Prism and the pendulum: the ten most beautiful experiments in science

By:

Crease, Robert

Publication details: Random House, 2003. New York:Description: xxiii, 244 p. ; pb, 20 cmISBN:

9780812970623

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

509 CRE

Summary: We see the first measurement of the earth's circumference, accomplished in the third century B. C. by Eratosthenes using sticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault's mesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earth on its axis. We meet Galileo - the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten - drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all." "We also learn why these ten experiments exert such a powerful hold on our imaginations. From the ancient world to cutting-edge physics, these ten exhilarating moments reveal something fundamental about the world, pulling us out of confusion and revealing nature's elegance. The Prism and the Pendulum brings us face-to-face with the wonder of science.

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Books	IIT Gandhinagar General Stacks	General	509 CRE (Browse shelf(Opens below))	1	Available		029876

We see the first measurement of the earth's circumference, accomplished in the third century B. C. by Eratosthenes using sticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault's mesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of the Pantheon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earth on its axis. We meet Galileo - the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten - drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all." "We also learn why these ten experiments exert such a powerful hold on our imaginations. From the ancient world to cutting-edge physics, these ten exhilarating moments reveal something fundamental about the world, pulling us out of confusion and revealing nature's elegance. The Prism and the Pendulum brings us face-to-face with the wonder of science.

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