Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science (Great Discoveries)

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Hardcover: 350 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (March 21, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780393064711
ISBN-13: 978-0393064711
ASIN: 0393064719
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Physicist Richard Feynman has a reputation as a bongo-playing, hard-partying, flamboyant Nobel Prize laureate for his work on quantum electrodynamics theory, but this tends to obscure the fact that he was a brilliant thinker who continued making contributions to science until his death in 1988. He foresaw new directions in science that have begun to produce practical applications only in the last decade: nanotechnology, atomic-scale biology like the manipulation of DNA, lasers to move individual atoms, and quantum engineering. In the 1960s, Feynman entered the field of quantum gravity and created important tools and techniques for scientists studying black holes and gravity waves. Author Krauss (The Physics of Star Trek), an MIT-trained physicist, doesn't necessarily break new ground in this biography, but Krauss excels in his ability, like Feynman himself, to make complicated physics comprehensible. He incorporates Feynman's lectures and quotes several of the late physicist's colleagues to aid him in this process. This book is highly recommended for readers who want to get to know one of the preeminent scientists of the 20th century. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Review Engaging…. Krauss explains scientific material in a clear, lively style that would have earned Feynman’s approval…. A worthy addition to the Feynman shelf and a welcome follow-up to the standard-bearer, James Gleick’s Genius. (Kirkus Reviews )Lawrence Krauss's wonderful biography manages to combine a rolling narrative with a crystal clear explanation of Richard Feynman's science. Its lively descriptions make both electromagnetism and quantum mechanics fun, while Krauss's personal reflections on his subject add a new level of insight into the man and his scientific legacy. Quantum Man is a masterpiece. (Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe )Such a charismatic figure deserves a charismatic, knowledgeable, and literate physicist as his warts-and-all biographer. Lawrence Krauss fits the bill admirably and rises to the challenge with style, panache, and deep understanding. (Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion and The Greatest Show on Earth )Seamlessly entwining colorful episodes of physics’ most ‘curious character’ with wonderfully clear descriptions of Feynman’s penetrating breakthroughs in quantum theory, Krauss’s account is both entertaining and masterly. A great read. (Brian Greene, author of The Hidden Reality and The Elegant Universe )A lively and engrossing biography of a lively and engrossing man. Krauss recounts the life and ideas of one of the century’s greatest scientist with a deep understanding of both the physics and the man, presented with great lucidity and charm. (Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works ) Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science (Great Discoveries)