From the gnomons and sundials of ancient times to the 26-kilometer underground particle accelerator of the twenty-first century, this fascinating and enlightening volume by mathematician and anthropologist Thomas Crump shows how science has continually redefined the world’s horizons, extended the frontiers of knowledge, and advanced human civilization. With sixteen pages of photographs, and vivid vignettes of scientists and their inventions, Crump guides readers through early attempts to measure time and space—from astronomical charts and calendars to Arabic numerals and algebraic notation—before he examines the birth of an essentially modern technology in the 1600s. With Galileo’s telescopic exploration of the skies at the beginning of the seventeenth century and Newton’s experiments with the prism and light at its end, the optical instruments fundamental to all scientific research had been invented. Crump then proceeds to electromagnets, cathode tubes, thermometers, vacuum pumps, X rays, accelerators, semiconductors, microprocessors, and instruments currently being designed to operate in subzero temperatures. Here, then, in an accessible, succinctly narrated volume, is the enduring human quest for knowledge through technology. Here, too, is the proof that what is knowable is, and has always been, far more compelling than what is known. “[Crump] provides lively summaries of the progress in different fields, and succeeds in breathing new life into familiar stories.”—The Economist “Fascinating reading.”—Publishers Weekly
otential readers should follow the author's lead and ignore the subtitle of this survey of the history of science in Europe and America, or they may be disappointed. Amsterdam-based writer Crump (Solar Eclipse; The Anthropology of Numbers) does discuss the evolution of scientific equipment, but the book is centered around the scientists, not their instruments. Crump begins with mankind's discovery of how to create fire and ends with SQUIDs, superconducting quantum interference devices. In between, there is chemistry, astronomy and 20th-century physics. The sections on advances in electricity and energy measurement make for particularly fascinating reading. Overall, however, Crump's book would have been more successful if he had followed the lead of his subtitle. He attempts to cover too much, and inevitably there are striking gaps and imbalances that leave the final product feeling scattered. (Only a few paragraphs are devoted to radio and redshift, for instance, while Crump dallies over Wernher von Braun's experiences at the end of World War II.) It might be argued that English scientists receive more attention than those of other countries, although the adept sketch of Dmitri Mendeleyev's career should be required reading for chemistry students. Crump's prose is generally reader-friendly, and mathematical and chemical notation are kept to a minimum. This will make a useful addition to home libraries. 16 pages of photographs and appendixes not seen by PW.
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