Physics Biography

Two of the boldest and most creative scientists of all time were Michael Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). This is the story of how these two men - separated in age by 40 years - discovered the existence of the electromagnetic field and devised a radically new theory which overturned the strictly mechanical view of the world that had prevailed since Newton's time.

In the 1970s, amid severe cutbacks in physics funding, a small group of underemployed physicists in Berkeley decided to throw off the constraints of academia and explore the wilder side of science. Dubbing themselves the “Fundamental Fysiks Group,” they pursued a freewheeling, speculative approach to physics. Some dabbled with LSD while conducting experiments. They studied quantum theory alongside Eastern mysticism and psychic mind reading, discussing the latest developments while lounging in hot tubs.

A fascinating exploration of the science of the impossible—from death rays and force fields to invisibility cloaks—revealing to what extent such technologies might be achievable decades or millennia into the future. One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions...

What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed that it did - and in doing so, put at risk everything we know about the fundamental laws of the universe. Leonard Susskind and Gerard 't Hooft realized the threat and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics.

Discover the fascinating world of quantum physics through the life and groundbreaking ideas of Werner Heisenberg, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. Werner Heisenberg Explained: A Complete Guide to the Uncertainty Principle, Quantum Mechanics, and the Philosophy of Modern Physics unpacks complex scientific concepts in clear, accessible language for beginners and enthusiasts alike. Explore Heisenberg’s revolutionary development of matrix mechanics, his formulation of the uncertainty principle, and his central role in shaping the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum...

This biography of James Clerk Maxwell tells the story of one of the greatest physicists of the nineteenth century. Maxwell discovered the relationship between electricity, magnetism, and light, which prepared the way for radio waves and the internet. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, said, “I stand not on the shoulders of Newton, but on the shoulders of James Clerk Maxwell.” Maxwell’s work on color theory, thermodynamics and physics laid the foundation for modern science. What many do not know, is that James Clerk Maxwell considered his greatest discovery to be ...

Nikola Tesla did not merely invent machines. He listened for the hidden rhythm of the universe. To Tesla, electricity was more than a practical tool. It was a doorway into the unseen architecture of nature — a world of energy, frequency, vibration, resonance, radiant force, and invisible power. He imagined a cosmos alive with motion, a planet capable of transmission, and a future in which humanity might draw upon the hidden energies woven through reality itself. In Tesla and the Hidden Energies of the Cosmos, Clayton Louis Turnage explores the visionary imagination behind one of ...

To his colleagues, Richard Feynman was not so much a genius as he was a full-blown magician: someone who “does things that nobody else could do and that seem completely unexpected.” The path he cleared for twentieth-century physics led from the making of the atomic bomb to a Nobel...

Paul Dirac Explained: Major Ideas, Quantum Physics Contributions, and Lasting Impact examines the work of the physicist who gave quantum theory much of its modern form. Rather than offering a broad life story, this book focuses on the ideas that made Dirac central to twentieth-century physics: his role in organizing early quantum mechanics, his introduction of durable mathematical tools and notation, and his insistence on precision at a time when the subject was still unsettled. Readers see how Dirac approached physical problems, why other physicists relied on his methods, and how his ...

Enrico Fermi Explained: Quantum Physics, Nuclear Reactions, Fermi-Dirac Statistics, the First Nuclear Reactor, and the Methods Behind Modern Physics is a focused introduction to the scientist who helped build modern quantum theory, nuclear physics, and particle physics. Rather than treating Fermi as only the man behind the first nuclear reactor or a name attached to statistics and equations, this book explains the specific ideas and experiments that made him so important. It is written for intelligent non-specialists who want a readable account of what Fermi discovered, how he worked, and ...

Understanding Max Planck: Quantum Theory, Blackbody Radiation, and the Birth of Modern Physics tells the story of the physicist who tried to solve one technical problem and helped change physics in the process. The book begins with Planck’s early life, education, and place in German academic culture, then moves into the scientific setting of the late nineteenth century, when physicists struggled to reconcile heat, light, and thermodynamics. Rather than treating quantum theory as a sudden stroke of genius, it shows how Planck’s work grew out of careful, methodical effort and a deep ...

Quantum theory is weird. As Niels Bohr said, if you aren’t shocked by quantum theory, you don’t really understand it. For most people, quantum theory is synonymous with mysterious, impenetrable science. And in fact for many years it was equally baffling for scientists themselves. In this tour de force of science history, Manjit Kumar gives a dramatic and superbly written account of this fundamental scientific revolution.

One of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled ability to tell the stories of his life. "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" is Feynman's last literary legacy, prepared with his friend and fellow drummer, Ralph Leighton.

Asked to name a great physicist, most people would mention Newton or Einstein, Feynman or Hawking. But ask a physicist and there’s no doubt that James Clerk Maxwell will be near the top of the list. Maxwell, an unassuming Victorian Scotsman, explained how we perceive color. He uncovered the way gases behave. And, most significantly, he transformed the way physics was undertaken in his explanation of the interaction of electricity and magnetism, revealing the nature of light and laying the groundwork for everything from Einstein’s special relativity to modern electronics.

A young queer millennial physicist unveils some of the most mind-bending physics concepts in the universe—and uses them to illuminate their own fascinating life story “I see physics everywhere,” Karmela Padavic-Callaghan writes. “It offers itself to me when I try to make sense of all the...

E=mc2 was born in 1905, the brainchild of Albert Einstein. In this lucid and brilliant book, one of the best popularizers of science illuminates one of science's most complex concepts. Ranging widely from Exit signs in theatres to the future fate of the earth, from smoke detectors to black holes...

FROM ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANT MINDS OF OUR TIME COMES A BOOK THAT CLARIFIES HIS MOST IMPORTANT IDEAS Stephen Hawking’s worldwide bestseller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for readers who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key...

A physicist explains daily phenomena from the mundane to the magisterial. Take a look up at the stars on a clear night and you get a sense that the universe is vast and untouchable, full of mysteries beyond comprehension. But did you know that the key to unveiling the secrets of the cosmos is as...

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, long-suppressed information has emerged on Heisenberg’s role in the Nazi atomic bomb project. In Beyond Uncertainty, Cassidy interprets this and other previously unknown material within the context of his vast research and tackles the vexing questions of a scientist’s personal responsibility and guilt when serving an abhorrent military regime.

Pioneers of Human Behaviour: Albert Einstein A Gateway to His Life, Discoveries, and Legacy Albert Einstein changed the way humanity understands reality. His work reshaped space, time, light, matter, energy, and gravity — yet his life was never only a story of equations. He was a curious child with a compass, a restless outsider in the classroom, a patent-office thinker who overturned physics, a refugee from fascism, a public conscience in the atomic age, and a deeply human figure whose private life was far more complicated than the icon suggests. This concise yet powerful volume distils ...