Items related to QED and the Men Who Made It
In the 1930s, physics was in a crisis. There appeared to be no way to reconcile the new theory of quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of relativity. Several approaches had been tried and had failed. In the post-World War II period, four eminent physicists rose to the challenge and developed a calculable version of quantum electrodynamics (QED), probably the most successful theory in physics. This formulation of QED was pioneered by Freeman Dyson, Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, three of whom won the Nobel Prize for their work. In this book, physicist and historian Silvan Schweber tells the story of these four physicists, blending discussions of their scientific work with fascinating biographical sketches.
Setting the achievements of these four men in context, Schweber begins with an account of the early work done by physicists such as Dirac and Jordan, and describes the gathering of eminent theorists at Shelter Island in 1947, the meeting that heralded the new era of QED. The rest of his narrative comprises individual biographies of the four physicists, discussions of their major contributions, and the story of the scientific community in which they worked. Throughout, Schweber draws on his technical expertise to offer a lively and lucid explanation of how this theory was finally established as the appropriate way to describe the atomic and subatomic realms.
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About the Author:
Silvan S. Schweber is Professor of Physics and Richard Koret Professor of the History of Ideas at Brandeis University. He is also an associate in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University.
Review:
"A remarkable and exciting book. . . . Schweber brings to his efforts the tools of the professional historian . . . and the tools of a professional physicist who has himself worked on QED, a field as highly technical and abstruse as it is important." (Science)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPrinceton University Press
- Publication date1994
- ISBN 10 0691036853
- ISBN 13 9780691036854
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages784
- Rating
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QED and the Men Who Made It: Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga
Published by
Princeton University Press, Princeton
(1994)
ISBN 10: 0691036853
ISBN 13: 9780691036854
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
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Rating
Book Description Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. First Edition. History of ideas leading to the modern theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the lives of those involved, particularly the three men who won the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in the field, and Dyson, who showed the different approaches used by the three were equivalent. Hardcover, as pictured; the first edition (first printing) with full number string; no jacket, possibly as issued. Light wear to book, tiny spot to front free endsheet, tiny smudge to page fore-edge; text clean, no names or marks; xxviii, 732 pages; index, bibliography, notes, equations, figures, a few b/w photos. Size: Large Octavo. Seller Inventory # w0931
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