Renowned physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson is famous for his work in quantum mechanics, nuclear weapons policy and bold visions for the future of humanity. In the 1940s, he was responsible for demonstrating the equivalence of the two formulations of quantum electrodynamics Richard Feynman's diagrammatic path integral formulation and the variational methods developed by Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonoga showing the mathematical consistency of QED. This invaluable volume comprises the legendary, never-before-published, lectures on quantum electrodynamics first given by Dyson at Cornell University in 1951. The late theorist Edwin Thompson Jaynes once remarked "For a generation of physicists they were the happy medium: clearer and motivated than Feynman, and getting to the point faster than Schwinger . Future generations of physicists are bound to read these lectures with pleasure, benefiting from the lucid style that is so characteristic of Dyson's exposition.

Product Description: This beautifully illustrated anthology celebrates eighty years of history and intellectual inquiry at the Institute for Advanced Study, one of the world's leading centers for theoretical research. Featuring essays by current and former members and faculty along with photographs by Serge J-F...read more

Product Description: Here is the definitive new edition of the hugely popular collection of Einstein quotations that has sold tens of thousands of copies worldwide and been translated into twenty-five languages. The Ultimate Quotable Einstein features 400 additional quotes, bringing the total to roughly 1,600 in all...read more

Among the myriad of constants that appear in mathematics, p, e, and i are the most familiar. Following closely behind is g, or gamma, a constant that arises in many mathematical areas yet maintains a profound sense of mystery.In a tantalizing blend of history and mathematics, Julian Havil takes the reader on a journey through logarithms and the harmonic series, the two defining elements of gamma, toward the first account of gamma's place in mathematics.Introduced by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who figures prominently in this book, gamma is defined as the limit of the sum of 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + . . . up to 1/n, minus the natural logarithm of n--the numerical value being 0.5772156. . .. But unlike its more celebrated colleagues p and e, the exact nature of gamma remains a mystery--we don't even know if gamma can be expressed as a fraction.Among the numerous topics that arise during this historical odyssey into fundamental mathematical ideas are the Prime Number Theorem and the most important open problem in mathematics today--the Riemann Hypothesis (though no proof of either is offered!).Sure to be popular with not only students and instructors but all math aficionados, Gamma takes us through countries, centuries, lives, and works, unfolding along the way the stories of some remarkable mathematics from some remarkable mathematicians.

Product Description: From Galileo to today’s amateur astronomers, scientists have been rebels, writes Freeman J. Dyson. Like artists and poets, they are free spirits who resist the restrictions their cultures impose on them. In their pursuit of nature’s truths, they are guided as much by imagination as by reason, and their greatest theories have the uniqueness and beauty of great works of art...read more

Product Description: The twentieth century was a time of unprecedented development in mathematics, as well as in all sciences: more theorems were proved and results found in a hundred years than in all of previous history. In The Mathematical Century, Piergiorgio Odifreddi distills this unwieldy mass of knowledge into a fascinating and authoritative overview of the subject...read more

A collection of short works by the noted scientist includes his report on the space shuttle Challenger disaster and his Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

A new, updated edition of the ultimate Einstein reference book continues to provide readers with the best window into the life and wisdom of this twentieth-century icon in celebration of the centennial of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, with more than three hundred new quotations, an account of Einstein's final days, a new section 'On Aging,' and more. Simultaneous.

The distinguished physicist explores a wide range of subjects, from biological existence and nuclear weapons, to ethics, politics, and the exploration of space and how all these things fit in the grand scheme of the universe. Reprint. (view table of contents)

Product Description: This reference book is the first of its kind to offer both biographical and scientific entries on more than 50 women scientists who made significant and original contributions to physics, astronomy, geophysics and mathematical physics in the twentieth century (before 1976)...read more

Relates his theory that there is a fully functioning biosphere that feeds on hydrocarbons deep within the earth, that the world's oil fields are much larger than expected, and that extraterrestrial life may exist within the earth.

Product Description: How did life on Earth originate? Did replication or metabolism come first in the history of life? In the second edition of the acclaimed Origins of Life, distinguished scientist and science writer Freeman Dyson examines these questions and discusses the two main theories that try to explain how naturally occurring chemicals could organize themselves into living creatures...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Suppose someone claimed that we are not running out of petroleum? Or that life on Earth began below the surface of our planet? Or that oil and gas are not "fossil fuels"? Or that if we find extraterrestrial life it is likely to be within, not on, other planets? You might expect to hear statements like these from an author of science fiction...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

A thought-provoking, speculative look at the world's cultural future addresses the issue of whether or not human society will progress ethically as it progressed technologically. Reprint. UP.

Product Description: This collection of essays and articles range across the author's many interests including theoretical physics, the origins of life, technological development, the bomb and nuclear politics.

Explores a wide range of subjects, from biological existence to ethics and politics, and how all these things fit in the grand scheme of the universe

Explores ways to live and survive in a nuclear age and examines the key areas of public morality, weapons technology, and international policy

Product Description: Spanning the years from World War II, when he was a civilian statistician in the operations research section of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command, through his studies with Hans Bethe at Cornell University, his early friendship with Richard Feynman, and his postgraduate work with J...read more