A Brief History of Science Thomas Crump,
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 184119235X
DDC: 600
Edition: Hardcover; 2001-11-16
Summary:
From the gnomons and sundials of ancient times to the 26-kilometer
underground particle accelerator of the twenty-first century, this
fascinating and enlightening volume by mathematician and
anthropologist Thomas Crump shows how science has continually
redefined the world's horizons, extended the frontiers of knowledge,
and advanced human civilization. With sixteen pages of photographs,
and vivid vignettes of scientists and their inventions, Crump guides
readers through early attempts to measure time and space—from
astronomical charts and calendars to Arabic numerals and algebraic
notation—before he examines the birth of an essentially modern
technology in the 1600s. With Galileo's telescopic exploration of the
skies at the beginning of the seventeenth century and Newton's
experiments with the prism and light at its end, the optical
instruments fundamental to all scientific research had been invented.
Crump then proceeds to electromagnets, cathode tubes, thermometers,
vacuum pumps, X rays, accelerators, semiconductors, microprocessors,
and instruments currently being designed to operate in subzero
temperatures. Here, then, in an accessible, succinctly narrated
volume, is the enduring human quest for knowledge through technology.
Here, too, is the proof that what is knowable is, and has always
been, far more compelling than what is known. "[Crump] provides
lively summaries of the progress in different fields, and succeeds in
breathing new life into familiar stories."—The Economist "Fascinating
reading."—Publishers Weekly
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