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The Prism and the Pendulum: The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments in Science
Is science beautiful? Yes, argues acclaimed philosopher and historian of science Robert P. Crease in this engaging exploration of history’s most beautiful experiments. The result is an engrossing journey through nearly 2,500 years of scientific innovation. Along the way, we encounter glimpses into the personalities and creative thinking of some of the field’s most interesting figures.We see the first measurement of the earth’s circumference, accomplished in the third century B.C. by Eratosthenes using sticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault’s mesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earth on its axis. We meet Galileo—the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten—brilliantly drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all.We also learn why these ten experiments exert such a powerful hold on our imaginations. From the ancient world to cutting-edge physics, these ten exhilarating moments reveal something fundamental about the world, pulling us out of confusion and revealing nature’s elegance. The Prism and the Pendulum brings us face-to-face with the wonder of science.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
58 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Robert P. Crease
26 books29 followersProfessor Robert P. Crease is Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Stony Brook University, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 11, 2013
A very quick read, with some chapters clearer and more fascinating than others. Much of the highlights were the biographies of the scientists themselves--Galileo, Newton, Young, Rutherford, and especially Henry Cavendish, who needs his own biopic, stat. Each experiment is separated by short 'Interludes' on various topics concerning science and philosophy that are surprisingly successful, and nowhere near as redundant or pat as they could have been. You'll probably want the internet handy, though, to look up better descriptions of the Experimentum Crucis, or footage of a soliton, or figure out what the hell parity violation is (I'll save you the trouble, it is neither comprehensible nor important).
June 14, 2022
Entretenido, pero siento que lo bello queda a medio camino. Si bien el autor intenta explicar en varios capítulos esta supuesta relación, me parece que no logra convencer y más bien solo parece una justificación para el nombre del libro. Podría haberse llamado "10 experimentos maravillosos o extraordinarios de la ciencia".
June 4, 2020
Crease seems to really think highly of scientists. He also seems to think that beauty in science is a foregone conclusion. What's of interest in this book is the short historic biographies of these interesting people and the experiments they did, and the impact that they had. Crease himself is not a poet, nor does he seem to have a deeper understand of what is beauty or anything else. Instead he looks to share what he has found in with us, and that's okay.
I think this could be an inspirational text for people in college or high school. Crease takes a very standard view of what is real and venerates these scientists, although he seems to take art, truth and beauty in a very uncritical way, repeating these words over and over as though to impress upon us the depth of what these scientists did and the impact they had on our world view. Essentially Crease is a reporter and historian of no great depth, although what he writes is interesting because it adds meaning for me -- although I am not sure that Creases readers will see what he means to impart automatically. Crease assumes a context in his book that he doesn't fully explain -- and that I think is beyond his ability to explain.
This is a basic history-science book, and that's okay.
I think this could be an inspirational text for people in college or high school. Crease takes a very standard view of what is real and venerates these scientists, although he seems to take art, truth and beauty in a very uncritical way, repeating these words over and over as though to impress upon us the depth of what these scientists did and the impact they had on our world view. Essentially Crease is a reporter and historian of no great depth, although what he writes is interesting because it adds meaning for me -- although I am not sure that Creases readers will see what he means to impart automatically. Crease assumes a context in his book that he doesn't fully explain -- and that I think is beyond his ability to explain.
This is a basic history-science book, and that's okay.
November 7, 2010
The chief problem with this book is that it was written by a philosopher, not a scientist, and I'm not sure he understands the concept of "elegance" in science, viz. "beauty", and in "Interludes" brings in all sorts of (IMHO) unneeded philosophical content. Also, not being a native scientist, some of his explanations are strained. Furthermore, the book was conceived after a poll at a physics magazine the author writes for, so the entries are all physics experiments.
January 4, 2025
The hard cover copy I got for Christmas a couple years back has pretty colors and flaunts its mysterious title that alludes to a creepy Edgar Allen Poe story.
This book starts with Eratosthenes making the first accurate calculation of the earth's circumference in the 3rd century B.C. He did essentially by making a single measurement: of a shadow's angle. He came "within just a few percent" of what we now consider the value to be.
One of the most amusing descriptions was that of Cavendish (the dude who measured the mass of the earth) and his intense persistence, neurotic obsession with the precision of his apparatus, and his borderline pathological shyness and seclusion. It turns out at least some of these traits were necessary to pull off an experiment that relied on measuring the tiniest of perturbations.
This book helped round out and further my knowledge of some parts of the history of science of which I previously had only a vague understanding. God help you if you haven't studied some of these things before. Not easy to understand wave-particle duality (or any almost any of the 10 experiments) if you haven't spent time in classes solving problems and drawing diagrams as one wrestles with these concepts.
More than anything, (I'm biased as a former high school physics teacher) I appreciate his choice of experiments and the sequence he presented them. His last chapter on "the only mystery"--and how a single electron could go through two openings at once--brings one back to head scratching, furrowed brow and confusion one most confront if one learns anything about 20th century physics. Is it beautiful? Sure, why not. Is it humbling? Not just for you and me, but even for the smarties who got Nobel prizes. They all stood up during their speeches and said, "sorry folks, we don't get it either."
This book starts with Eratosthenes making the first accurate calculation of the earth's circumference in the 3rd century B.C. He did essentially by making a single measurement: of a shadow's angle. He came "within just a few percent" of what we now consider the value to be.
One of the most amusing descriptions was that of Cavendish (the dude who measured the mass of the earth) and his intense persistence, neurotic obsession with the precision of his apparatus, and his borderline pathological shyness and seclusion. It turns out at least some of these traits were necessary to pull off an experiment that relied on measuring the tiniest of perturbations.
This book helped round out and further my knowledge of some parts of the history of science of which I previously had only a vague understanding. God help you if you haven't studied some of these things before. Not easy to understand wave-particle duality (or any almost any of the 10 experiments) if you haven't spent time in classes solving problems and drawing diagrams as one wrestles with these concepts.
More than anything, (I'm biased as a former high school physics teacher) I appreciate his choice of experiments and the sequence he presented them. His last chapter on "the only mystery"--and how a single electron could go through two openings at once--brings one back to head scratching, furrowed brow and confusion one most confront if one learns anything about 20th century physics. Is it beautiful? Sure, why not. Is it humbling? Not just for you and me, but even for the smarties who got Nobel prizes. They all stood up during their speeches and said, "sorry folks, we don't get it either."
April 19, 2019
I'm somewhat a fan of science and I don't really mind it. The book was great and it was interesting, why I chose to write about this book is because how fascinating it is to read it. The book shows you a wide range of experiments done back in the 1600-1900. The book is also short but it's also not that simple, I was struggling to pronounce words and they were real difficult for me, I don't know if it's me but they were hard, anywho, I like this book very much and I also learned a lot from this and I want to read more from this author.
TLDR; good book, hard to pronounce words, and a fairly short read.
TLDR; good book, hard to pronounce words, and a fairly short read.
January 11, 2022
We see the first measurement of the earth’s circumference, accomplished in the third century B.C. by Eratosthenes using sticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault’s mesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earth on its axis. We meet Galileo – the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten – brilliantly drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all.
October 11, 2025
It’s nice to think about science and appreciate the beauty of how it works. This book takes us on a journey through how humankind discovered and proved theories driven by creativity, ingenuity, and the pursuit of perfection. Moreover, the author helps us understand how science works for scientists “they don’t do it just because it’s their job, but because they love it”. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore science and needs a little help not to get bored, because after reading it, everyone will see science as something truly deserving of beauty.
July 11, 2023
I sometimes joke that the only thing which separates mathematics from physics is a single ‘f’. Referring, of course, to ‘if’ in physics and ‘iff’ in mathematics. But this is not true, there is one other ingredient to physics which makes it special: unquestionable obedience to experiment. Crease explains physics through things you could see, and, in the process, gives the philosophical purpose of experiment its due.
October 25, 2017
Highly readable profiles of 10 of history's most powerful, far-reaching (and yes, "beautiful") scientific experiments - and the people who created them.
March 30, 2018
This is an excellent book. The science is explained very well. The people who made the discoveries were interesting characters. Note to myself to watch for more of this authors books.
January 14, 2020
phenomenal! Science in indeed beautiful :)
October 18, 2022
Fun book, but fails with premise. Only physics
Read
December 1, 2024Reread in college. Could get boring
July 9, 2025
El experimento de Eratóstenes y el de Cavendish fueron realmente geniales.
February 28, 2017
Straightforward but uncompelling treatment of major science experiments
There are two aspects of the experiments that the author addresses here. First, is the strict treatment of the experiment itself: its importance, how it was carried out, and the significance of the results. He does a good job here in most cases, though the doesn't always communicate some underlying complications (understandably). The second aspect is, of course, the "beauty" of the experiments. Frankly, I'm not sure many experimental physicists would characterize experiments of any kind as being beautiful. Results, perhaps.
There are two aspects of the experiments that the author addresses here. First, is the strict treatment of the experiment itself: its importance, how it was carried out, and the significance of the results. He does a good job here in most cases, though the doesn't always communicate some underlying complications (understandably). The second aspect is, of course, the "beauty" of the experiments. Frankly, I'm not sure many experimental physicists would characterize experiments of any kind as being beautiful. Results, perhaps.
June 25, 2023
muito interessantes as discussões sobre ciências exatas vindo de uma perspectiva mais subjetiva e artística
December 17, 2008
The most beautiful experiments in science are all physics and astronomy experiments! Coincidence? I think not! :)
As a physicist, I enjoyed the book very much, though I can't comment on how accessible it would be to the layman. This book would make a great basis for an undergraduate course for physics majors or for non-majors, as many of the experiments could be easily reproduced in the classroom, and they raise a lot of important issues about the nature of science, of experiment, and of reality.
I was most fascinated by the chapter on Millikan's Oil Drop experiment. I performed this experiment as an undergraduate physics major, nearly going blind from squinting at dim little globules of light, throwing my back out of whack for a week because I had to hunch over to see through the awkwardly-positioned microscope, and getting lousy results—I think I found the mass of the electron to be 2.5 times the actual value. More interesting than the description of the experiment itself is The Prism and the Pendulum's discussion of how Millikan selected and represented his data. Is it ethical to discard data that you feel are clearly out of line due to faults in your instrument or your experimental setup? Sure. Is it okay to do so without making mention of it in your paper? I don't think so. Is it okay to discard data and then claim that you used all the data you collected in order to avoid criticism by rival camps? Not by my standards, though Crease defends Millikan's choice to do just that.
Definitely a good read for someone interested in physics or the process of science.
As a physicist, I enjoyed the book very much, though I can't comment on how accessible it would be to the layman. This book would make a great basis for an undergraduate course for physics majors or for non-majors, as many of the experiments could be easily reproduced in the classroom, and they raise a lot of important issues about the nature of science, of experiment, and of reality.
I was most fascinated by the chapter on Millikan's Oil Drop experiment. I performed this experiment as an undergraduate physics major, nearly going blind from squinting at dim little globules of light, throwing my back out of whack for a week because I had to hunch over to see through the awkwardly-positioned microscope, and getting lousy results—I think I found the mass of the electron to be 2.5 times the actual value. More interesting than the description of the experiment itself is The Prism and the Pendulum's discussion of how Millikan selected and represented his data. Is it ethical to discard data that you feel are clearly out of line due to faults in your instrument or your experimental setup? Sure. Is it okay to do so without making mention of it in your paper? I don't think so. Is it okay to discard data and then claim that you used all the data you collected in order to avoid criticism by rival camps? Not by my standards, though Crease defends Millikan's choice to do just that.
Definitely a good read for someone interested in physics or the process of science.
August 17, 2011
An excellent book, it effectively uses the ten experiments to illustrate a set of broader ideas in the philosophy of science through a series of interludes. In this way it dried to draw a broader set of lessons than George Johnson's "The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments." And to tell less of a human story than Johnson's book.
It is remarkable that two books that share a title/subtitle had so few overlapping experiments. Maybe they both should have dropped the adjective "most," resting only on the unambiguously true claim that they're about beautiful experiments. Or maybe the Crease books should have added the qualifier "physics," the field that essentially all of his experiments are drawn from.
It is remarkable that two books that share a title/subtitle had so few overlapping experiments. Maybe they both should have dropped the adjective "most," resting only on the unambiguously true claim that they're about beautiful experiments. Or maybe the Crease books should have added the qualifier "physics," the field that essentially all of his experiments are drawn from.
September 28, 2014
I only stuck with The Prism and the Pendulum out of persistence, and not wanting to give up on a book before it was finished. I still question if that was a good idea.
The author asks, "Can a science experiment be beautiful? And if the answer is 'Yes', what does that say about science? What does that say about beauty?" This isn't just an introduction. He was serious about attempting to answer these boring questions. So, between chapters describing the experiments, there were essays that further explored the relationship between science and beauty. Zzzzzzzzz.
The author asks, "Can a science experiment be beautiful? And if the answer is 'Yes', what does that say about science? What does that say about beauty?" This isn't just an introduction. He was serious about attempting to answer these boring questions. So, between chapters describing the experiments, there were essays that further explored the relationship between science and beauty. Zzzzzzzzz.
July 10, 2008
I liked reading this book. It took me a long time to get through it, the science is understandable for a lay-person, but very dense. I was a little disappointed that almost all the experiments were physics experiments. But they were all very important experiments about the world we live in, so I can live with it. Overall, a very good book.
October 6, 2011
Incredible writing and thinking by Mr. Crease. Highly impressed with this short book that will be of interest to those who like to think about science in our lives and societies and/or the history of science. As I'm one that seldom gives 5 stars I will clarify that they mean "I love it" rather than "a classic."
September 24, 2008
This book was spot-on for my Scientific Thinking class. I especially enjoyed the Eratosthenes/Newton/Cavendish chapters. Why do these "Beautiful Experiments" books (George Johnson wrote another) neglect Biology so shamefully? We deserve our own book!
May 30, 2015
Very nicely done book on how science is done, examined through the lens of 10 classic (elegant and beautiful) experiments. Would make a nice text for high school science students looking for inspiration and something more challenging.
December 5, 2015
The historical chapters were 5 star, but the interludes were dense and rather dull. It would have been better to add a couple more experiments, and delete the interludes. Descriptions of the experiments were fascinating; arguments about "beauty" were not.
December 8, 2021
Mostly readable and a good piece of non-fiction. As the book progressed, I got a bit more mired in the tone, which felt a bit... mansplain-y. I liked the chornological organization of the book. It should definitely be called "the most beautiful experiments in physics."
December 20, 2007
If you love science and history, it is a great combo
June 20, 2009
Learning about the clever things that brilliant people do is fun!
November 18, 2010
フーコーの振り子
April 30, 2012
I learn a lot from this book not only about history of science but also the art of experiments.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews