Great Physicists: The Life and Times of Leading Physicists from Galileo to Hawking

by William H. Cropper

Here is a lively history of modern physics, as seen through the lives of thirty men and women from the pantheon of physics. William H. Cropper vividly portrays the life and accomplishments of such giants as Galileo and Isaac Newton, Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, right up to contemporary figures such as Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, and Stephen Hawking. We meet scientists--all geniuses--who could be gregarious, aloof, unpretentious, friendly, dogged, imperious, generous to colleagues or contentious rivals. As Cropper captures their personalities, he also offers vivid portraits of their great moments of discovery, their bitter feuds, their relations with family and friends, their religious beliefs and education. In addition, Cropper has grouped these biographies by discipline--mechanics, thermodynamics, particle physics, and others--each section beginning with a historical overview. Thus in the section on quantum mechanics, readers can see
how the work of Max Planck influenced Niels Bohr, and how Bohr in turn influenced Werner Heisenberg.
Our understanding of the physical world has increased dramatically in the last four centuries. With Great Physicists , readers can retrace the footsteps of the men and women who led the way.

Genres: Science, Physics, Biography, Nonfiction, History, History Of Science, Popular Science

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Arash Ashrafzadeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me so long to finish this book and I believe the reason was both my laziness and the god-damn konkour exam.
I really liked it ; the translation was very good and almost all the physicists were "great physicists" . I think a cool point was the equasions and the mathematical calculations through the stories.
And finally , here are my favorite physicists :
Galileo Galilei , Isaac Newton , Rudolf Clausius , Michael Faraday , James Clerk Maxwell , Albert Einstein, Max Planck , Niels Bohr , Wolfgang Pauli , Werner Heisenberg , Erwin Schrödinger , Enrico Fermi , Paul Dirac , Edwin Hubble , Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and the last but not least , Professor Stephen Hawking.

[Jordan Ulmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal read, great conceptual and at times technical overview of the progression of physics, and sadly the digression of good moral character in physicists, that is something I hope to change!

[Janus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting! Good education for physics concepts from quantum mechanics, to thermodynamics, to relativity, to cosmology and astrophysics. :-)

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی خوب بود واقعا ترجمشم عالی بود.🥹

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you look up the biography of a famous Physicist, it seems you either get something far too skimpy, or else an entire textbook. Well here is a single book with that goldilocks-just-right amount of bio (about 15 pages/person) for these 30 men and women.

Entire book can be found here:
https://www.iaa.csic.es/~dani/ebooks/...

The book is well divided by key areas:
1. Mechanics
2. Thermodynamics
3. Electromagnetism
4. Statistical Mechanics
5. Relativity
6. Quantum Mechanics
7. Nuclear Physics
8. Particle Physics
9. Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Scientists:
1. Galileo Galilei
2. Isaac Newton
3. Sadi Carnot
4. Robert Mayer
5. James Joule
6. Hermann Helmholtz
7. William Thomson
8. Rudolf Clausiu
9. Willard Gibbs
10. Walther Nernst
11. Michael Faraday
12. James Clerk Maxwell
13. Ludwig Boltzmann
14. Albert Einstein
15. Max Planck
16. Niels Bohr
17. Wolfgang Pauli
18. Werner Heisenberg
19. Erwin Schrodinger
20. Louis de Broglie
21. Marie Curie
22. Ernest Rutherford
23. Lise Meitner
24. Enrico Fermi
25. Paul Dirac
26. Richard Feynman
27. Murray Gell-Mann
28. Edwin Hubble
29. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
30. Stephen Hawking

[John Michael Strubhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book! If you know me, you know that if physics were a woman, I'd marry her. This collection of the biographies and contributions to the field of several of the greatest physicists ever is a joy to read. Physics is a human endeavor and it's explorers were amazing characters. It would take years to read detailed biographies of each physicist included in this volume, but the concise, engaging, respectful accumulation of their stories gathered here will entertain and educate. A must read and have displayed on the bookshelf for any physics enthusiast.

[Barrett Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unique in that it has some equations; only the bare minimum. But enough that this isn't a mere summary of the history of physics. You will learn real physics here. It goes into greater depth on the history of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics than most such books written at this level. The author clearly has a deep understanding.

[Steven Keays · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does for physics what "A history of mathematics" does for math (cf: my review).

A gem, a jewel, a treasure of a book.

A MUST-Read for anyone interested, even peripherally, about understanding how knowledge escaped the castrating shackles of religious dogma and entered the Elysian field of realism.

[Dhruv Bhandula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief snapshot of the lives of some of the most famous physicists and the evolution of Physics over the years. A difficult but interesting book to read. It will take a bit of time to properly assimilate and understand the nitty gritty of Physics but it is worth the effort.

[Aditya Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book started with Galileo and finished with Hawking. From planets to universe. The book is beautiful and motivating. It doesn't only contain the language and life of physicists, but also provides a summary of the the discoveries made by them with equations.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dry in parts, here and there, before you get to the quantum physics that is. Then it’s just super good.

My favorite physicist is still Max Planck. And also, Schrödinger.

[Carlgrady · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are wonderful summaries of the physicists from classical to quantum. BUY this:don't just read it.

[A YOGAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Physicists: Vom Hahnenkampf der Egos zum Ingenieur des Universums
William H. Croppers Buch ist vordergründig eine grandiose Galerie wissenschaftlicher Titanen, doch der kritische Leser erkennt schnell: Die Geschichte der Physik ist kein rationaler Weg zur Wahrheit, sondern oft ein Hahnenkampf der Eitelkeiten. Cropper liefert dafür den perfekten Beleg am Beispiel Isaac Newtons, der die Principia aus ästhetischem Snobismus und taktischem Kalkül in der „Sprache der Alten“ – der Geometrie – verfasste. Descartes’ moderne Algebra fand er schlicht „übelkeitserregend“ (provoking nausea) und schuf ein bewusst unzugängliches Meisterwerk, um unangreifbar zu bleiben. Noch schmutziger wird es im berühmten Prioritätenstreit mit Leibniz, in dem Newton seine Machtposition nutzte, um den Ruhm für den Calculus zu monopolisieren. Und währenddessen verhallt im Hintergrund das leise Seufzen von Lise Meitner, die die Kernspaltung erklärte, während Otto Hahn den Nobelpreis dafür entgegennahm. Das Buch lehrt uns auf ernüchternde Weise: In der Physik gewinnt oft derjenige, der das Sitzungsprotokoll der Geschichte selbst schreibt.
Doch mitten im Lärm dieser Egos tritt eine unscheinbare Figur als der eigentliche Gigant hervor: James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879). Während andere sich inszenierten, begriff er, dass die seltsamen Phänomene Elektrizität und Magnetismus zwei Seiten derselben Medaille sind, und lieferte „nebenbei“ die Einsicht, dass Licht eine elektromagnetische Welle ist. Maxwell ist der Ingenieur im Maschinenraum des Universums: Mit seinen vier Gleichungen schrieb er das Betriebssystem der modernen Welt – ohne ihn gäbe es kein Radio, kein Internet und keinen Einstein. Ironischerweise wird er im Gegensatz zu Newton und Einstein kaum erkannt, weil er zu bescheiden für jede Form von PR war.
Cropper zeigt damit letztlich: Der lauteste Ruhm fällt oft den Strategen zu, doch die größte Wirkung geht von jenen aus, die im Stillen rechnen.

[Marc Watt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a sucker for biographies, especially on scientists, they are the weirdest. Oddly enough the chapter in newton led to an epiphany when they were discussing his view on differentials. Quick McDonald's stuff for the Max train on your way to work

[Glenn Bellamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who want to dig into the lives of the great physicist and physics. However, it’s very long and covers a lot of territory. A covered so much territory that, at times, I had to sit it down, and read something else.

[alxomnm · Rating 5 out of 5]

p. 102

[Dasagamabu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesante descripción histórica de la vida de los principales físicos desde Galileo a Stephen Hawking. Muy recomendable para conocer cómo eran estos personajes.

[Rahul Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book so good. Giving a good insights of reach physicist and their respective domains.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for someone like me who is just beginning to look into the world of physics. At times it gets into algerithms and equations I didn't quite understand, but it gave a brief bio of the most well known physicists allowing me to gain a little inspiration from some of their life stories.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 to 3 stars. Quick tour through the lives and work of thirty physicists. Difficult balance between biographical and physics detail. It left me wanting to know more about some areas - but equally relieved to get to the end of the book.

[Mihai Radulescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Would have gave it 5 stars with less thermodynamics and more cosmology.

[Jeff Krewenki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you trying to get into physics or see where some great ideas started. Fun and easy to read with many life stories of the brightest mind this plant has yet seen .

[Tbuikema · Rating 4 out of 5]

“... science is, after all, a human endeavor.”