Winner of the 2007 Pfizer Prize from the History of Science
Society. Feynman diagrams have revolutionized nearly every aspect
of theoretical physics since the middle of the twentieth century.
Introduced by the American physicist Richard Feynman (1918-88) soon
after World War II as a means of simplifying lengthy calculations
in quantum electrodynamics, they soon gained adherents in many
branches of the discipline. Yet as new physicists adopted the tiny
line drawings, they also adapted the diagrams and introduced their
own interpretations. "Drawing Theories Apart" traces how
generations of young theorists learned to frame their research in
terms of the diagrams--and how both the diagrams and their users
were molded in the process.
Drawing on rich archival materials, interviews, and more than five
hundred scientific articles from the period, "Drawing Theories
Apart" uses the Feynman diagrams as a means to explore the
development of American postwar physics. By focusing on the ways
young physicists learned new calculational skills, David Kaiser
frames his story around the crafting and stabilizing of the basic
tools in the physicist's kit--thus offering the first book to
follow the diagrams once they left Feynman's hands and entered the
physics vernacular.
General
Imprint: |
University of Chicago Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
June 2005 |
First published: |
June 2005 |
Authors: |
David Kaiser
|
Dimensions: |
152 x 227 x 33mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
376 |
Edition: |
2nd Ed. |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-226-42267-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Physics >
General
|
LSN: |
0-226-42267-4 |
Barcode: |
9780226422671 |
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