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
Pantheon 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.
"From the Hardcover edition."
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