Originally published in 1938, this informative and insightful book is based on a series of lectures given by W. H. Watson at McGill University, Montreal, which were inspired and influenced by the lectures given by Dr Ludwig Wittgenstein at the University of Cambridge between the years 1929-34. Watson's lectures are 'offered in the hope that the interest of physicists in particular and scientists in general may be drawn to developments in modern philosophy which promise to be of great importance to learning'. Introducing students to the core philosophical issues surrounding modern physics and the ideas, which have shaped our current understanding of the subject, the book sets out to illuminate and implicate the inextricably entwined nature of philosophy and physics and the importance of logic. This book will be of considerable value to scholars of physics and philosophy as well as to anyone with an interest in the history of education.

Within this 1963 text, Professor Watson writes as a physicist seeking to understand how it is that physics goes on at an ever increasing pace to reveal new structure in the world, matching the achievements in chemistry, biology and applied science, but exposing us to philosophical confusion about our pictures of microphysical phenomena and how we speak of them. Watson's basic quest was for an intuitive grasp of atomic existence. He discusses atomicity in relation to the physics of his day, showing how to disengage our thinking from habits associated with continuity, in order to put our philosophical difficulties behind us. Nearly half a century after the work's original publication, this paperback edition of Understanding Physics Today will provide readers with fresh opportunities to engage with this historically valuable text.

The author has created a set of appealing short stories by cleverly exploring the theme of human relationships played out in a variety of ways. The characters face some tough challenges in the stories about aid work in Africa and they must learn to pull together as a team. In 'The Rifle', a retired doctor recalls how he left his family behind to join a medical relief group and help the desperate Biafrans. He and his support staff find the lack of clean water is a mere inconvenience compared with the danger of being accused of gun-running In complete contrast, 'A Hero' is a touching story of a little boy, Daniel, who falls hopelessly in love with his piano teacher. The teacher is unaware of the emotional turmoil she causes, especially as her attention is centred on her fiance. Daniel faces a real dilemma: how can he prove himself and get noticed? Each story in the collection is complete in itself and introduces new characters and new situations. Something for everyone Born in 1921, WH Watson was wounded and captured during the commando raid on St Nazaire in 1942. for charities over short periods in Somalia, Sierra Leone, Nepal, Afghanistan and India, and for two years in Malawi.