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Ludwig Boltzmann: The Man Who Trusted Atoms
Ludwig Boltzmann arguably played the key role in establishing that submicroscopic structures underlie the ordinary world. He had a tremendous impact on late 19th-century and early 20th-century physics, and he anticipated many contemporary ideas, including Kuhn's theory of scientific revolutions and recent theories of knowledge based on Darwinian principles. This book is the first accessible biography of this important figure. Without relying on equations, it provides a deep look at the full range of his scientific and philosophical ideas, discussing both their original context and their relevance today. The book also gives a concise portrait of Boltzmann's life, which, despite his successes, ended tragically in suicide. Drawing on recent research related to some of Boltzmann's more controversial ideas, this book offers fascinating insights into the birth of modern physics.
348 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 21, 2021
Awesome book for a look at statistical mechanics through Boltzmann’s work; good for rigorous outsiders. If you’ve ever had a physicist tell you entropy is “disorder” and not known what they’re talking about, (and more crucially, wanted to know), this should straighten things out somewhat about the mathematics of decay. You might want to know some vector calculus and probability but probably don’t strictly need it to get something out of the book. Made Boltzmann my favorite physicist.
January 1, 2018
This is a very difficult book to read. A blurb on the back reads- "I can warmly recommend the book to everybody who is interested in the history of science."
No freakin' way. Do not read this if you are looking for a basic history of him. If you know something about him and are ready (and intellectually prepared) for the level of math needed then you'll find that it's worth it.
No freakin' way. Do not read this if you are looking for a basic history of him. If you know something about him and are ready (and intellectually prepared) for the level of math needed then you'll find that it's worth it.
November 23, 2023
Ludwig Boltzmann: Austrian physicist and philosopher, one of the most important scientists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Born in 1844, hung himself in 1906.
Boltzmann is known for his studies on the puzzle of the one-way flow of time. The basic laws of physics do not distinguish between past and future, but it is obvious from everyday life that time only goes in one direction. For example, consider a glass that is knocked off a table, falls and shatters on the floor. According to the basic laws of physics, it is possible for all the fragments to reunite into the original glass, and then have the glass jump back onto the table. But of course we do not see that happen. So why is there this contradiction between physical laws and ordinary experience?
Boltzmann’s answer, which he developed over years of work, was that the basic laws of physics work on a microscopic scale, involving only a few atoms or molecules, but for something like a glass, there are a stupendous number of atoms involved, and we somehow have to take into account the mutual interactions of the vast number of atoms. Boltzmann was the prime contributor to the theory of how to do this, which is known as statistical mechanics.
Since Boltzmann’s statistical mechanics presupposed the existence of atoms, Boltzmann of course was a proponent of the atomic theory of matter. Until surprisingly late, atoms were considered to be only a “useful hypothesis”. Many scientists such as Ernst Mach (of the Mach number) denied the existence of atoms.
Boltzmann was highly respected by his contemporaries, but he was often criticized, partly because his work was hard to follow. For example, the author of the book we are reviewing, Carlo Cercignani, dedicated the book to his daughter Anna, “who helped me through Boltzmann’s dense German.” Talking about Boltzmann’s work, Einstein said “There are great physicists who have not understood it.”
Before reading Cerignani’s book, I knew nothing of Boltzmann’s personal life, except that he committed suicide, and thought that he must have led a dark life indeed. This was only partially true. Cercignani diagnosed Boltzmann as manic depressive, or bipolar, with some periods of misery, and some periods of great happiness.
Boltzmann was married (his wife called him “sweet fat darling”) and had four children. He had many friends, and enjoyed parties until early morning. He liked to take long walks, ice skating, and swimming. He was an excellent teacher and his lectures were well attended. He visited the United States three times, during one visit giving 30 lectures at Berkeley.
Boltzmann was invited to the Austrian court more than once, but had a minor problem when dining with Emperor Franz-Joseph. Boltzmann was a slow eater, and on official occasions the Emperor barely touched his food. Court etiquette forbad eating after the Emperor was done, so Boltzmann hardly tasted the wonderful food.
Cercignani says that Boltzmann had about fourteen good years, but then became more and more restless, moving pointlessly between universities. Cercignani thought this indicated that Boltzmann’s mental condition was getting worse.
Boltzmann wrote a poem called Beethoven im Himmel, which Cercignani considered disturbing. In the poem Boltzmann goes to heaven, where he hears a lackluster symphony that Beethoven had written in heaven. Boltzmann asks Beethoven why the symphony was so bad. Beethoven replies that there is no pain or sorrow in heaven, and pain is necessary for creative spark.
Then, on a vacation in Italy, Boltzmann hung himself. His fifteen year old daughter discovered him.
Cercignani’s biography of Boltzmann is unusual. Out of the twelve chapters in the book, only the first is a typical biography. Most of the rest of the book contains quite technical discussions of the development of statistical mechanics between about 1850 and 1900, covering books, lectures, scientific papers, and letters. (Boltzmann is the leading figure in this history, but not the only one.) In addition, the book’s appendices contain full-blown mathematical derivations of various points alluded to earlier in the book. So only a specialist in statistical mechanics (which I am not) can read the majority of the book with profit.
Boltzmann is known for his studies on the puzzle of the one-way flow of time. The basic laws of physics do not distinguish between past and future, but it is obvious from everyday life that time only goes in one direction. For example, consider a glass that is knocked off a table, falls and shatters on the floor. According to the basic laws of physics, it is possible for all the fragments to reunite into the original glass, and then have the glass jump back onto the table. But of course we do not see that happen. So why is there this contradiction between physical laws and ordinary experience?
Boltzmann’s answer, which he developed over years of work, was that the basic laws of physics work on a microscopic scale, involving only a few atoms or molecules, but for something like a glass, there are a stupendous number of atoms involved, and we somehow have to take into account the mutual interactions of the vast number of atoms. Boltzmann was the prime contributor to the theory of how to do this, which is known as statistical mechanics.
Since Boltzmann’s statistical mechanics presupposed the existence of atoms, Boltzmann of course was a proponent of the atomic theory of matter. Until surprisingly late, atoms were considered to be only a “useful hypothesis”. Many scientists such as Ernst Mach (of the Mach number) denied the existence of atoms.
Boltzmann was highly respected by his contemporaries, but he was often criticized, partly because his work was hard to follow. For example, the author of the book we are reviewing, Carlo Cercignani, dedicated the book to his daughter Anna, “who helped me through Boltzmann’s dense German.” Talking about Boltzmann’s work, Einstein said “There are great physicists who have not understood it.”
Before reading Cerignani’s book, I knew nothing of Boltzmann’s personal life, except that he committed suicide, and thought that he must have led a dark life indeed. This was only partially true. Cercignani diagnosed Boltzmann as manic depressive, or bipolar, with some periods of misery, and some periods of great happiness.
Boltzmann was married (his wife called him “sweet fat darling”) and had four children. He had many friends, and enjoyed parties until early morning. He liked to take long walks, ice skating, and swimming. He was an excellent teacher and his lectures were well attended. He visited the United States three times, during one visit giving 30 lectures at Berkeley.
Boltzmann was invited to the Austrian court more than once, but had a minor problem when dining with Emperor Franz-Joseph. Boltzmann was a slow eater, and on official occasions the Emperor barely touched his food. Court etiquette forbad eating after the Emperor was done, so Boltzmann hardly tasted the wonderful food.
Cercignani says that Boltzmann had about fourteen good years, but then became more and more restless, moving pointlessly between universities. Cercignani thought this indicated that Boltzmann’s mental condition was getting worse.
Boltzmann wrote a poem called Beethoven im Himmel, which Cercignani considered disturbing. In the poem Boltzmann goes to heaven, where he hears a lackluster symphony that Beethoven had written in heaven. Boltzmann asks Beethoven why the symphony was so bad. Beethoven replies that there is no pain or sorrow in heaven, and pain is necessary for creative spark.
Then, on a vacation in Italy, Boltzmann hung himself. His fifteen year old daughter discovered him.
Cercignani’s biography of Boltzmann is unusual. Out of the twelve chapters in the book, only the first is a typical biography. Most of the rest of the book contains quite technical discussions of the development of statistical mechanics between about 1850 and 1900, covering books, lectures, scientific papers, and letters. (Boltzmann is the leading figure in this history, but not the only one.) In addition, the book’s appendices contain full-blown mathematical derivations of various points alluded to earlier in the book. So only a specialist in statistical mechanics (which I am not) can read the majority of the book with profit.
March 11, 2022
Read my review here: https://ashwinbalaji.xyz/ludwig-boltz...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews