Heisenberg Probably Slept Here: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Physicists of the 20th Century

by Richard P. Brennan

Book Overview

"Here is a book I wish I had when taking physics my senior year in high school!" -Book Report A lively illumination of modern physics' marquee players, featuring: * Albert Einstein * Max Planck * Ernest Rutherford * Niels Bohr * Werner Heisenberg * Richard Feynman * Murray Gell-Mann "Brennan has a knack for explaining difficult technicalities simply. His essays give a useful summary of twentieth-century science." -Financial Times "Highly recommended to expert and layperson alike." -Choice

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047129585X
• ISBN13: 9780471295853
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.1" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Heisenberg slept?!

First of all, the subtitle of this book, "The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Physicists of the 20th Century," is a bit inaccurate. Among the 8 physicists depicted in Brennan's mini-biography is Sir Isaac Newton; obviously not a denizen of the 20th century. Granted, Newton had more influence on the present epoch of physics than anyone else up until the time of Einstein, so his presence in this work is not inappropriate. It's just that he's not a 20th century physicist.On the other hand, a startling omission is Erwin Scroedinger. It is understood that one's selection of who's in & who's out can never please everyone in these types of books. However, I can't imagine someone assembling a roster of 20th century physicists without including the venerable Schroedinger. Just my opinion.The content of the personages Brennan does write about is quite remarkable. Brennan does a reputable job of describing the major motifs of different biographical epochs of each physicist, then mixing in some nice anectdotes for good measure. He also does not get carried away & deify the scientists to make them look infallible. Rather, Brennan fairly integrates their faults into his text. As a bonus, there is also a brief synopsis of the history of Pre-Newtonian physics.The most informative pages are those devoted to Heisenberg. I had always wanted to believe the stories about how he tried to sabatoge the Nazi bomb effort from the inside. Unfortunately, referencing British documents which were de-classified in 1992, Brennan nullifies those arguments as nothing but wishful thinking and ad-hoc propoganda engendered by H himself.I would highly recommend this book as a prelude for those who wish to study the lives of these great physicists more deeply. As it is a quick read, it is an equally ideal book for physicists who have only a marginal interest in the great lives of their predecessors.

Fascinating and Well Written

I thouroughly enjoyed this book for several reasons. Richard Brennan does a remarkable job of explaining each physicists' work in a manner a layperson can understand, but still involved enough that the reader appreciates the significance of each discovery. Brennan also manages to capture the character and personality of each physicist with relatively a short biography. He has also structured the book so that the implication of each of the subjects' work on his successors is clear. In short, I found the physicists' personal stories compelling and the science fascinating.

The book had exquisite view of those great scientists

When I read the book at first time, I was attracted to the stories. They are not only an interesting narrative but also provide the correct attitude of life and research of science for us. When I finished reading the book, I was deeply affected by the stories. I introduced the book to my friends, and I stilly like reading the book now.

physics explained for the non-scientific

Here's a book I would have liked to have read while studying physics in high school. The writing is concise, understandable, and makes the reader want to read more about Einstein, Planck, Feynman and Gell-Mann. Combining the biographies of the scientists, their theories and the contexts of their discoveries clarifies for the reader the importance of 20th century physics. A terrific book

Finally physicists revealed as human beings!

My first motivation to read Heisenberg Probably Slept Here was to get straight, once and for all some of the physical laws one hears often quoted but rarely explained. Who hasn't been "taught" the Theory of Relativity, Planck's Theory, or several others? How long did you remember them? This book gave me not only a fresh understanding of some of the laws and theories of physics, but also the physicists themselves. I realized there were excited young students behind these numbers, not just passionless bookworms. Adding a depth of human character to these theories is vital to really understanding (and remembering) why these men came up with their ideas in the first place. The added bonus of seeing the illustrations of Heisenberg, Einstein and others at a young age at the chapter heading also awakened me to the fact that physics is not just for the "old and wise" but also for the young and rebellious! The combination of these characteristics made a book about physics actually become a real page-turner! Who knew?