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S'està carregant… One Two Three . . . Infinity (1947)de George Gamow
S'està carregant…
Apunta't a LibraryThing per saber si aquest llibre et pot agradar. No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra. I am now over eighty years of age, an emeritus Professor of Physical Chemistry. I read this book over seventy years ago, and remember it clearly to this day. While it was hardly a "how-to" book, it inspired me toward a life of science. I was fortunate enough to meet Gamov in the late 1960's, when he gave a seminar at University of California-Irvine and I tried to express my appreciation for his work in the popularization of science and his influence on me. His hand-drawn illustrations are as witty as the text. [about 2/3 of the way through; not sure whether I'll finish] There's some interesting stuff in here, but it's marred by too many flaws. On topics too complicated to explain fully, Gamow presents chains of reasoning that don't make sense in the absence of whatever additional evidence is left unspoken. (There's probably no perfect way of handling this, but in my opinion it's much better to acknowledge the gaps than to pretend you're walking the reader through a series of logical deductions.) On topics that I'm unfamiliar with but capable of understanding (random thermal motion, diffusion) I find his explanations unnecessarily confusing. And on a topic that I do understand (basic probability) he gets at least one thing badly wrong. As for the style, it's fairly readable, but not to my taste. Perhaps it's standard mid-20th century American prose (it does feel somewhat familiar) but to me it reads like an awkward compromise between stuffy 19th-century English and patronisingly folksy children's edu-tainment. (That makes it sound worse than it is; it's really not terrible.) I was also frustrated by the use of imperial units, and more importantly the absence of scientific notation for very large or small numbers. (Writing out numbers like "one hundred millionths of an inch" is a bad idea, especially when it turns out to be a typo for "one hundred-millionth of an inch".) Obviously some of these gripes are subjective, but not all. So I don't understand why this book has such a good reputation, not just as a nostalgic favourite but as a classic worth reading today. I don't recommend it. Sense ressenyes | afegeix-hi una ressenya
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Nuclear physicist George Gamow takes the reader on an expedition through the problems, pleasures and puzzles of modern science. Among the topics scrutinized 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 in the fourth dimension and a host of other topics. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — S'està carregant… GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)500Natural sciences and mathematics General Science General ScienceLCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana:
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However: this book is now 60-ish years out of date, and it shows. There are several incorrect 'facts' and several own questions now answered. Science! ( )