Book Description
LORD KELVIN. In 1840, a precocious 16-year-old by the name of William Thomson spent his summer vacation studying an extraordinarily sophisticated mathematical controversy. His brilliant analysis inspired lavish praise and made the boy an instant intellectual celebrity.
As a young scholar William dazzled a Victorian society enthralled with the seductive authority and powerful beauty of scientific discovery. At a time when no one really understood heat, light, electricity, or magnetism, Thomson found key connections between them, laying the groundwork for two of the cornerstones of 19th century science -- the theories of electromagnetism and thermodynamics.
Charismatic, confident, and boyishly handsome, Thomson was not a scientist who labored quietly in a lab, plying his trade in monkish isolation. When scores of able tinkerers were flummoxed by their inability to adapt overland telegraphic cables to underwater, intercontinental use, Thomson took to the high seas with new equipment that was to change the face of modern communications. And as the world's navies were transitioning from wooden to iron ships, they looked to Thomson to devise a compass that would hold true even when surrounded by steel.
Gaining fame and wealth through his inventive genius, Thomson was elevated to the peerage by Queen Victoria for his many achievements. He was the first scientist ever to be so honored. Indeed, his name survives in the designation of degrees Kelvin, the temperature scale that begins with absolute zero, the point at which atomic motion ceases and there is a complete absence of heat. Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, was Great Britain's unrivaled scientific hero.
But as the century drew to a close and Queen Victoria's reign ended, this legendary scientific mind began to weaken. He grudgingly gave way to others with a keener, more modern vision. But the great physicist did not go quietly. With a ready pulpit at his disposal, he publicly proclaimed his doubts over the existence of atoms. He refused to believe that radioactivity involved the transmutation of elements. And believing that the origin of life was a matter beyond the expertise of science and better left to theologians, he vehemently opposed the doctrines of evolution, repeatedly railing against Charles Darwin. Sadly, this pioneer of modern science spent his waning years arguing that the Earth and the Sun could not be more than 100 million years old. And although his early mathematical prowess had transformed our understanding of the forces of nature, he would never truly accept the revolutionary changes he had helped bring about, and it was others who took his ideas to their logical conclusion.
In the end Thomson came to stand for all that was old and complacent in the world of 19th century science. Once a scientific force to be reckoned with, a leader to whom others eagerly looked for answers, his peers in the end left him behind -- and then meted out the ultimate punishment for not being able to keep step with them. For while they were content to bury him in Westminster Abbey alongside Isaac Newton, they used his death as an opportunity to write him out of the scientific record, effectively denying him his place in history. Kelvin's name soon faded from the headlines, his seminal ideas forgotten, his crucial contributions overshadowed.
Destined to become the definitive biography of one of the most important figures in modern science, Degrees Kelvin unravels the mystery of a life composed of equal parts triumph and tragedy, hubris and humility, yielding a surprising and compelling portrait of a complex and enigmatic man.
Customer Reviews:
Degrees Kelvin - a biography that does justice to it's subject.......2007-09-30
David Lindley's biography of Lord Kelvin is one of the most enjoyable books that I have ever read. The author provides a fair assessment of the man within his historical and scientific milieu and one is left with a sense of having obtained a deeper understanding of 19th century scientific thinking. The complexities of the foundation of thermodynamics are dealt with capably as is the scientific outlook of Kelvin as an advocate of a purely mechanical universe, in particular against the changing views towards the end of the 19th century. Overall a balanced approach between science and personal detail for a book of this type.
An obstinate genius!.......2007-07-12
Another remarkable British physicist of the 19th century. The genius of William Thomson was formidable, capable of tackling every challenge in science quite fast, though not always totally right, but helping to narrow possible solutions and enriching scientific debate of the time. The book took you to a great epoch of scientific knowledge and progress, from the theory of heat and the beginnings of Thermodynamics, the marvellous story of the trasatlantic cable and even the perfection of ships compasses to compensate the magnetic effect of the new Iron ships that were built by the British Navy. Although I think John Clerk Maxwell is definitely the 19th century physics genius, Thomson place his name near to Faraday and several others that contributed to the dynamic and flourish scientific knowledge of the second half of the 1800.
William Thomson was a genius, but seems that to accept new ideas was not an easy process for him. After reading the book my opinion is the same as Maxwell -- he was so busy on diverse interest that he was incapable of focusing on only one subject.
Science Enthusiast.......2007-01-16
This was a good book. The author does a nice job documenting the life and times of Lord Kelvin. It may not have been a goal of the author, but I think this book clearly illustrates that advances in science are not the work of one person, but collaboration between many different thinkers. Enjoy the read!
Applied physicist.......2006-09-12
I was surprised to learn of his many commercial inventions where he applied the physics he had discovered. His early work in product testing of the cable for the transatlantic telegraph cable was years ahead of its time. I found this book an easy read, Kelvin (Thomson) was a real down to earth scientist and the author has captured his essence.
Powerful Forgotten Scientist.......2006-04-18
Degrees Kelvin, written by David Lindley, is a book about a very influential figure in the world of physics who is sometimes forgotten.
The book chronicles the life of William Thomson (eventually Lord Kelvin) from the time that he was an inquisitive student in his father's mathematics lectures at Glasgow University in England, through the great and eventually turbulent events in Thomson's scientific career. Very early on in his life Thomson became the Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University, a position that he was to hold for much of his lifetime. Most notable, in his career that spanned many different fields, was his work with electricity for the telegraph industry. His work in this field allowed for the construction of the first transatlantic telegraph and improved upon the design of wires to transmit electricity over long distances. One of Thomson's lesser known, but still important accomplishments was the creation of the first modern physics textbook. There are many other interesting things that were important in Thomson's life and Lindley goes into great detail.
One of the most endearing aspects of this book is the way that it can embrace science yet still read like a novel. One of the book's flaws is that at times it gives to much background information about other 19th century scientists that eventually slow down the reading and detracts from the author's main message. In writing this biography Lindley was trying to create something to represent a very important scientist whose name is lost in history. This biography is extremely interesting to read because Thomson has helped to shape many scientific principles of the modern age. This book would be recommendable to anyone who enjoys science, in particular physics, and who would like to read about a man who helped physics come to be. Overall, it is decently presented and anyone who likes science would probably enjoy most of the book.
Book Description
This volume explains the fundamental concepts and theoretical techniques used to understand the properties of quantum systems used to understand the properties of quantum systems having large numbers of degrees of freedom. A number of complimentary approaches are developed, including perturbation theory; nonpurturbative approximations based on functional integrals; general arguments based on order parameters; symmetry, and Fermi liquid theory; and stochastic methods. Each approach provides its own insights and quantitative capabilities, and in conjunction provide a powerful framework for understanding a wide variety of physical systems. Written at a level for graduate students with no prior background in manybody theory, this classic text is intended for physicists in solid state physics, field theory, atomic physics, condensed matter physics, quantum chemistry, and nuclear physics.
Customer Reviews:
Clear, precise, and modern.......2002-09-11
A great physics book for field theory applied to condensed
matter and sometimes nuclear physics problems. The authors
are EXTREMELY careful mathematically and really don't skip
any steps or shove stuff under the rug; in fact, the first
chapter is just all math about how to do integrals and path
integrals and field integrals and deal with Grassman numbers.
A bit unusual for a physics book, but that's their style.
The rest of the book deals with the usual and other material:
zero-temperature Green's functions and perturbation theory
(for energy, Green's function, etc.) The treatment is detailed
and relatively exhaustive. Then there is the same for finite-
temperature. The earlier sections on linear response are
concise and one of the best treatments of the subject I have
seen leading directly to the fluctuation dissipation expression
(after this book I realized this vaunted "fluctuation-dissipation" that no one can explain is just
a straightforward thing about commutators and pert. theory).
The book also has other good stuff: a chapter on mean field theory, Landau-Ginzburg theory, order parameters, and a nice
discussion about spontaneous symmetry breaking that helps
clarify a bunch of stuff. Then there is a whole chapter on
further aspects of one-particle Green's functions (Dyson
equation, solving for poles, quasiparticles, satellites, etc.)
that is pretty good and gets the physical point across. There
is also a chapter on statistical (monte carlo, numerical, etc.)
methods for doing quantum many body problems. While some of
the methods are not the most up to date or modern, the basics
are all there (Monte Carlo, Hubbard-Strataonvich (spelling?),
inverting matrices via Monte Carlo, some stuff about lattice
systems, Langevin equation simulation for Monte Carlo, updating
problems, etc.) There is also a chapter on more advanced
functional integration stuff. Also there is a nice description
of the loop expansion and whatnot.
The book is very well written, has no errors as far as I can
tell, and is exhaustive on what it treats. The problems at
the end of the first few chapters deal with physics problems
and help build intuition whereas the texts in these chapters
are more formal. The book could use some more physical insights
sprinkled throughout, but that is not too much of a drawback.
The book is based on functional integration (Feynman integral)
methods for field theory: this is the modern way folks do it
and it is a powerful way of doing field theory both to
derive results, connect results, do expansions and what not,
and also for certain kinds of monte carl computations. So
having read this, the reader is up to date on a pretty modern
view of field theory in condensed matter (and somewhat on
nuclear physics).
Highly recommended unless you can't stand precise and long
mathematical treatments. My only misgiving is that sometimes
I wish the authors provided more physical insights for certain
concepts and gave some examples rather than "just the math";
but they do this in other parts of the book, so perhaps
my complaint, which is not that serious, is more about the
uneven way this is done. Nevertheless, this is 5/5 and a book
you will read many times and learn from many times.
An important book for beginner cond-mat physicists and more........2000-04-10
A very good introduction to the many particle systems, includes all from the basics of coherent states to very complex parts of theory.
Average customer rating:
|
Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations: Topics on Geometrical Evolution Problems and Degree Theory (Universitext)
Luigi Ambrosio , and
Norman Dancer
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 3540648038 |
Book Description
The link between
Calculus of Variations and Partial
Differential Equations has always been strong, because variational problems produce, via their Euler-Lagrange equation, a differential equation and, conversely, a differential equation can often be studied by variational methods. At the summer school in Pisa in September 1996, Luigi Ambrosio and Norman Dancer each gave a course on a classical topic (the geometric problem of evolution of a surface by mean curvature, and degree theory with applications to PDEs respectively), in a self-contained presentation accessible to PhD students, bridging the gap between standard courses and advanced research on these topics. The resulting book is divided accordingly into 2 parts, and nicely illustrates the 2-way interaction of problems and methods. Each of the courses is augmented and complemented by additional short chapters by other authors describing current research problems and results.
Product Description
Lead article in journal.
Average customer rating:
|
Dynamics and Thermodynamics with Nuclear Degrees of Freedom
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Measurement
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ASIN: 3540464948 |
Product Description
The study of nuclear reaction dynamics and thermodynamics with nuclear degrees of freedom has progressed dramatically in the past 20 years, from inclusive charge distributions to exclusive isotopically resolved fragment observables and from schematic phenomenological break-up models to sophisticated quantum many-body transport theories. A coherent and quantitative understanding of reaction mechanisms and of the underlying nuclear matter equation of state is emerging from the analysis of experimental data and from the theoretical modeling of heavy ion reactions. In addition, the accumulated evidence for phenomena related to the liquid-gas phase transition of nuclear matter has triggered interdisciplinary activities and the transfer of useful methods. In the near future, the availability of radioactive beam facilities is expected to provide unique opportunities for extending our knowledge of the dynamic properties and the nuclear phase diagram towards exotic nuclear systems with important astrophysical implications.
The present volume is the outcome of a community-wide review of the field of dynamics and thermodynamics with nuclear degrees of freedom which has been initiated two years ago. The achievements and the outstanding open questions are presented in 26 articles of together 61 authors and collected in six topical sections. All authors are internationally recognized experts in their fields.
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1854 edition by J. Hall and Son, Cambridge.
Book Description
Edited with an Introduction by David Galloway.
Download Description
Suspense, fear and the supernatural provide the center for this tale by the master prose writer.
Customer Reviews:
The TRUE king of Horror!.......2007-07-13
I got this book as a gift for my Birth Day. I loved Edgar Allan Poe, his writings, poetry, essays, everything. I first heard The Raven in my [...] class, than heard The Cask of Amontillado in my [...] class. I than fully fell-in-love with this Poet! I also went out and picked up Young Edgar Allan Poe, and read it, exploring his life from a small child in beautiful detail to his death. If you haven't read any of Edgar Allan Poe's writings yet, please do so. Now...
At first when you read some of his writings, you get washed away by the old-fashioned literature, to the insanity of his mind (which isn't so, mind you). I had to re-read The Masque of the Red Death twice before I fully comprehended just what happened. I relieved in the story: The Cask of Amontillado and The Pit and the Pendulum, struggled through The Bells, read my heart out in The Raven, raced through The Tell-Tale Heart and read curiously at The Man of the Crowd. This is truly the king of horror and insanity at it's best! Drop Stephen King for just a little while and read Poe, you won't regret it!
Indispensible edition!! A fine collection........2004-12-11
I've found this particular edition of Poe's (albiet incomplete) collected works to be the best and most accurate blend possible of his short fiction, poetry, and most important prose. The annotations and background information are also extremely helpful unlike some works that do not translate the Latin, for example. MOST IMPORTANTLY I've found this work to contain the most perfect editions of his poetry, as opposed to other collected works I've owned that have unusual deviances, such as "monody compels" (this ed.) vs "melody compels" of another edition. This has indeed become a faithful companion and my particular copy has become well-worn! I would suggest obtaining as a supplement a seperate edition of Poe's complete short stories and possibly also an edition of his collected prose, although this volume contains his perhaps most important work "The American Drama" anyway. Cheers, hope this helps!
Delve into the mind of a madman!.......2001-02-26
This story was disjointed, abstract, distrubing and confusing to the point that it hurt my head... yet I want to read it again. Although I'm not sure I understood everthing that happened, you get so caught up in the the agony of the characters insanity, one must read on to try to make sense of it. This is a book that you will read over and over to try and understand and just when you think you've got it... you will have doubt enough to read it once again!
i THOUGHT THIS BOOJK WAS VERY EXCITING ........1999-11-15
THIS BOOK IS VERY GOOD AND KEPT MY INTEREST THROUGH OUT THE WHOLE TIME I READ IT.
It gets better..........1999-08-27
Reading "The Fall of the House of Usher" for the first time it seems quite complicated due to both vocabulary and interpretation. Reading it again you notice how this difficult yet discriptive and varied vocabulary together with his narrative style capture you and set you right there next to the narrator to see what he saw and feel what he felt. The self-realizing prophecy of R.Usher makes you, too, fight with fear, but from a safe distance.
Average customer rating:
- A Superb Melville Anthology! Kudos!
- The Best Anthology of Melville
|
Tales, Poems, and Other Writings (Modern Library)
Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Melville, Herman
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The Blithedale Romance (Penguin Classics)
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Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (Penguin Classics)
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Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tales (Norton Critical Editions)
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Redburn: His First Voyage, Being the Sailor-Boy, Confessions and Reminiscences of the Son-of-a-Gentleman, In the Merchant Service (Penguin English Library)
ASIN: 067964105X
Release Date: 2001-10-09 |
Book Description
From short masterpieces like “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “Billy Budd” to more obscure, even completely unknown works like the epic poem “Clarel,” Melville’s stories and poems rank among his greatest and most gripping work. This unique anthology–the first of its kind in fifty years–gathers together all of Melville’s tales, as well as a judiciously edited array of his prose poems, literary criticism, letters, lectures, and poetry. Though few realize it today, poetry was Melville’s abiding passion; yet his poetry has never received the recognition it deserves, until now.
Containing many writings available nowhere else, and edited by leading Melville scholar John Bryant, Tales, Poems, and Other Writings includes a comprehensive introductory essay and extensive, in many cases groundbreaking, editorial commentary. It opens a window onto Melville’s writing process–he was a ceaseless reviser and experimenter–and reveals his career-long evolution as a writer as well as the full breadth of his literary achievement. And it marks a new stage in our ability to appreciate not only the work of one of our greatest writers, but the immense dedication that lay behind it.
John Bryant is a professor of English at Hofstra University. He has published five books and numerous articles on Melville, and is the editor of the Penguin Classics edition of Typee and the Modern Library edition of The Confidence-Man. He has been the general editor of the Melville Society, one of the oldest and largest single-author societies in America, since 1990.
Customer Reviews:
A Superb Melville Anthology! Kudos!.......2003-08-03
I became a fan of Herman Melville while reading "Moby Dick" for the first time, back in college. Not only did Melville capture the lore and lure of the sea, and create some of literature's most memorable characters, he applied his craft, and love of language, like few other writers. I moved from the tale of the great white whale to "Bartleby The Scrivner," and "Billy Budd," with a growing appreciation for Melville's work.
Thanks to John Bryant, a Melville expert with a strong voice of his own, here at last is an anthology that contains some of Melville's most extraordinary writing. "Bartleby" is here, as well as "Billy Budd," along with many, lesser known short stories, some of them published in this collection for the first time. His moving Civil War poems, including, "Chattanooga," "Shiloh," "Sheridan at Cedar Creek," and "The Mound by the Lake," are included here, as are his letters, and sections from his epic "Clarel."
Kudos to John Bryant for putting together this wonderful Melville anthology. It should make a welcome addition to any good library.
The Best Anthology of Melville.......2003-07-04
I always liked Melville, but was never a big fan. But, thanks to John Bryant's wonderful job, this collection very much converted me to a hardcore fan. The paperback version is quite handsome as well.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Poetry, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 4180 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Eight takes.('Autumn Road', 'Firekeeper: Selected Poems', 'Poems, 1955-2005', 'The Cachoeira Tales and Other Poems', 'The Niagara River', 'The Silent Treatment', 'The Whispering Gallery', 'Weighing Light')(Book review)
Author: D.H. Tracy
Publication:
Poetry (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 188
Issue: 2
Page: 159(12)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Leviathan, published by Melville Society on October 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1377 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Herman Melville: Tales, Poems, and Other Writings Edited with an Introduction and Notes.(Book Review)
Author: Douglas Robillard
Publication:
Leviathan (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 2004
Publisher: Melville Society
Volume: 6
Issue: 2
Page: 73(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Tales, Poems, and Other Writings
Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Melville, Herman
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| United States
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ASIN: B000OXK06M |
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