- RSS loading...
"E = mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation" by David Bodanis
That's right: The biography about an equation crafted by physicist who became a household name instantly.
It warms our hearts that something beautiful as a mathematical equation is more famous and timeless than any celebrity breaking headlines today. You're looking at a book that talks about the beauty of E = mc2 devised by the man himself, Albert Einstein. Honestly, we couldn't be any more thankful for a book like this, as we'd rather read, and review, books like these—biographies of people who help(ed) move the world forward and improving upon it.
Author Bodanis begins with talking about elements and meaning behind the equation; This starts from the left-hand side which is energy. Along the way, you do learn about Albert Einstein himself, his upbringings, how he came to be with regards to his schooling and where he found flaws in the teachings and calculations from his teachers. Bodanis also talked about some of the personal moments in Einstein's life, his patent job, and the women he was involved with. Continuing with the equation going from left to right, believe it or not, Bodanis did make space talking about the equals sign—representing equality with two horizontal lines parallel to each other. After that, you get to know about mass and velocity including some important physicists who made their stakes in expressing the matter with which variable best describes such phenomenon (i.e. Michael Faraday).
Near the middle of the book is where it got interesting for us, as it went over some military history. Readers will learn of this part about the equation coming into action during World War II. What fascinated us was involvement of physicist Werner Heisenberg as the development of the "famous" bomb started straight from Germany into the famous Manhattan Project. It sounded a bit dramatic at times, given how challengilng and rough it was in terms of living and working while the war went on, but it did get done. Physicists, scientists and even the president knew of the pandemonium it would cause, but they went with it anyway.
We liked how Bodanis described how things led up to deploying the bomb and its reactions taking place once they dropped. Those of you history buffs would know what happened, the way it looked after such bomb(s) detonated; Bodanis described it as well as we have read. It's like something out of a historical fiction novel, only this was true and actually happened. The fact that the bomb's properties were so strong that its temperature was comparative to that of our Sun is incredible; It's super powerful. After that, readers learn about this beautiful equation in real life, from the Sun itself to smoke detectors and medical equipment. That's right: E = mc2 is at work all around us, and it's time respect has been paid for it.
Last chapters talk about the fate of our world and our Universe. Like gasoline in cars, the chemical elements that make Life and our world possible will run out of steam with no opportunity to refuel. No need to fear because such phenomenon won't take place until the next billion years from now. What we're saying is even after humanity advances, whenever that will be, this equation will still be running and calculating even when we're not around. Once our Universe looks how it did during the Big Bang, that's when this equation "retires" so to speak. For the Epilogue, it talked about Albert Einstein's other contributions and what truly made him famous, beyond this equation. You'll learn of his "right-hand man" Erwin Freundlich, the work he helped spread, and contribute with Einstein.
These were one of the books we had in our library for a long while, and have now gotten around to reading it; Glad we finally did! This book truly explains itself, telling the story very well, and is applicable to all readers even for those with basic education level. While there are mentions of big numbers, there isn't much math involved (we strongly recommend studying and overcoming your fears in studying such a beautiful subject, otherwise physics wouldn't make sense without it). This is perfect for those who enjoy science history, are fans of Albert Einstein, and/or those wanting to dive into Physics and Mathematics (this book reads more into history of Physics more than a history of Math). This title has received more than enough praise and it certainly lived up to the hype during its release, as we enjoyed reading this a lot.
Thank you to author David Bodanis for this great piece of work, thank you to both The Berkeley Publishing Group and Walker Publishing Company as well! Highly recommmended!
- One of the most accessible titles for the layperson, diving into science history.
- Reads like a documentary from PBS/KCET.
- Goes over the equation, its variables and physicists involved with making such calculations happen.
- One word: Uranium.
- Includes an Epilogue talking about what really made Albert Einstein famous, aside from this equation.
- Biographies about equations, Greek letters and other mathematical statements should be more commonplace.
- None.
PROFILE |
|
|---|---|
| Title | E = mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation |
| Author(s) | David Bodanis |
| Description | -- |
| Dedication | -- |
| ISBN / Bar code number | 978-141773815-1 / 9 781417 738151 Berkley trade paperback ISBN: 0-425-18164-2 |
| Book Dimensions | Width: 4.94″ (4 15/16″) |
| Height: 8.44″ (8 7/16″) | |
| Depth: 1.19″ (1 3/16″) | |
| Page Count | 354 |
| Contents | Preface, PART 1: Birth - 1 Bern Patent Office, 1905; PART 2: Ancestors of E = mc2 - 2 E is for Energy, 3 = , 4 m is for mass, 5 c is for celeritas, 6 2; PART 3: The Early Years - 7 Einstein and the Equation, 8 Into the Atom, 9 Quiet in the Midday Show; PART 4: Adulthood - 10 Germany's Turn, 11 Norway, 12 America's Turn, 13 8:16 A.M. — Over Japan; PART 5: Till the End of Time - 14 The Fires of the Sun, 15 Creating the Earth, 16 A Brahmin Lifts His Eyes Unto the Sky; Epilogue: What Else Einstein Did, Appendix: Follow-up of Other Key Participants, Notes, Guide to Further Reading, Acknowledgments, Index |
| Cover Design | Photograph of Einstein on title page from the Leo Baeck Institute / Archive Photos |
| Text Design | Ralph L. Fowler |
| Published | 2000 |
| Publisher | A Berkley Book Published by The Berkley Publishing Group A division of Penguin Putnam Inc. 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 Published by arrangement with Walker Publishing Company, Inc. |
| Copyright | Copyright © 2000 by David Bodanis. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. BERKLEY and the "B" design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Putnam Inc. |
| Manufactured / Printed in | The United States of America |
| Printing History | Walker & Company hardcover edition / September 2000 Berkley trade paperback edition / October 2001 |
| Book Format | Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audible Audiobook |
| Quoted Reviews |
"Superbly researched." — The Dallas Morning News
"Astonishing...thrilling...the very best kind of science journalism." — The Washington Post Book World "From medical devices that detect tumors to household smoke alarms to the origin of stars to the death of the solar system, the E=mc2 equation provides the short answer to our existence. But while nearly everyone has heard of or seen E=mc2, few understand it. Until now . . ." — Astronomy " E=mc2, focusing on the 1905 theory of special relativity, is just what its subtitle says it is: a biography of the world's most famous equation, and it succeeds beautifully." — St. Louis Post-Dispatch "'The equation that changed everything' is familiar to even the most physics-challenged, but it remains a fuzzy abstraction to most. Science writer Bodanis makes it a lot more clear." — Discover "Bodanis truly has a gift for bringing his subject matter to life." — Library Journal (starred review) "Very readable . . . it eschews eggheadedness and focuses on explaining Alhert Einstein's equation in tangible terms . . . fascinating." — Chicago Sun-Times "You'll learn more in these three hundred pages about folks like Faraday, Lavoisier, Davy, and Rutherford than you will in many a science course . . . a clearly written, astonishingly understandable book that celebrates human achievement and provides some idea of the underlying scientific orderlines and logic that guides the stars and rules the universe.'" — Parade "Entertaining . . . With anecdotes and illustrations, Bodanis effectively opens up E-mc2 [sic] to the widest audience." — Booklist "Hugely entertaining." — New Scientist "At times the plot and subplots read like a Frederick Forsyth novel, but they are all true." — The Glasgow Herald "A little masterpiece: delightful, surprising, and thought-provoking—a piece of literary artistry . . . I found it so engrossing that I finished it in one go." — William H. McNeill, author of Plagues and Peoples "For the first time, I really feel that I understand the meaning and implications of that equation, as Bodanis takes us through each symbol separately, including the '=' sign...there is a great 'aha!' awaiting the lay reader." — St. Louis Post-Dispatch "This is not a physics book. It is a history of where the equation [E=mc2] came from and how it has changed the world. After a short chapter on the equation's birth, Bodanis presents its five symbolic ancestors in sequence, each with its own chapter and each with rich human stories of achievement and failure, encouragement and duplicity, love and rivalry, politics and revenge. Readers meet not only famous scientists at their best and worst but also such famous and infamous characters as Voltaire and Marat...Bodanis includes detailed, lively, and fascinating back matter...His acknowledgments end, 'I loved writing this book.' It shows" — The Cleveland Plain Dealer "Accessible...he seeks, and deserves, many readers who know no physics. They'll learn a handful—more important, they'll enjoy it and pick up a load of biographical and cultural curios along the way." — Publishers Weekly "Excellent...With wit and style, he explains every factor in the world's most famous and least understood equation...Every page is rich with surprising anecdotes about everything from Einstein's youth to the behind-the-scenes workings of the Roosevelt administration. Here's a prediction: E=mc2 is one of the those odd, original, and handsomely written books that will prove more popular than even its publisher suspects." — Nashville Scene "Astonishingly understandable...Read the book—it's worth it." — Parade |
| Best Seller's List | A Library Journal Best Book of the Year |
| Other | Includes illustrations, photos, notes, and a guide to further reading Most Berkley Books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write: Special Markets, The Berkley Publishing Group, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 SCIENCE |
| Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data | 1. Force and energy. |
| 2. Mass (Physics) | |
| 3. Mathematical Physics | |
| 4. Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955 | |
| I. Title | |
| E=mc2: a biography of the world's most famous equation / David Bodanis. p. cm. Originally published: New York: Walker 2000 Includes biographical references and index. ISBN 0-425-18164-2 |
|
| CIP Number | ???? |
| LC Control Number | 2001046083 |
| LC Call Number | QC73.8.C6 B63 2001 |
| DDC Call Number | 530.11—dc21 |
MORE BOOK REVIEWS
Comments
This policy contains information about your privacy. By posting, you are declaring that you understand this policy:
- Your name, rating, website address, town, country, state and comment will be publicly displayed if entered.
- Aside from the data entered into these form fields, other stored data about your comment will include:
- Your IP address (not displayed)
- The time/date of your submission (displayed)
- Your email address will not be shared. It is collected for only two reasons:
- Administrative purposes, should a need to contact you arise.
- To inform you of new comments, should you subscribe to receive notifications.
- A cookie may be set on your computer. This is used to remember your inputs. It will expire by itself.
This policy is subject to change at any time and without notice.
These terms and conditions contain rules about posting comments. By submitting a comment, you are declaring that you agree with these rules:
- Although the administrator will attempt to moderate comments, it is impossible for every comment to have been moderated at any given time.
- You acknowledge that all comments express the views and opinions of the original author and not those of the administrator.
- You agree not to post any material which is knowingly false, obscene, hateful, threatening, harassing or invasive of a person's privacy.
- The administrator has the right to edit, move or remove any comment for any reason and without notice.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in being banned from submitting further comments.
These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time and without notice.
Comments