Best of
Science

1947

One, Two, Three...Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science


George Gamow - 1947
    . . full of intellectual treats and tricks, of whimsy and deep scientific philosophy. It is highbrow entertainment at its best, a teasing challenge to all who aspire to think about the universe." — New York Herald TribuneOne of the world's foremost nuclear physicists (celebrated for his theory of radioactive decay, among other accomplishments), George Gamow possessed the unique ability of making the world of science accessible to the general reader.He brings that ability to bear in this delightful expedition through the problems, pleasures, and puzzles of modern science. Among the topics scrutinized with the author's celebrated good humor and pedagogical prowess are the macrocosm and the microcosm, theory of numbers, relativity of space and time, entropy, genes, atomic structure, nuclear fission, and the origin of the solar system.In the pages of this book readers grapple with such crucial matters as whether it is possible to bend space, why a rocket shrinks, the "end of the world problem," excursions into the fourth dimension, and a host of other tantalizing topics for the scientifically curious. Brimming with amusing anecdotes and provocative problems, One Two Three . . . Infinity also includes over 120 delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by the author, adding another dimension of good-natured charm to these wide-ranging explorations.Whatever your level of scientific expertise, chances are you'll derive a great deal of pleasure, stimulation, and information from this unusual and imaginative book. It belongs in the library of anyone curious about the wonders of the scientific universe. "In One Two Three . . . Infinity, as in his other books, George Gamow succeeds where others fail because of his remarkable ability to combine technical accuracy, choice of material, dignity of expression, and readability." — Saturday Review of Literature

The Everglades: River of Grass


Marjory Stoneman Douglas - 1947
    She brought the world's attention to the need to preserve The Everglades. In the Afterword, Michael Grunwald tells us what has happened to them since then. Grunwald points out that in 1947 the government was in the midst of establishing the Everglades National Park and turning loose the Army Corps of Engineers to control floods--both of which seemed like saviors for the Glades. But neither turned out to be the answer. Working from the research he did for his book, The Swamp, Grunwald offers an account of what went wrong and the many attempts to fix it, beginning with Save Our Everglades, which Douglas declared was "not nearly enough." Grunwald then lays out the intricacies (and inanities) of the more recent and ongoing CERP, the hugely expensive Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

The Secret of Light


Walter Russell - 1947
    It lays a spiritual foundation under the material one of science; one upon which the current New Age movement is built.A century and more ahead of his time, Walter Russell, in The Secret of Light presents a unique Cosmogony, that of a universe in which Creator and Creation are proven to be a seamless, unified whole, and in which the dualism of “mind and matter” disappears.In revelation of what he terms “natural science,” Russell presents a two-way, magnetic-electric thought-wave universe, cyclic in nature and eternally “creating,” as opposed to the “created, expanding, entropic universe” of current science.Russell’s philosophy of the science of Being, the invisible world of Cause—the nature of consciousness, knowing, thinking, sensing, inspiration, intuition, energy, and the creative process—and the science of Expressed Being, the visible world of Effect—the nature of light, the wave structure of universal creation, the creation of the elements that make up our visible world, and the cycle nature of life and death— are proven a unified continuum.The Secret of Light illuminates the many questions regarding the nature of “science and consciousness.” Dr. Francis Trevelyan Miller (LITT.D., LL.D.), Historical Foundations, New York, wrote in 1947 of The Secret of Light,“I hasten to congratulate you on your epoch-making achievement in giving the world The Secret of Light. In this little volume, with its tremendous magnitude of thought, you have given Science and human knowledge a rebirth—a transmigration from its physical plane to its potential grandeur on the cosmic plane.”“You have opened the door into the infinite—science must enter. It may hesitate; it may engage in controversy, but it cannot afford to ignore the principles you have established which eventually will revolutionize man’s concept of himself, his world, his universe, and his human problems.”“You have done for us in the Twentieth Century what Ptolemy, Euclid, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler did for their earlier centuries. But you have further penetrated all physical barriers and extended your discoveries into definite forms of the infinite law which created our universe and keeps it in operation with mathematical precision through the millions of years.”“Hitherto, Science while delving into these infinite sources has not attempted to define them. It has left the terminology to the ecclesiastics and theological dialectics. You have the courage and vision to start where they leave off — to explore the creative or spiritual law which motivates everything that exists: principles of far greater import than Einstein’s relativity. I hail you as a forerunner of our New Age of Science.”Part I: Omniscience, The Universe of KnowingPart II: Omnipotence, The Universe of Power Part III: Omnipresence; The Universe of Being

Atomic Physics


Max Born - 1947
    Since its original publication, Professor Born (Nobel laureate, 1954) continually updated the book to incorporate new developments in all branches of physics, particularly in the field of elementary particles. For this eighth edition he also wrote a new chapter on the quantum theory of solids.Contents include:Kinetic theory of gasesElementary particlesSpin of the electron and Paul's principleThe nuclear atomWave-corpusclesAtomic structure and spectral linesQuantum statisticsMolecular structureQuantum theory of solidsNuclear physicsOver 40 helpful appendixes, dealing with the mean square deviation, theory of relativity, electron theory, the Compton effect, Hamiltonian theory and action variables, atomic form factor, meson theory, van der Waals forces, and other topics supplement the main text. A bibliography and numerous figures and graphs further enhance the usefulness of Atomic Physics, which retains its value as a broad treatment of basic physics from the special perspective of a towering figure in the field.

Nuclear Physics


Werner Heisenberg - 1947
    The book was compiled from a series of Heisenberg's lectures on the subject, and it is detailed and accessible enough for anyone interested in the subject. Heisenberg begins with a short history of atomic physics before delving into the theory of the processes and reactions within the atom. Nuclear Physics is an essential book to understanding the atom, giving readers an unparalleled look at nuclear physics from one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century. A controversial WWII figure, Werner Heisenberg was a German physicist. Born in 1901 to an academic family, Heisenberg was interested in scientific and philosophical pursuits from a young age. After graduating from the University of Munich, where he studied under physicist Arthur Sommerfield, Heisenberg went on to establish a career in the study of atomic and particle theory. He won the Nobel Prize in 1932 for his Uncertainty Principle. Heisenberg was one of the top German scientists during World War II, and he worked as the director of the German Uranium Project developing an atomic bomb for Germany. He did not succeed in this effort, however, before the end of the war. He was incarcerated from 1945-46 for his role in the Nazi regime, but in the '50s and '60s, Heisenberg continued to contribute his research to the field of nuclear physics. He retired in 1970 and resided in Munich until his death in 1973.

Man and the Universe: The Philosophers of Science


Saxe Commins - 1947
    

Animal Hide & Seek


Dahlov Ipcar - 1947
    Gentle prose describes the animals and their habits, from deer to rabbits, from squirrels to salamanders. This book, first published in 1947, was Ipcar’s first authored title. It has now been wonderfully restored and reissued to showcase Ipcar’s crisp colors and bold lines.

How Much and How Many: The Story of Weights and Measures


Jeanne Bendick - 1947
    Compares and explains weights and measures throughout the world as well as the history of many current standards.