins in Wonderland, created a 'toy universe' where, as his son comments in the preface to this 2010 reprint, 'the maximum speed of light is assumed to be 10 miles per hour, while all the laws of general relativity still hold'. Since the death of the author in 1968, the Mr Tompkins series has gone through a number of reincarnations. The latest reincarnation, The Adventures of Mr Tompkins (www.theadventuresofmrtompkins.com), has Mr Tompkins not only visiting physicists, well also one biologist in Mr Tompkins Learns the Facts of Life but he also visits a slew of scientists from all branches of science and mathematics, from their very beginnings to the present time, from Aristotle to Watson and Crick.

Genres: Science, Physics

Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

George Gamow (Russian pronunciation: [ˈɡaməf:]; March 4 [O.S. February 20:] 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov (Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist born in the Russian Empire. He discovered alpha decay via quantum tunneling and worked on radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis, big bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave background, nucleocosmogenesis and genetics.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've known Mr Tompkins since I was sixteen, but only known his physics adventures. Quite astonishing that it's taken me 20 years to discover that he also had adventures in cell biology, genetics and neurology - especially given that I was studying biology for a number of those years (while reading Mr Tompkins' physics adventures on the side...probably explains a lot!)

[Sandeep Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Gamow is like that old grandfather whose stories never cease to delight. In the hush of the night, under the wavering flicker of a candle, he tells us tales of our origin and our scientific past. And he adds glitter to such tales like no one else will ever be able to. His grasp of the subjects he touches, coupled with his masterful ability to say it well has brought mankind a set of works which we will cherish forever.