STORY OF SCIENCE, THE - EINSTEIN ADDS A NEW DIMENSION

Continuing in the same conversational style that made The Story of Science: Newton at the Center (Smithsonian, 2005) such an accessible and engaging resource, Hakim moves readers further into the great minds of modern science. Reading about memorable individuals with unquenchable thirsts for knowledge, students come to see the study of science not simply as a listing of what humankind knows about the real world, but the pursuit by some of the world's greatest thinkers into its mysteries and inconsistencies. Why were Newton's laws and Maxwell's theories of thermodynamics incompatible? How did earth-shaking political events of the 20th century, particularly in Nazi Germany, impact scientific pursuits? How did Einstein, considered a lazy student by early teachers, mature into the powerful mind and mentor who set the course of modern scientific thought in motion? Hakim provides answers to these questions and much, much more. Formatted like a textbook, this impressive volume certainly doesn't read like one. It captures the human drama behind the scientific inquiry and makes it live and breathe. The book has a large, clear typeface and is complemented by numerous full-color photos, graphs, and diagrams. A must-have for science students and teachers.