Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The epic story of the great era of modern physics and its ingenious protagonists--Einstein, Curie, Schr dinger, and other luminaries--who worked together to rewrite the laws of the universe, from the discovery of radioactivity and the theory of relativity to, ultimately, the invention of quantum mechanics and the atomic bomb.
There may never be another time in the history of science like the first half of the twentieth century, when many of the most important physicists ever to live--Marie Curie, Max Planck, Wolfgang Pauli, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Ernst Schr dinger, Albert Einstein, and others--came together to uncover the quantum world, a concept so outrageous and shocking, so contrary to traditional physics, that its own founders rebelled against it until the equations held up and fundamentally changed our understanding of the world. In cinematic, page-turning chapters, Tobias H rter takes us back to this uniquely harrowing and propitious era, when wars and revolutions upended the lives of an international community of renegade scientists, friends and enemies, lovers and loners, men and women. Weaving their intertwined stories as they crisscross Europe, H rter shows us how quantum mechanics was an idea too big for one mind to conceive, but also how it became, ultimately, a testament to the boundless potential of genius in collaboration.
Synopsis
The epic true story of how a global team of physics luminaries--Einstein, Curie, Schr dinger, and more--toppled the Newtonian universe amid the turmoil of two World Wars
There may never be another era of science like the first half of the twentieth century, when many of the most important physicists ever to live--Marie Curie, Max Planck, Wolfgang Pauli, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Ernst Schr dinger, Albert Einstein, and others--came together to uncover the quantum world: a concept so outrageous and shocking, so contrary to traditional physics, that its own founders rebelled against it until the equations held up and fundamentally changed our understanding of reality.
In cinematic, page-turning chapters, Tobias H rter takes us back to this uniquely momentous and harrowing time, when war and revolution upended the lives of his renegade scientists. As they crisscross Europe, H rter reveals these brilliant thinkers anew, as friends and enemies, lovers and loners, and indeed, men and women just like us. H rter compellingly casts quantum mechanics as a concept Too Big for a Single Mind--and its birth as a testament to the boundless potential of genius in collaboration.
Synopsis
The epic story of how, amid two world wars, history's greatest physicists redefined the universe and the reality we live in
There may never be another era of science like the first half of the twentieth century, when a peerless cast of physicists--Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Max Planck, Wolfgang Pauli, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schr dinger, and others--came together to uncover the quantum world, a concept so outrageous and shocking, so contrary to traditional physics, that its own founders rebelled against it until the equations held up and fundamentally changed our understanding of reality. In propulsive, page-turning chapters, Tobias H rter takes us back to a uniquely harrowing and momentous time, when war and revolution upended the lives of these renegade scientists, who were forced to crisscross Europe as they worked together to topple classical physics.
These tumultuous decades would also be the culmination and closing chapter of a more serendipitous--and more human--kind of research. Today, physics has principally become a practical discipline conducted at large-scale facilities. Great breakthroughs are now rarely made in the mind, or among colleagues sparring during walks on the beach, at Christmas parties, in university cafeterias, or late-into-the-night debates at conferences. Too Big for a Single Mind takes us back to this golden age of physics, when the creation of quantum theory demanded the combined efforts of friends and rivals, lovers and loners, straight-edged intellectuals and freethinking dreamers. In this stirring, grand narrative, brought to life by the letters, notes, research papers, diaries, and memoirs they wrote, we witness the birth of an idea that not only revolutionized physics and our world, but that stands as a testament to the boundless potential of genius in collaboration.
Synopsis
"Intriguing and well-written."--The Wall Street Journal The epic story of how, amid two world wars, history's greatest physicists redefined the universe and the reality we live in
There may never be another era of science like the first half of the twentieth century, when a peerless cast of physicists--Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Max Planck, Wolfgang Pauli, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schr dinger, and others--came together to uncover the quantum world, a concept so outrageous and shocking, so contrary to traditional physics, that its own founders rebelled against it until the equations held up and fundamentally changed our understanding of reality. In propulsive, page-turning chapters, Tobias H rter takes us back to a uniquely harrowing and momentous time, when war and revolution upended the lives of these renegade scientists, who were forced to crisscross Europe as they worked together to topple classical physics.
These tumultuous decades would also be the culmination and closing chapter of a more serendipitous--and more human--kind of research. Today, physics has principally become a practical discipline conducted at large-scale facilities. Great breakthroughs are now rarely made in the mind, or among colleagues sparring during walks on the beach, at Christmas parties, in university cafeterias, or late-into-the-night debates at conferences. Too Big for a Single Mind takes us back to this golden age of physics, when the creation of quantum theory demanded the combined efforts of friends and rivals, lovers and loners, straight-edged intellectuals and freethinking dreamers. In this stirring, grand narrative, brought to life by the letters, notes, research papers, diaries, and memoirs they wrote, we witness the birth of an idea that not only revolutionized physics and our world, but that stands as a testament to the boundless potential of genius in collaboration.
Synopsis
There may never be another era of science like the first half of the twentieth century, when a peerless cast of physicists--Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Max Planck, Wolfgang Pauli, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schr dinger, and others--came together to uncover the quantum world, a concept so outrageous and shocking, so contrary to traditional physics, that its own founders rebelled against it until the equations held up and fundamentally changed our understanding of reality. In propulsive, page-turning chapters, Tobias H rter takes us back to a uniquely harrowing and momentous time, when war and revolution upended the lives of these renegade scientists, who were forced to crisscross Europe as they worked together to topple classical physics.
These tumultuous decades would also be the culmination and closing chapter of a more serendipitous--and more human--kind of research. Today, physics has principally become a practical discipline conducted at large-scale facilities. Great breakthroughs are now rarely made in the mind, or among colleagues sparring during walks on the beach, at Christmas parties, in university cafeterias, or late-into-the-night debates at conferences. Too Big for a Single Mind takes us back to this golden age of physics, when the creation of quantum theory demanded the combined efforts of friends and rivals, lovers and loners, straight-edged intellectuals and freethinking dreamers. In this stirring, grand narrative, brought to life by the letters, notes, research papers, diaries, and memoirs they wrote, we witness the birth of an idea that not only revolutionized physics and our world, but that stands as a testament to the boundless potential of genius in collaboration.