This book provides a vivid account of the early history of molecular simulation, a new frontier for our understanding of matter that was opened when the demands of theoretical physicists were met by the availability of the modern computers. Since their inception, electronic computers have enormously increased their performance, thus making possible the unprecedented technological revolution that characterizes our present times. This obvious technological advancement has brought with it a silent scientific revolution in the practice of theoretical physics. In particular, in the physics of matter it has opened up a direct route from the microscopic physical laws to observable phenomena. One can now study the time evolution of systems composed of millions of molecules, and simulate the behaviour of macroscopic materials and actually predict their properties. Molecular simulation has provided a new theoretical and conceptual tool that physicists could only dream of when the foundations of statistical mechanics were laid. Molecular simulation has undergone impressive development, both in the size of the scientific community involved and in the range and scope of its applications. It has become the ubiquitous workhorse for investigating the nature of complex condensed matter systems in physics, chemistry, materials and the life sciences. Yet these developments remain largely unknown outside the inner circles of practitioners, and they have so far never been described for a wider public. The main objective of this book is therefore to offer a reasonably comprehensive reconstruction of the early history of molecular simulation addressed to an audience of both scientists and interested non-scientists, describing the scientific and personal trajectories of the main protagonists and discussing the deep conceptual innovations that their work produced.

This book is a distinctively original biography of Galileo Galilei, probably the last eclectic genius of the Italian Renaissance, who was not only one of the greatest scientists ever, but also a philosopher, a theologian, and a man of great literary, musical, and artistic talent - "The Tuscan Artist", as the poet John Milton referred to him. Galileo was exceptional in simultaneously excelling in the Arts, Science, Philosophy, and Theology. These diverse aspects of his life were closely intertwined; indeed, it may be said that he personally demonstrated that human culture is not divisible, but rather one, with a thousand shades. Galileo also represented the bridge between two historical epochs. As the philosopher Tommaso Campanella, a contemporary of Galileo, recognized at the time, Galileo was responsible for ushering in a new age, the Modern Age. This book, which is exceptional in the completeness of its coverage, explores all aspects of the life of Galileo, as a Tuscan artist and giant of the Renaissance, in a stimulating and reader-friendly way.

This book provides a vivid account of the early history of molecular simulation, a new frontier for our understanding of matter that was opened when the demands of theoretical physicists were met by the availability of the modern computers. Since their inception, electronic computers have enormously increased their performance, thus making possible the unprecedented technological revolution that characterizes our present times. This obvious technological advancement has brought with it a silent scientific revolution in the practice of theoretical physics. In particular, in the physics of matter it has opened up a direct route from the microscopic physical laws to observable phenomena. One can now study the time evolution of systems composed of millions of molecules, and simulate the behaviour of macroscopic materials and actually predict their properties. Molecular simulation has provided a new theoretical and conceptual tool that physicists could only dream of when the foundations of statistical mechanics were laid. Molecular simulation has undergone impressive development, both in the size of the scientific community involved and in the range and scope of its applications. It has become the ubiquitous workhorse for investigating the nature of complex condensed matter systems in physics, chemistry, materials and the life sciences. Yet these developments remain largely unknown outside the inner circles of practitioners, and they have so far never been described for a wider public. The main objective of this book is therefore to offer a reasonably comprehensive reconstruction of the early history of molecular simulation addressed to an audience of both scientists and interested non-scientists, describing the scientific and personal trajectories of the main protagonists and discussing the deep conceptual innovations that their work produced.

This book is a distinctively original biography of Galileo Galilei, probably the last eclectic genius of the Italian Renaissance, who was not only one of the greatest scientists ever, but also a philosopher, a theologian, and a man of great literary, musical, and artistic talent - "The Tuscan Artist", as the poet John Milton referred to him. Galileo was exceptional in simultaneously excelling in the Arts, Science, Philosophy, and Theology. These diverse aspects of his life were closely intertwined; indeed, it may be said that he personally demonstrated that human culture is not divisible, but rather one, with a thousand shades. Galileo also represented the bridge between two historical epochs. As the philosopher Tommaso Campanella, a contemporary of Galileo, recognized at the time, Galileo was responsible for ushering in a new age, the Modern Age. This book, which is exceptional in the completeness of its coverage, explores all aspects of the life of Galileo, as a Tuscan artist and giant of the Renaissance, in a stimulating and reader-friendly way.

L'opera e una biografia di Galileo Galilei che mette a fuoco soprattutto i suoi rapporti con le arti (musica, disegno, pittura) e la letteratura (poesia e prosa) e cerca di dimostrare come ci sia stata una continua osmosi tra lo scienziato, l'artista e il critico d'arte. E grazie a questa osmosi che Galileo e diventato sia il pioniere della scienza moderna sia un grande scrittore della letteratura italiana."

Nel 1609, quattrocento anni fa, Galileo Galilei punta il cannocchiale sulla Luna e inaugura la "nuova scienza." Nel 1969, quaranta (TM)anni fa, Neil Armstrong lascia la sua impronta sulla Luna e inaugura la (TM)era della colonizzazione umana dello spazio. La Luna A] la (TM)oggetto cosmico piA vicino alla Terra. Il suo satellite naturale. La sua compagna fedele. La (TM)astro narrante. La Luna ci parla della (TM)universo fuori dalla Terra. Che, con Galileo, A] diventato un universo conoscibile. E, con Armstrong, A] diventato un universo fisicamente esplorabile. Ma la Luna A] da sempre, per la (TM)uomo a " per tutti gli uomini a " la (TM)astro narrante. La (TM)astro che racconta del cosmo e della sua armonia. Del tempo e della sua regolaritA . Dello spazio e della sua profonditA . La Luna A] la (TM)astro dove, da sempre, scienza e immaginazione si incontrano. La Luna A] la (TM)astro che forse piA di ogni altro ha ispirato la grande letteratura italiana e a " da Dante a Galileo, da Ariosto a Bruno, da Leopardi a Calvino a " le ha consentito di coltivare la sua "vocazione profonda": costruire, attraverso la filosofia naturale, "mappe del mondo" sempre piA precise. Senza mai perdere, con la cura dei dettagli, la (TM)insieme.