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Title: Mr Tompkins in Paperback (Canto imprint) (containing Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland and Mr. Tompkins Explores the Atom)
ISBN: 0521447712
Author:
George Gamow
Publicate Date: 1993-03-26
Publish: 1993-03-26
List Price: $18.99
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $10.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.25
Amazon Merchant Price: $17.09
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1: Challenging, enlightening, enjoyable
I am nothing more than a humble interested amateur and my formal science education is limited to some advanced classes for my high school diploma many years ago. I picked up "Mr Tompkins" following a conversation with a physicist sitting next to me on a long flight. I found it to be an excellent introduction to modern physics in general and quantum mechanics in particular. I found it challenging and I wouldn't claim I understood every last detail, but it is definitely not necessary to have a profound knowledge of mathematical and physical concepts to read this book. The writing is witty, precise and thoroughly enjoyable. In fact I was so intrigued that I went and picked up two other books (Alice in Quantumland and Taking the Quantum Leap), both of which I found harder to read and not as suitable for the uninitiated as Mr Tompkins.
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2: Mr. Tompkins in Paperback
It was a great transaction, Good prices, Great quality, and FAst delivery
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3: Fun with physics, Gamow style.
Here are Gamow's two 1940's Mr Tompkins books popularizing modern physics, in one tidy package. An earlier reviewer has suggested that this book be produced as an animated educational film, a good idea, but I picture it as being more of a computer enhanced live action video. The chapters on relativistic geometries and cosmological models could really be audio-visual treats, and it's hard to imagine a better basis for a script explaining the strange new world of physics to the interested lay public. The lions-share of what science now claims to know about the world was developed from a seemingly strange handful of theories thrashed out in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Gamow was both a party to this theoretical explosion and a gifted writer. Most of what has occurred in physics since these books were first published, has essentially been the refining of the ideas discussed here, so, for the most part, the science is still significant. But while Gamow had some important cosmological ideas -- he predicted the cosmic microwave background radiation, the discovery of which earned Wilson and Penzias a Noble Prize (in which Gamow should have shared, but did not) -- he also bet on the wrong horse when it came to cosmological models.
Gamow cleverly and artfully presents the three basic cosmological models being argued from the 1930s through 1965.* The context is a night at the opera in which noted physicists sing the virtues of their respective theoretical opinions. First up is no other than the initial developer of the expanding universe ('big bang') model, the Belgian physicist and cleric, A. George Lemaitre. The Lemaitre universe is a majestically wondrous, one-off, elegant masterpiece. He sings, "Z' splendeur of z' origine. . . Worrk of Z' Lorrd!" Second is the oscillating or 'bouncing' model, and this piece is sung by Gamow, who at that time favored the concept of an eternally recycling universe (bang, expand, contract, re-bang, expand, contract, ->, etc). The third and last piece to be sung is of the Bondi-Gold self-maintaining or "steady state" universe, so famously preferred by Hoyle. Appropriately, this singer is generated mysteriously from intergalactic space, singing "Was never formed in time gone by. . . But is, has been. . .shall ever be. . ."
Well, on this question we seem to have a winner, and no, it isn't Gamow's model. As Roger Penrose relates in the foreword, Gamow's bouncing universe and Hoyle's "steady state" model are both dead ducks these days. Seventy-five years of observation and mathematical fine-tuning have made something like Lemaitre's general understanding look like the only serious cosmological game in town. But don't hold that against this artful and thoroughly fun book. Gamow discounted the 'steady state', and most of the science here is still sound and relevant.
*[File this under 'is there nothing new under the sun?': 1600 years ago, Augustine of Hippo recorded (City of God, Book XII) that classical cosmographies all distil into three basic models, the same three considered here by Gamow. (These same three models subsume the "innumerable universes" of Epicurus' speculation and of the recently famous so-called 'strong anthropic principle'.) Augustine bet on the right horse though, reasoning that the 'cycling' and 'eternal' models both seek finally to avoid rather than admit a true explanation. Only the universe-from-nothing (ex nihilo) model admits that the universe has an explanation -- albeit a grandly mysterious one.]
This volume is classic science writing in a most entertaining package, it awaits some creative screenplay adaptor and video genius to make from it the best popular science audio-visual experience ever. Have at it.
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4: It helped me understand...
I'm a novice at this subject matter, and I've recently started reading introductory books on quantum physics for fun. I read, "The New Quantum Universe" prior to reading this. This easy to read book filled in some gaps that that I had. It helped me grasp some concepts that had otherwise passed over my head when reading the other book.I understand that this is a classic text and I can see why. It's fun to read, and provides a foundation for further understanding. It explains uncertaintity, radioactive decay, and electron shells especially well. I may not fully appreciate the concepts I was able to internalize from this book for quite some time. I can say that I strongly recommend it to the layman or anyone who's eager to understand some basics of this incredible field of study.
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5: An alltime favorite!
A lovely reprinted edition of a peral from Gamow. The original edition has been out of print for a number of years. This 1993 edition has added commentary and a fascinating bio of Gamow. He was born in Odessa, in what was then Russia, --before the Soviet Union. The story of his escape to the West is straight out of a thriller. Only it is real! Gamow was referred to by a journalist, some time during the Cold War, as "the only scientist in America with a real sense of humor". He can take the most technical stuff and make it simple. Fun too! The book:--Intellectual treats, whimsy, but deep. Illustrated with lovely drawings by Gamow himself. Much of it can be understood by a child, and other parts might require a little concentration. All of it is great fun. Follow your imagination, and while you explore, you will learn about Einstein's theory of relativity. And in unexpected ways! You will see the wonders of physics thru the eyes of a child. With his unexpected thought experiments, Gamow has captured the imagination of generations of readers, and he has inspired a degree of curiosity that comes naturally to children.
The author George Gamow started in nuclear physics, during the Golden Age of Physics, worked with Niels Bohr in Copenhagen, then later in the US, on the Manhattan Project during WWII; and after the War, he was professor in Boulder Colorado. He has a building on campus of The University of Colorado named after him! He is one of the few scientists who wrote popular books. They are precious pearls, and they have been equally popular with my parent's generation as with mine. For awhile they were out of print, but luckely some have now been reprinted in recent years!
Other Gamow titles: Biography of Physics, Atomic Energy [dedicated to the hope of lasting peace], Physics of the Strapless Evning Gown,...We are lucky that Dover has reprinted some of them. Gamow's list of scientific accomplishments includes a 1948 landmark paper on the origin of chemical elements, the Big Bang model, and later work with F. Crick on DNA and genetic coding.-- Do more Gamow editions, Dover!
Review by Palle Jorgensen, September 2003.
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