First published in 1945, in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Atomic Energy in Cosmic and Human Life offers a unique account of the problem of atomic energy and the underlying principles of radioactive decay. Written by the pre-eminent physicist George Gamow, and dedicated to the hope of lasting peace, the book was originally designed to give a complete picture of what atomic energy is, where it comes from, and how it can be used for better or worse. Featuring a number of graphs and illustrations by the author himself, this small volume will continue to be of value to those interested in the history of the study of radioactivity.

George Gamow's first Tompkins book, Mr Tompkins in Wonderland, created a 'toy universe' where, as his son comments in the preface to this 2010 reprint, 'the maximum speed of light is assumed to be 10 miles per hour, while all the laws of general relativity still hold'. Since the death of the author in 1968, the Mr Tompkins series has gone through a number of reincarnations. The latest reincarnation, The Adventures of Mr Tompkins (www.theadventuresofmrtompkins.com), has Mr Tompkins not only visiting physicists, well also one biologist in Mr Tompkins Learns the Facts of Life but he also visits a slew of scientists from all branches of science and mathematics, from their very beginnings to the present time, from Aristotle to Watson and Crick.

Since his first appearance over sixty years ago, Mr Tompkins has become known and loved by many thousands of readers as the bank clerk whose fantastic dreams and adventures lead him into a world inside the atom. George Gamow's classic provides a delightful explanation of the central concepts in modern physics, from atomic structure to relativity, and quantum theory to fusion and fission. Roger Penrose's foreword introduces Mr Tompkins to a new generation of readers, and reviews his adventures in light of recent developments in physics.

Over 120 delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by the author, add another dimension of good-natured charm to these wide-ranging explorations. A mind-expanding volume for the layman and the science-minded.

Entertaining, rigorous introduction to the development of quantum theory traces the subject's history, from Max Planck's revolutionary discovery of quanta and Niels Bohr's model of the atom to anti-particles, mesons, and Enrico Fermi's nuclear research. Numerous line drawings. 1966 edition.

Mr. Tompkins is back! The mild-mannered bank clerk with the short attention span and vivid imagination has inspired, charmed, and informed young and old alike since the publication of the hugely successful Mr Tompkins in Paperback (by George Gamow) in 1965. Now, this highly affable character returns to embark on a set of adventures that explore the extreme edges of the universe--the smallest, the largest, the fastest, and the farthest. Just by following the experiences and dreams of Mr. Tompkins, readers discover and come to know the merry dance of cosmic mysteries, including: Einstein's theory of relativity, bizarre effects near light-speed, the birth and death of the universe, black holes, quarks, space warps and antimatter, the fuzzy world of the quantum, and that ultimate cosmic mystery--love. The story of Mr. Tompkins' journey to the frontiers of modern physics will delight and inform all readers. Russell Stannard is a best-selling popular science writer and the author of the critically acclaimed Uncle Albert series of science books for children.

Mr. Tompkins is back! The mild-mannered bank clerk with the short attention span and vivid imagination has inspired, charmed, and informed young and old alike since the publication of the hugely successful Mr Tompkins in Paperback (by George Gamow) in 1965. Now, this highly affable character returns to embark on a set of adventures that explore the extreme edges of the universe--the smallest, the largest, the fastest, and the farthest. Just by following the experiences and dreams of Mr. Tompkins, readers discover and come to know the merry dance of cosmic mysteries, including: Einstein's theory of relativity, bizarre effects near light-speed, the birth and death of the universe, black holes, quarks, space warps and antimatter, the fuzzy world of the quantum, and that ultimate cosmic mystery--love. The story of Mr. Tompkins' journey to the frontiers of modern physics will delight and inform all readers. Russell Stannard is a best-selling popular science writer and the author of the critically acclaimed Uncle Albert series of science books for children.

Unlike many books on physics which focus entirely on fact and theory with little or no historic detail, this work incorporates fascinating personal and biographical data about the great physicists past and present. Each chapter is centered around a single great figure or, at most, two, with other physicists of the era and their contributions forming a background. 128 figures & 8 halftone plates. Index.

A distinguished physicist and teacher, George Gamow also possessed a special gift for explaining the intricacies of science. Here he takes an enlightening look at three scientists whose work unlocked many of the mysteries behind the laws of physics: Galileo, the first to examine closely the process of free and restricted fall; Newton, originator of a universal force; and Einstein, who proposed that gravity is no more than the curvature of the four-dimensional space-time continuum. Most of the book is focused on Newton's ideas, with a concluding chapter on post-Einsteinian speculations concerning the relationship between gravity and other physical phenomena. This remarkably reader-friendly volume is graced with the author's own drawings, both technical and fanciful.