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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves: An Informal History of Pouring Oil on Water with Reflections on the Ups and Downs of Scientific Life in General - Softcover
Synopsis
Benjamin Franklin was the first to report the phenomenon of oil's power to still troubled waters and to speculate on why it happened. A century later Lord Rayleigh performed an identical experiment. Irving Langmuir did it with minor variations in 1917, and won a Nobel Prize for it. Then Langmuir's work was followed by a Dutch pediatrician's in 1925. p Each experimenter saw a little more in the result than his predecessor had seen, and the sciences of physics, chemistry and biology have all been illuminated by the work. p Charles Tanford reflects on the evolving nature of science and of individual scientists. Recounting innovations in each trial, he follows the classic experiment from Franklin's drawing room to our present-day institutionalized scientific establishments and speculates on the ensuing changes in our approach to scientific inquiry.
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About the Author
Charles Tanford is Emeritus Professor at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA and a former Guggenheim Fellow. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and lives in Easingwold, UK.
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- PublisherOxford University Press
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0192804944
- ISBN 13 9780192804945
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages286
- Rating
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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves: An Informal History of Pouring Oil on Water with Reflections on the Ups and Downs of Scientific Life in General
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Oxford University Press, 2004
ISBN 10: 0192804944
ISBN 13: 9780192804945
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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves: An Informal History of Pouring Oil on Water with Reflections on the Ups and Downs of Scientific Life in General
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Oxford University Press, 2004
ISBN 10: 0192804944
ISBN 13: 9780192804945
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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves : An Informal History of Pouring Oil on Water With Reflections on the Ups and Downs of Scientific Life in General
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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves: An Informal History of Pouring Oil on Water with Reflections on the Ups and Downs of Scientific Life in General (Paperback or Softback)
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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves (Paperback)
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ISBN 13: 9780192804945
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. When Benjamin Franklin, the 18th-century American statesman and scientist, watched the calming effect of a drop of oil on the waves and ripples of a London pond, he was observing what Pliny the Elder and generations of seafarers had done before him. Franklin, though, was the first to wonder exactly what was happening to the oil, and to investigate this strange phenomenon.Following Franklin's lead, a motley crowd of scientists over the next twocenturies and more chose to investigate the nature of atoms and molecules through the interaction of fluid membranes. They included Lord Rayleigh, an altruistic English Lord, Agnes Pockels, whoconducted experiments in her kitchen and became one of the earliest women to make lasting contributions to science, the renowned Dutch pediatrician Evert Gorter, and Irving Langmuir, one of America's greatest industrial scientists. Building on Franklin's original experiments, their work has culminated in the discovery of the structure of cell membranes, research that continues to bear fruit today.Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves is far more than the story of oil onwater; it is a voyage into the very nature of science and its place in our history. Charles Tanford reflects on the evolving status of science and scientists. He recounts innovations in experiments as he follows a classic experiment - the effect of oil on troubled waters - from Franklin's drawing-room days to our institutionalised scientific establishments. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780192804945
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Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves: An Informal History of Pouring Oil on Water with Reflections on the Ups and Downs of Scientific Life in General
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