The Evolution of Physics

Good read and quality

A wonderful journey in the world of physics, from classical mechanics, through special relativity and general relativity, to quanta... Not a single equation... Just fundamental ideas and their interplay... On a conversational mode with no other than Einstein !

Brilliant! I would totally recommend this book to anyone who is interested in how physics got to where it is now. Without compromising the intelligence of the discussion, the book is easy to read. This and Feynmans books have awoken in interest in me in Physics I never thought I had...

enjoyed the book but found it a little laboured and unlike einstein; probably more the effect of his co-writer leopold infeld. an enjoyable read just the same.

Good book and arrived really fast. The only thing I don’t like is that the writing is really small.

This book was written in 1938. Still it is worth reading for a better understanding on physics riddles. Authors explained in plane words without any mathematics why we were forced to change our way of thinking on physics. They began “Mechanical vs Field”, then, “Corpuscle vs Wave”, “Ether vs Relativity”, and finally “Continuum vs Quanta.” If a reader of the book had a basic introduction of science at University. He would agree that addition or subtraction should be limited within the same type of set. To our surprise, Relativity gives the “Space Time mixture.” I understand the intervening light velocity “c”, and also agree with the “Lorentz transformation.” If this mixture is OK, can I invent my “new” Lorentz transformation with my “new c’s” on, say, “Color and Pressure?” Of course NOT. But why? If Physics demands, would our basic logic be overridden? Einstein insisted that mass “m” is equivalent to “energy.” This is much more serious riddle. Mass defect on gluon has been discovered. Still I don’t have a clear image how this transformation would be realized. On “Quanta,” I still remain completely confused. Say, a physics teacher came in the class and taught me that my mountain was a beautiful meadow in summer sunshine, another guy came in and insisted that NO, NO. I had to go around the mountain and looked at it. It would be rocks, snow and ice precipice in winter storm. I hoped understand my mountain, and tried “meadow plus precipice and divide it by 2.” The result was ridiculous nonsense. Again our basic logic failed. In my young day, I noticed and bought the book, but left it on my shelf. Recently I found an article in which the book was said to be adopted as a textbook of the first year in physics department. I dear suggest the book is not perfectly suitable for fresh year students before they are given basic physics. Rather, after experience the advanced physics and even after understanding on relating mathematics, the students would have still uneasy feeling on riddles. They would try this book personally and secretly in their midnight study. After finishing the book, my fog on physics gets denser. Could you please, anybody, HELP MEEEE?

This book beautifully describes the idea behind Relativity (and other physical phenomenon) in such a way that anyone can understand it, regardless of your current knowledge in physics. Rather than using mathematical formulae and equations to describe how Relativity (and other laws) behaves, Infeld and Einstein bring you through a series of logical puzzles and thought experiments to explain to you how the theory of Relativity came about. You will then realize how this sort of logical thinking was paramount in creating some of the most important theories in modern physics. The clarity expressed in Einstein's thought process is fascinating, and will give you insight into how to breakdown complex problems into very simple and seemingly obvious pieces.

I read this book many years ago and loved it. I bought this copy so I could re-read it. It was well worthwhilte. The authors have totally eliminated math from their presentation. As a result, the stickler may feel slighted, because there are no proofs in the scientific sense. However, they take you through 'thought experiments' which occur only in your head. If you take the time and make the effort, they will build in your mind a picture of how various broad ideas happen; ideas such as the complex interactions between electric and magnetic fields, and they even give you an appreciation for the four equations known as 'Maxwell's Equations', and do so without ever showing you the equations. They take on the duality of light (how it sometimes behaves as a wave and sometimes as corpuscles), and hint at a similar duality in the quantum world of sub-atomic particles. From those discussions, they go directly into special relativity. Who could ask for anything more. If you like trying to understand physical ideas, you should really like this book.

Ne he leído totalmente el libro. Le puse 3 estrellas por la baja calidad del libro, lo compré en descuento y sólo así lo pagaría. Es una lástima sea tan pobre la impresión del libro siendo una verdadera joya de la divulgación científica escrita por un gigante de la física como Einstein.

A wonderful journey in the world of physics, from classical mechanics, through special relativity and general relativity, to quanta... Not a single equation... Just fundamental ideas and their interplay... On a conversational mode with no other than Einstein !