ENGLISH

Enrico Fermi: And the Revolutions of Modern Physics

By W.A. Coppel

Book information

Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Year
1999
ISBN
9780387894850, 0387894853
LCC
QA241 .C694 2009
Open Library ID
OL25074011M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
1 MB (1566858 bytes)
Series
Oxford Portraits in Science
Pages
121\121
Topic
Physics
Time added
2010-02-18 13:16:04

Description

In 1938, at the age of 37, Enrico Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. That same year he emigrated from Italy to the United States and, in the course of his experiments, discovered nuclear fissiona process which forms the basis of nuclear power and atomic bombs. Soon the brilliant physicist was involved in the top secret race to produce the deadliest weapon on Earth. He created the first self-sustaining chain reaction, devised new methods for purifying plutonium, and eventually participated in the first atomic test. This compelling biography traces Fermis education in Italy, his meteoric career in the scientific world, his escape from fascism to America, and the ingenious experiments he devised and conducted at the University of Rome, Columbia University, and the Los Alamos laboratory. The book also presents a mini-course in quantum and nuclear physics in an accessible, fast-paced narrative that invokes all the dizzying passion of Fermis brilliant discoveries.

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