A Century of Physics

In this amazing tour d'horizon, D. Allan Bromley uses the occasion of the centenary of the American Physical Society to reflect upon the growth of physics over the past 100 years, its fragmentation into numerous subdisciplines, the impact physics has had upon modern technology, and the re-emergence of the fundamental unity of the discipline in recent years. Hundreds of historical illustrations accompany the text. Bromley conveys much of the excitement and wonder that research in physics generated in the 20th century and asks what new things are in store in the next century. He covers such topics as relativity and quantum mechanics, the Manhattan project, superconductivity, transistors and the revolution brought about by solid-state electronics, protein folding, the uses of nuclear and atomic physics in biology and medicine, plate tectonics, the expansion of the universe and the Big Bang, and gravitational radiation. Bromley is the Sterling Professor of the Sciences and Dean of Yale University. From the reviews: "...A panoramic view of the physics landscape of the past century, in which are embedded an impressive number of major physics accomplishments. And [the book] describes these accomplishments in a language that is comprehensible to an educated reader with or without training in physics...In choice of topics, Bromley is about as complete as can be imagined...An immensely entertaining and illuminating read." - Physics Today

D. Allan Bromley, the Sterling Professor of the Sciences and Dean of Engineering at Yale University, served as the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology as well as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President from 1989 to 1993 and has served as president of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. One of the world's leading nuclear scientists, he was founder and director of Yale's Nuclear Structure Laboratory and has received numerous medals and awards, including the National Medal of Science