The New World of Mr Tompkins: George Gamow's Classic Mr Tompkins in Paperback

by George Gamow, Russell Stannard (Editor), Wu Bozhe (Translator)

Mr. Tompkins is back! The mild-mannered bank clerk with the short attention span and vivid imagination has inspired, charmed, and informed young and old alike since the publication of the hugely successful Mr Tompkins in Paperback (by George Gamow) in 1965. Now, this highly affable character returns to embark on a set of adventures that explore the extreme edges of the universe--the smallest, the largest, the fastest, and the farthest. Just by following the experiences and dreams of Mr. Tompkins, readers discover and come to know the merry dance of cosmic mysteries, including: Einstein's theory of relativity, bizarre effects near light-speed, the birth and death of the universe, black holes, quarks, space warps and antimatter, the fuzzy world of the quantum, and that ultimate cosmic mystery--love. The story of Mr. Tompkins' journey to the frontiers of modern physics will delight and inform all readers. Russell Stannard is a best-selling popular science writer and the author of the critically acclaimed Uncle Albert series of science books for children.

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction, Popular Science, Astronomy, School, Mathematics

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 1999

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

[Kaju Janowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a physicist I name this book one of the best to recommend to those interested in physics yet with no mathematical background. It is a pleasurable read, quick to catch interest and easy enough to keep it till the end.

[Ali Ebrahimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب کوتاهی بود که طی یه کشیک اطفال خوندمش. کتاب به شکل چندتا داستان، دنیاهای خیالی رو به تصویر کشیده که در اونها ثابت‌های فیزیکی متفاوت از دنیای واقعی هستند، مثلا سرعت نور ده هزار برابر کوچکتر یا ثابت گرانش یک میلیون برابر بزرگتره و غیره و شرایط عجیبی رو نشون می‌ده که در این دنیاهای خیالی رخ میده و مفاهیم فیزیک جدید رو سعی می‌کنه قابل فهم‌تر کنه.
کتاب به نظرم یه ذره آشفته و درهم‌وبرهمه و خیلی به دانش شما از مفاهیم فیزیک جدید اضافه نمی‌کنه، صرفا میتونه توجه و کنجاوی شما رو برانگیخته کنه و فهم برخی موضوعات رو ساده‌تر کنه. در کل سرنخ‌های جالبی بهتون میده که میتونین دنبالش کنین و بیشتر در مورد فیزیک کوانتوم و نسبیت یاد بگیرین.

[Marcin · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/5 for new people in physics :)

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of the fun and charm of the original was lost in this politically correct update.

[Venla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro muy interesante pero tal vez, un pocito raro. En todos modos, me gustó y fue una buena manera para recuperar mis conocimientos de algunas partes de la física

[sahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

بعد از مدت ها تموم شد. کتاب سعی میکنه مفاهیم فیزیک جدید رو برای افرادی که با فیزیک آشنایی چندانی ندارند، در قالب داستان بیان کنه .به نظرم این وظیفشو به خوبی انجام داده و و راه رو واسه کسایی که میخوان بهتر و بیشتر بخونن باز گذاشته.
با اینکه بیشتر مطالبو قبلا دیده بودم ولی هنوزم خوندشون به این سبک خلاقانه جذاب بود !

[Yasmeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool, cute book. To be honest, science is not exactly my biggest passion in life, but I do find certain aspects of it extremely interesting, like relativity and quantum theory. It's really nice to have ideas like that made accessible and even entertaining. I liked the format of reading Mr Tomkins' musings followed by some actual explanation by the professor- it meant that I was generally able to follow what was happening. The overarching narrative was cute too, and made the whole thing feel a little more like a novel, which was nice. I also thought the book really stuck to what the average person (well, the averagely nerdy person such as myself) would find interesting and didn't stray into fields of science that became dry and irrelevant. So; pretty good overall.

[Randall Scalise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the original instead: Mr. Tomplins in Paperback. This rewrite is bowdlerized into extreme political correctness that distracts from the physics.

[Fernando Pardo Seco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desde que en el libro de Física Moderna (Tipler), que usé en Física Cuántica I (hace ya 25 años), en el que había visto unas ilustraciones de este libro, tenía el gusanillo de leerlo. La verdad es que el libro es muy divertido y en él se nos presentan las teorías más relevantes de la física moderna con un punto divertido.
El libro está escrito como la historia de Mr. Tompkins, que asiste a unas charlas sobre física cuántica y se sumerge en mundos en los que la velocidad de la luz tiene un valor más pequeño o en el que la constante de Planck tiene un valor más elevado. El libro tiene pocas ecuaciones y puede ser leído por cualquier persona, aunque claro si sabes de qué están hablando la cosa tiene algo más de gracia, aunque el último capítulo, sobre partículas elementales sí que puede resultar algo denso (tuve que rememorar mis tiempo de estudio de física nuclear). Los capítulos que más me gustaron fueron los de la teoría de la relatividad y cómo sería el mundo si la velocidad de la luz tuviese un valor más pequeño y otro capítulo en el que Mr. Tompkins intenta jugar al billar en un mundo en el que la constante de Planck tiene un valor elevado y claro el principio de incertidumbre de Heisemberg dificulta un poco las cosas. Un libro muy interesante y que da una visión global de los aspectos más relevantes de la física moderna, escrito de forma amena y entretenida.

[Nicolas Karpf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New World of Mr Tompkins has been one of the most interesting, yet most educational books I have ever read. The book was presented in such a way where my interest was drawn almost immediately, with my first look of the book assuming it would be less than able to keep my attention. To my surprise, I was wrong, as the dreams of Mr Tompkins throughout the chapters had kept my attention thoroughly and constantly. With these forms of interesting dreams, there was an equal part of bland versions that went into deeper detail of the concept, in the form of “lectures”. Although they were a little harder to keep attention through, it never had me close the book to wait another day to want to learn more about the sciences, whether it be about the possibly infinite expansion of the universe, or the quantum theory of the miniscule of miniscule possibilities coming to life, such as whiskey boiling on its own. I would strongly recommend this book as something to be taught in science classes.

[Gonzalo Fernández-Victorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't expect this a book easy to read. I found many teams I needed to reread a couple of pages back because I felt I wasn't getting an important concept. The final part on the Standard Model (current theory on quantum mechanics) is full of terms that look very similar to me.

But this is a great book. It presents in understandable way, an overview of the current state of physics, including relativity, quantum mechanics and Big Bang. It doesn't require a high level of "classic" Physics.

The main issue would be that I ended up with the feeling that the Standard Model is loosely similar to candle trading in stock markets: something that predicts results (probably SM much better than candles) but don't really explain. Maybe we've reached the point there is nothing to explain.

[Beata Kurcz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book based on Neil deGrasse Tyson's recommendation in one of his Star Talk shows. It surely delivered.
The dreams the protagonists has throughout the book explain the physics phenomena in such a creative and memorable way, they stay with you long after you forget the math that stood behind them.
I read it with my kid, so some parts I edited out while reading - it was easier than to explain, I guess.
The underlying plot is obviously just a canvas on which the physics problems are depicted and explained, so it does not play any major role.
A good, solid read for all those who'd like to understand more about modern (20th century) physics.

[Allan Olley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reworking of a classic work of popular science is well put together and engaging. I can not comment on the differences between this and earlier iterations like Mr. Tompkins in Paperback. It explains various concepts in physics using fanciful examples to give one a qualitative feel for some of the implications, very little of the precise math or the like is conveyed although an equation or two pop up. Some parts are just straightforward exposition of physics and may drag a little, but overall it achieves a good mix of readability and informativeness.

[Alecsphys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really an enjoyable reading! You can move from relativity theories to quantum mechanics and particle physics in a smooth way. It should be a reading for high level school and and undergraduate students. Really nice is the way the physical properties of the matter are introduced, like electric charge and nuclear isospin.

[Matt Mayevsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update better than the original!

[catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t get to read all of it, but the sections I read were really helpful to understand special relativity and other modern physics concepts.

[Violeta Esquiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alimentó aún más mi curiosidad por la física. Está genial escrito, lo entiendes todo aunque tu nivel no sea alto (como en mi caso, jaja).

[Nicolás Santibáñez · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Dónde está el Gravitón?

[Rajendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the science is updated, somehow it is less fun to read the book.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't feel that I missed out on anything by not having read this, and it doesn't seem to have much to tell me now that I've already read other introductory books on the topic. I am however delighted to find that Stannard, who updated and edited this collection, is also the author of a much better book I did read and love as a child, The Time and Space of Uncle Albert.

This one is fine, there's nothing wrong with it, it needed updating, it's a little stodgy and not terribly fun, Tompkins is a bumbling and uncompelling character who mostly serves as a foil for exposition instead of coming across richly like a whole person. Stannard's Uncle Albert has none of these flaws.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife got it from the library for my son and I to read together, thinking it would be similar to the Uncle Albert books. It was quickly obvious it was written to an adult audience, so I've continued reading it on my own.

Very well done. I especially liked the chapter on antimatter - it stretched me at first, but eventually gave me a perspective I've either never seen or never understood before.

[Nina Selezneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful pop science accessible to all audiences

[Roberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but difficult to grasp at first when you don't know modern physics. Really interesting. I will recommend it to people who will like to understand the world in an easier way.

[Harshit Tabyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It covers topics mostly from quantum physics and one or two chapter are on relativity. It is a excellent book for layman who wants to know about these subjects. Concepts are explained through funny and entertaining adventures of Mr Tompkins.

You won't understand the concepts of quantum physics in entirety (otherwise there would be no need for university education) but still it presents before you pretty good picture of things.

If you want to understand concepts quantum physics like a proper scientist, college level mathematics is a must.

But for lay guys, beginners, school students... go for this book, you will enjoy it.

(This revised edition of Original Book "Mr Tompkins in paperback". Some new chapters are added and some politically incorrect writing is reworked)

[Tyler DeFrancesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more modern, updated-to-be-slightly-more-accurate version of Mr Tompkins in Paperback, by physicist George Gamow. While a slight familiarity with Physics is helpful to enjoy a lot of sections - namely the sections high-energy and particle physics - this novel is a perfect introduction into the qualitative concepts of a wide breadth of modern topics in physics, ranging from Special and General Relativity, to statistical and quantum mechanics.

Mathematical models are not a focus in this novel, nor are they even included for the sake of showing them to the reader, in most cases. Thus, it is accessible to virtually anybody with an interest in these topics. Since it is written by an actual physicist, you won't need to worry about running into the disgusting amount of misinformation and pop-sci that plagues many of these fields on the internet.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. Though nowhere near the PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH comparisons. I got a bit weary toward the end and just like the Mr. Tompkins of the title, found myself fighting nodding off. Which he seems to do whenever anyone starts talking science stuff. If I had been the professor and some bald headed jerk always showed up to my lectures only to sit in the back and snore loudly, I would have rudely disinvited him from any future attendances. Not introduce him to my daughter. Still. A decent frame to situate the fundemental theories behind the physics.

[L.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Tompkins adventures are really delicious. But I feel the last 3 chapters by Stannard don't fit very well in the volume.

Argumente ale expansiunii Universului:
- faptul că vedem galaxiile foarte îndepărtate aşa cum erau în urmă cu numărul corespunzător de milioane de ani-lumină
- creşterea numărului de galaxii pe volum de spaţiu cu cât mai în urmă priveşti în spaţiu; cu alte cuvinte, universul se rarefiază
- quasarii pe care în prezent îi vedem dar ei nu mai există*
- raportul hidrogen-heliu (77%-23%)
- radiaţia cosmică de fond.

http://wp.me/p3M0N-14q

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading about George Gamow earlier this year, I wanted to go back and reread some of his Mr. Tompkins stories. This updated edition was available through the public library. It retains many of Gamow's original stories and the lyrics and music to the Cosmic Opera written by his wife. It does not contain many of the more dated and sexist references from the original and updates the physics to what was known and accepted in 1999.

More importantly, reading this book reminded me of reading my father's copies of the original Mr. Tompkins books when I was in junior high.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great update to a classic book. The original adventures of Mr. Tompkins have been modernized and his story has been extended. As time goes on, he continues to attend the Professor's lectures and also marries the Professor's daughter, who also has an interest in science. Modern discoveries such as quarks and superstrings are explained, and the book also shows how an accelerator ("atom smasher") works. A really fun, informational read!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is all about modern physics. There is so much out there on the topic, but I find most books unclear ... especially if you don't already know the material. This is a delightful book that really helps the reader get a handle on mind-bending physics. Still not a light read. Probably should have given it 4 stars, but I really want people to read it.