- Paperback: 239 pages
- Publisher: Dover Publications Inc. (28 Mar 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0486414477
- ISBN-13: 978-0486414478
- Product Dimensions: 21.9 x 13.6 x 1.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,730,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
While the quantum theory of the internal structure of atoms remains a matter of theory, inaccessible to everyday experience, atoms themselves have become increasingly tangible and perceptible in recent years. The invention of the scanning-tunnelling microscope has made it possible to photograph them, and atomic traps are making it possible to isolate individual atoms in ways that are vastly increasing our understanding of their behaviour. Much recent science writing has concentrated on the far reaches of theory - particle physics, quantum theory and cosmology. In this book Von Baeyer shows how this links into the world we inhabit and how electron clouds and probability waves add up to the physical, tangible world of objects.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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3 reviews
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
No praise is high enough...
11 Nov 1998
Format:Hardcover
I have wished for a book like this all of my life; I thought I'd never find it. If only there existed authors in all areas of science (& other fields, for that matter) who could summarize the complexities & histories in their respective fields in such a fascinating, accessible, & eloquent way, the world would be a much better place; & if such books were made required reading in public schools & universities, citizens would be more informed & understand their world to a significantly greater extent. I would absolutely be "beside myself" in academic ecstasy, & would treasure all such books--but if asked which one I would take "if stranded alone on a desert island", it would be "Taming the Atom". I cried tears of joy while reading this book; this book facilitated my understanding of various concepts & realities that I could not have obtained otherwise without reading, processing, & synthesizing information from massive amounts of material (& I would not have had the time). I owe a debt (of gratitude) to Dr. von Baeyer which I can never repay; I thank him beyond words for having taken the time to exercise his talent for explanation, & presenting complex concepts & facts in such an accessible, enjoyable, engaging, & fascinating manner; lastly, his writing makes what is priceless, rare, & extremely difficult (aiding in the successful comprehension of a multitude of complex concepts via the written word) seem so easy. I appreciate his work more than I can express. I am in the process of acquiring every book he has written--they will be permanent "residents" in my library, & will be with me for the rest of my life. I am spreading the word of this man's wonderful talent to those who work in various bookstores, & anyone I encounter who has an interest in these sciences (chemistry & physics). If only I could be so fortunate as to have him as a professor, or be privileged to attend any lecture or seminar he might give... I thank him for a book that is so beautiful & important to me; I've loved science all of my life, & always asked "why" when examining the world around me--had a book like this been available to me as a child, I have no doubt that my life today would be very different. I plan to make sure that the public library in the city in which I grew up has a copy of every book Dr. von Baeyer has written, with the personal intention that any child in that city with an interest in science & the means to visit said library, has opportunities @ early comprehension of so much... I thank him & am deeply grateful for his having written this book...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Great Author, Lovely Book.
28 Feb 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have yet to find a Hans Christian Von Baeyer book that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. If you like his style of writing, this quick read won't be a disappointment. I will comment, however, that this one is a tiny bit heavier on the abstract than some of his other writings. I had no trouble understanding it because I have been studying quantum mechanics in college, but I am not sure if the lay person would entirely follow. Perhaps someone not in the science field can comment on this?
If you're not familiar with the author, his style is telling the story of science in such a way as to read like a novel. He uses clear English with wonderfully descriptive analogies. In general, I don't think you need to know anything about science to read his works. They are lovely books.
If you're not familiar with the author, his style is telling the story of science in such a way as to read like a novel. He uses clear English with wonderfully descriptive analogies. In general, I don't think you need to know anything about science to read his works. They are lovely books.
Well written for the informed scietific reader
8 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback
Indeed this is a well written and instructive approach to the atom, made by someone that has been there talking to the pioneers at the cutting edge technology, and also giving us a recount to the intractable world of quantum mechanics. Be forewarned, this is not a light book, it is not a textbook though, I considere myself to be technically advanced and I still find it hard to understand certain chapters, yet there is a rewarding feeling that you can get through the maze, difficult but accesible.
I feel Dr. von Baeyer has forever shattered my idea of using the Little Prince episode of the fox, where he taught the prince the meaning of the word tame. Indeed, we must play along everyday with the notions facing the atom to beging to feel the longing that is the prelude to being tamed.
Some ideas are expressed here that I have not found in any other books, such as the notion of the incredibly fast speed on which some chemical reactions occur. The idea of femtoseconds is ungraspable, and it woul be more illustrating if we use the idea of time as a lenth, calculate the distance light would travel in a femstosecond (I have not donde it yet), but I am sure is something you can cut a string of cloth with and present it (this idea was used in "A Whack in the side of the head").
In another chapter, I was suprised that a single electron was captured in 1973!!! I thought this happened in the early days of quatum physics, what took them so long?? This was not clear to me in the explanations.
There are still some issues I do not get yet, such as the fact that if we trap a single lectron and a single proton, what would happen then? Of course by electrostatic attarction they willtry to unite, but the term unite does not exist in the real of the atomic small, is it that once they reach a critical distance they will become hydrogen atoms? and therefore electrically neutral? what happend to the elctic field that onced surrounded the whole space? I issue this doubts as a consequence of reading the book and beging the help of any of you who can inform me about it.
I feel Dr. von Baeyer has forever shattered my idea of using the Little Prince episode of the fox, where he taught the prince the meaning of the word tame. Indeed, we must play along everyday with the notions facing the atom to beging to feel the longing that is the prelude to being tamed.
Some ideas are expressed here that I have not found in any other books, such as the notion of the incredibly fast speed on which some chemical reactions occur. The idea of femtoseconds is ungraspable, and it woul be more illustrating if we use the idea of time as a lenth, calculate the distance light would travel in a femstosecond (I have not donde it yet), but I am sure is something you can cut a string of cloth with and present it (this idea was used in "A Whack in the side of the head").
In another chapter, I was suprised that a single electron was captured in 1973!!! I thought this happened in the early days of quatum physics, what took them so long?? This was not clear to me in the explanations.
There are still some issues I do not get yet, such as the fact that if we trap a single lectron and a single proton, what would happen then? Of course by electrostatic attarction they willtry to unite, but the term unite does not exist in the real of the atomic small, is it that once they reach a critical distance they will become hydrogen atoms? and therefore electrically neutral? what happend to the elctic field that onced surrounded the whole space? I issue this doubts as a consequence of reading the book and beging the help of any of you who can inform me about it.
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