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Title: E=mc2: A Biography of the world's most famous equation
Author: David Bodanis
ISBN: 0 330 39165 8
Publisher: Macmillan
The book was written by the author after he realised that many people actually wondered what exactly 'E=mc2' means and why it is so important. He found that most of the standard explanations assummed a lot of background knowledge that left the layman floundering,
"Einstein explained his theory to me every day and soon I was fully convinced that he understood it"
Chaim Weizmann,
so he decided to write a biography, covering everything from the birth of the symbols involved (e, m , c, = and 2), to the theories and discoveries that came first, to Einsteins life and all the stages that led to the discovery, the formula and it's manifestations (including the most famous one, the 'atom bomb').
It also throws in some minor quirks that show that history could have gone in completely different directions. A great example is that during WWII, when Einstein first wrote to the then US President outlining his theories, his letter was brushed aside. Alternately, the German scientists were working hard to discover the same technology and already had high level backing.
The book also introduces other lovely formula, such as
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = not quite 4.00
I was given the book by John Siheng after an Intensive Kungfu course in Malaysia as he had finished reading it. I would highly recommend the book to anyone and everyone. If someone is having trouble getting hold of the book, PM me and I'll send it on when I finally finish/understand it.
Author: David Bodanis
ISBN: 0 330 39165 8
Publisher: Macmillan
The book was written by the author after he realised that many people actually wondered what exactly 'E=mc2' means and why it is so important. He found that most of the standard explanations assummed a lot of background knowledge that left the layman floundering,
"Einstein explained his theory to me every day and soon I was fully convinced that he understood it"
Chaim Weizmann,
so he decided to write a biography, covering everything from the birth of the symbols involved (e, m , c, = and 2), to the theories and discoveries that came first, to Einsteins life and all the stages that led to the discovery, the formula and it's manifestations (including the most famous one, the 'atom bomb').
It also throws in some minor quirks that show that history could have gone in completely different directions. A great example is that during WWII, when Einstein first wrote to the then US President outlining his theories, his letter was brushed aside. Alternately, the German scientists were working hard to discover the same technology and already had high level backing.
The book also introduces other lovely formula, such as
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = not quite 4.00
I was given the book by John Siheng after an Intensive Kungfu course in Malaysia as he had finished reading it. I would highly recommend the book to anyone and everyone. If someone is having trouble getting hold of the book, PM me and I'll send it on when I finally finish/understand it.
from the ♥
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