Emilio Segrè (1905–1989)

I'm currently in a Physics course and it's kicking my hiney. But my professor has a penchant for diverting from formulas to the history of Physics - which is quite interesting. He recommend this and the sequel, both of which I purchased for pennies. This was a well written book - as organized as the history of scientific discovery can be. Segre writes in clear, concise way. However, it's clearly written as a supplement to a math-based Physics course. Segre includes examples of formulas, derivations, and other conceptual ideas. At the end, he even includes the explanation of several of the largest discovers - Appendices like "The Essential of Boltzman's H-Theorem" and "The Arguments of the Newton of Electricity". These are math-heavy and pure Physics. This is a must for any Physics major, and an excellent supplement for a major in any science. Many of these giants contributed to chemistry, medicine, industry, and technology. For any one else, the abundance of math may be off-putting, But if you don't mind that, this is a worth while and interesting read.… (mehr)