The Genius of Science: A Portrait Gallery

376 Pages·2000·133.278 MB·English

by  Abraham Pais

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A portrait gallery of —
twentieth-century physicists —
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Abraham Pais is the acclaimed author of the
definitive biographies of Albert Einstein and
Niels Bohr, two of the twentieth century's greatest
scientists. As a distinguished theoretical physicist
himself, he was also acquainted with many of the
other great scientists.
In this new book, Pais turns his attention to
seventeen other scientists, all distinguished in their
own right, but who had appeared as the supporting
cast to his previous biographies. We meet, among

others, the famously taciturn Paul Dirac;
Max Born, who coined the term ‘quantum
mechanics’; Wolfgang Pauli, famed for his exclusion
ptinciple and known as the conscience of twentieth-
century physics; Mitchell Feigenbaum, inventor of

chaos theory; and John yon Neumann, one of the
most influential mathematicians of the century. In
addition, and because their work is so relevant to
the others discussed, Pais has included chapters on
Einstein and Bohr, giving the essence of their
character and scientific achievement.
In each case, Pais presents a blend of the personality
and achievements of the scientist, assisted by his
deep knowledge of physics and his personal
acquaintance with the subject. The result is a
unique and illuminating collection of portraits
that shed light on both the personalities and the
development of science of this group of great
scientists. It will be read by all those with an
interest in the development of science in the
twentieth century, from relativity to chaos theory.

The Genius of Science

The Genius of Science
A Portrait Gallery
ABRAHAM PAIS
Rockefeller University, New York
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
BR BR

Q141
~P29
2000
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6pP
Oxford New York
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and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Oxford is a trade mark of Oxford University Press
Published in the United States
by Oxford University Press Inc., New York
© Abraham Pais 2000
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a-retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without
the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press. Within the UK,
exceptions are allowed in respect of any fair dealing for the purpose of
research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the
Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside
those terms and in other countries should be sent to the Rights
Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade
or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the
publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in
which it is published and without a similar condition including this

condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Pais, Abraham, 1918—
The genius of science: a portrait gallery / Abraham Pais.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Scientists—-Biography. 2. Science—History—20th century. I. Title.
Q141.P29 2000 509.2’2-de21 [B] 99-046603
ISBN 0 19 850614 7 (Hbk)
J&L Composition Ltd, Filey, North Yorkshire
Printed in Great Britain by Biddles Ltd,
Guildford & King’s Lynn
Contents

Introduction 1
Niels Bohr 6
Max Born 30

Y
K
Paul Dirac 48

w
W
Albert Einstein 78

.
k
f
Mitchell Feigenbaum 84

u
Res Jost 106
D
Oskar Klein 122

N
Hendrik Kramers 148
O
Tsung Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang 172
o
C
John Von Neumann 184

6_
Wolfgang Pauli 210

a
bo
Isidor I. Rabi 264
Robert Serber 280
s
George Uhlenbeck 288

—
Viktor Weisskopf 326

n
o
Eugene Wigner 330

a=-
Onomasticon 353