Heisenberg Probably Slept Here: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Physicists of the 20th Century

by Richard P. Brennan

"Here is a book I wish I had when taking physics my senior year in high school!" -Book Report

A lively illumination of modern physics' marquee players, featuring:
* Albert Einstein
* Max Planck
* Ernest Rutherford
* Niels Bohr
* Werner Heisenberg
* Richard Feynman
* Murray Gell-Mann

"Brennan has a knack for explaining difficult technicalities simply. His essays give a useful summary of twentieth-century science." -Financial Times

"Highly recommended to expert and layperson alike." -Choice

Genres: Physics, Biography, Nonfiction, Science, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1996

Reviews

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma obra que une ciência e biografia(s). Desmistifica, esclarece e recorda-nos as grandes descobertas da Física. Pelo meio, contam-se histórias engraçadas (como a eterna rivalidade entre Leibniz e Newton acerca da «paternidade» do cálculo) e deixa-nos com vontade de investir em biografias individuais (e mais densas) destes gigantes. Muito bom.

[Luca Campobasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a book about history of physics, it does brilliantly. Never boring, it presents in a very easy for-all language the developments from Newton to Modern Physics.

What it does in addition, is to present some of the important ideas which nowadays are very important in modern physics and that often in school teachers fail to deliver (for any reason). Calculus, relativity, radiations, all explained in simple terms. It clarified also some of my doubts as a Physics student.

[Edkallenn Lima · Rating 3 out of 5]

No geral, é um bom livro. Mas vale mais para quem não conhece as biografias dos (pouco) físicos citados. A presença de Gell-Man não me espanta, mas a ausência de vários (como Dirac, Schrödinger, Kepler, entre outros) que é sentida, sim. Mas, é um bom livro de alguém que conhece do que fala (embora exagere um pouco acerca de Newton — para o bem e para o mal). Vale a leitura.

[Laiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apesar de definitivamente não entender os raciocínios por trás da física, as histórias das descobertas são fascinantes. É uma ótima leitura para quem ama ciência ou se encanta com o poder da mente humana de desvendar mistérios. Para além das descobertas, o livro é uma celebração da curiosidade e da busca pelo conhecimento intrínseca na humanidade.

[Tue Le · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best things about this book are the pleasant font and the diagrams. This author is far from the best on this subject I have read. His bibliography consists of mostly secondary sources, not primary ones. A historian of science or biographer worth his salt would extensively consult primary sources, including in the original language, whenever feasible. Explanations are decent, but occasionally mangled. People interested in quantum physics and its pioneers should instead read In Search of Schrodinger's Cat by John Gribbin, a far more competent writer.

[Aleksa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a surprisingly pleasurable read. There’s something wholesome to me about looking at the lives of people that shape our world and seeing them as humans, rather than names of theories and such.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for all the science dummies like me out there...From Isaac Newton to Murray Gell-Mann, everything you always wanted (needed?) to know about physics is gathered in one highly readable volume, explained in plain words and accessible language - beautifully simple. "Physics is the science that deals with matter, energy, motion, and force [...:] the search for the fundamental laws of nature." This pretty elegant definition opens the book, which leads you through the lives, times and discoveries of the 8 most prominent physicists to date (featuring an international feline superstar - aka Schroedinger's cat). The book's conclusion hints at how much there is still left to understand. Reading through books on the evolution of species, you get used to the idea that the existence of conscious beings results from an unbelievable series of highly improbable events and the realisation of incalculably small probabilities. "Heisenberg probably slept here" will also require you to accept the idea that even the existence of atoms results from such improbable events, and that the chances of there being nothing were actually much higher than the chances of there being something at all. Sobering.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book of "mini-biographies" that briefly covers 8 of the most influential scientists/physicists of the twentieth century. Although much has been written on the heavy hitters like Newton (although he is pre-20th century), Einstein and Feynman, I particularly enjoyed learning more about Max Planck, Neils Bohr, Ernest Rutherford, and Murray Gell-Mann, and their contributions to the scientific endeavour. Of course Werner Heisenberg is also covered (as the books' title suggests) and his uncertainty principle that defines the fundamental limitations of quantum measurements.

Although this book is about the science, it is also about the human stories behind the great scientific minds that changed history. Brennan explains the concepts in easy to comprehend language, while giving the reader a peek at the personal lives of these great minds - I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to know a little more about the people that defined thinking "outside the box" and forever altered the world of science and the human experience.

[Francisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

O autor faz um bom trabalho ao rever a vida e a obra de 8 grandes cientistas (Newton, Einstein, Planck, Rutherford, Bohr, Heiseinberg, Feynman e Gell-Mann). Especial destaque para a atenção que o autor deu às relações entre cientistas que viveram na mesma época. Também é interessante que o autor tenha se preocupado em esclarecer o que é mito e o que é verdade sobre alguns aspectos da vida e obra dos cientistas. Por fim, há uma interessante cronologia ao final do volume assim como um glossário que pode ser útil para leitores que não estão acostumados a ler textos científicos.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual biography, covering the men who would invent quantum mechanics. Often humorous, quirky, but delving into the interplay between the men and what they would give birth to.

This is a must read for any physicist to gain an understand of giants who's shoulders we climb upon.

[Mehrzad · Rating 5 out of 5]

اگه مثل من نمیدونستید که نیوتن چند سال بود قوانین حرکت وحساب دیفرانسیل رو کشف کرده بود ولی منتشر نمیکرد ولی "هالی" کسی که ستاره دنباله دار هالی رو کشف کرد نیوتن رو مجبور کرد اونا رو چاپ کنه یا از بحث های انیشتن با بوهر و بقیه بیشتر بدونید خوندن ایم کتاب رو توصیه میکنم

[Behnam Tonekaboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written but has lack of many researches in physics. I was going to give 4 stars but after reading the poor epilogue I gave 3. I believe the epilogue does not show the thoughts of the most physicists.

[Farzad · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب جالبی است، یک بار خوندن اون برای دوستداران علم، بخصوص از نوع فیزیکیش مفیده.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly as the author promised - lives, times, and ideas of the men (yeah, just about all male) who promulgated new views of our universe, written so that I understood it all.

[SiavashMGH]

یکی از دوستداشتنی ترین کتابهای تاریخ علمی هست که خوندم... واقعا دوستش دارم... روان، دلنشین، عمیق و آسان!! یه جورایی جمع اضداده