5 comments about Schrödinger: Life and Thought.

1. This book, is amazing. I came across it because I was forced to do a project for chemistry on Erwin Schrödinger, and I'm glad I did. It's a 512 page biography of him, and I think that says it all. It covers and extensive amount of ground, and is very useful for anyone doing any researh on the man. It gives a lot of background information about what was going on in his life, and the events in the world around him. Whenever he went to a new college, there was always some information on the college itself. If Schrödinger did research on a topic, there would be a small history on the scientist that came before him and how they affected him. The book is virtually packed with quotes form other people, letters, and speeches. One of the other things I liked was that it contained details of Schrödinger's personal life, such as his extramarital affairs and details on his marriage, and his family history. Want to see some pictures? There's that too. Bet you didn't know that Schrödinger wrote poetry. Well he did, and all of it is here too, in both German and an English translation. Another thing that makes the book stand out it that it is bery readable. Walter Moore did an excellent job writing the book, and it shows. I can say that you only need to read one book about Schrödinger: this one.



2. This is a masterful biography, but one need to have a profound knowledge of higher mathematics and a basic one in physics to fully understand it.
   
   Walter Moore shows that Schrödinger's life and thought was at least controversial.
   
   Life
   Schrödinger's personal itinerary is exemplary for the 20th century. He was born in a comfortable upper-middle class, but his parents lost their savings in the German inflation after WW I. The result was famine and diseases. It marked the rest of his life. As a young man he was confronted with unemployment and nearly left physics for financial reasons!
   He found a decent job only at the age of 34. Even after winning the Nobel Prize he was still confronted with 'pension' problems.
   
   Science
   Walter Moore gives us a magisterial and detailed analysis of the scientific discoveries of ES, from his humble beginnings to the elaboration of the quantum wave function and after.
   It shows that ES was above all a mathematical genius and a not so brilliant experimenter.
   ES remained all his life opposed to the complemantary (particle/wave) interpretation of quantum mechanics (the 'Kopenhagen oracle' for ES). For him, there were only waves!
   
   Sex
   Beside science, sex was the principal occupation of his life, with all combinations imaginable. He lived a ménage à trois and sometimes à quatre, but still fell in love with other women, also with very young ones for he had a Lolita complex. He could without doubt have been accused of paedophilia.
   But his intense love affairs stimulated highly his scientific creativity.
   One can only wonder if his 'wild' behaviour and negative view of bourgeois marriage were not fundamentally influenced by the fact that he couldn't marry his first true love, because her family found that he was too poor!
   
   Politics
   He had a deep contempt for the governing classes (politicians, clergy) who 'enslave men by violence and use the religious desire of many people to promote superstition to rule over the dispossessed'. He also distrusted democracy!
   
   Philosophical world view
   This is certainly one of the strangest aspects of his thoughts.
   He was convinced that physics provided absolutely no answers to philosophical questions (e. g. free will). All his life he remained, like Einstein, an adept of determinism.
   His philosophical views and ethical principles were completely dissociated from his real life!
   As an adept of the Vedanta, he believed the Buddhist wisdom that a thing could be both A and non-A (horribile dictu)!
   He was also heavily influenced by the philosophy of Schopenhauer.
   
   This work gives excellent explanations of the Vedanta, and the philosophy of Mach and Schopenhauer.
   It contains a very painful paragraph on Heidegger.
   
   I see only one minus point: the author doesn't give Bohr's pertinent response to the EPR-article against the Copenhagen interpretation of qm.
   
   This is a brilliant book and certainly the definitive biography of Schrödinger. It is by no means a hagiography and doesn't dodge some 'weird' aspects of Schrödinger's life.
   Not to be missed.



3. Walter Moore captures the life of Erwin Schrödinger, one of the most important theoretical physicists of the 20th century, covering his career, science, philosophy and personal life.
   
   In this ambitious book Moore tries to shed light on all aspects of Schrödinger's life, and tries to connect them, but no coherent picture evolves. I had the impression, however, that this is not Moore's fault, but that the pieces that made up Erwin Schrödinger did not fit into a coherent whole.
   
   A gifted student from an early age on, he took on physics. After initially dwelling in different sub-fields, he developed wave mechanics at the (for creative work in theoretical physics) late age of 38. His almost unparalelled mathematical skills made this advance possible. Schrödinger never saw mathematics only as a tool, but he greatly appreciated it's beauty. Moore does an excellent job in describing the intellectual journey towards this discovery, as well as the giants on who's shoulders Schrödinger was standing. For this work Schrödinger received the Nobel prize in 1933.
   
   In his later years, he dedicated a substantial part of his efforts to the search for a unified (quantum mechanics - relativity) theory of physics. Just like Einstein, with whom he had an extensive correspondence about the mater, he failed. Schrödinger's scientific work is explained in quite a bit of detail. Despite being quite familiar with differential equations, but without a background in theoretical physics, I must admit that I had a hard time following Schrödinger's insights as presented by Moore.
   
   From his student days on, Erwin Schrödinger was a believer in the Indian teachings of Vedanta, proclaiming a one-ness of all minds, which make up reality. It is hard to see how a rational 20th century scientist could adhere so uncritically to an ancient religion. However, these beliefs seemingly did not influence his science much and neither did they influence his personal life.
   
   His personal life was, nevertheless, unusual. He was a lover of interesting women, and he had many (I am all for that!), but many of his loves were still teenagers, while he was in his 30s and 40s (very weired!). For a man of such high intellectual capacity, this shows very poor moral judgment. He was not solely interested in sex, but sincerely in love with many of them and wrote them love poems.
   
   Schrödinger also showed somewhat poor moral judgment in terms of politics, although the turmoils of the 20th century greatly affected him (he was removed from his professorship in Graz by the Nazis). He was not an opportunist, like so many of his fellow Austrian and German physicists. Although he leaned to the left, he basically was not interested in politics at all. An irresponsible neglect during the rise of fascism in Europe!
   
   Moore brings together all these aspects of Erwin Schrödinger, and he does so with lots of knowledge of the local culture and history of the places Schrödinger visited and lived at (Vienna, Graz, Dublin, Cambridge). This is a well researched book in all aspects and one with lots of sympathy for "Erwin".



4. If there is some way I could rate this book as five star plus, then I would love to do that. This is a very well researched book by an author who makes a passionate presentation of the mind and work of one of the greatest physicists of 20th century. Erwin Schrodinger is an enigmatic figure, a brilliant scientist, philosopher, poet and a humanist who lead a complex personal life; several love affairs allowed and approved by; his wife Annemarie, and husbands of his girlfriends. The author has examined and reviewed many archived materials from Schrodinger's family, friends, and universities/academic institutions who knew Schrödinger. The reader becomes fascinated by sheer brilliance, wisdom, sadness, and struggle in personal and professional life of Schrödinger.
   
   Schrodinger was deeply philosophical in his thoughts than any other scientist of his time, but he apparently did not make far-reaching philosophical conclusions from his work in quantum physics. He was held back because he knew there was a lack of clarity. Schrödinger was deeply influenced by the thoughts of Schopenhauer, and developed strong interest in Buddhist philosophy and Vedanta (one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy.) Schrodinger intensively studied the works of Schopenhauer, Henry Warren, Max Welleser, Richard Garbe, Paul Deussen, Max Muller, and Rhys Davids to understand Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. Erwin's interest in Vedanta and Upanishads started at a young age when he was accustomed to cold hungry time in war-torn Vienna. His search for the truth never reached conclusion as his one time lover Hansi Bauer noted, but his belief in Vedanta remained the same since 1920 until his death. He was a life long believer of Vedanta. He lashed out Christian churches accusing them of gross superstition in their belief of individual souls.
   
   Quantum physics has tremendous philosophical implications, which revolutionized modern thought in science and philosophy because it did not agree with the philosophy of materialism expounded by Newton. Interpretation of quantum world suggested that strict determinism and predictability is not an accurate description of reality, and consciousness is an integral part of the laws of quantum physics. In other words, the human observer (biological system) and the observed (rest of the universe) is not merely a biological (cognition) phenomenon but more than that. One can not actually derive the Schrödinger wave equation from classical physics. It is a justification and hence the final equation is used to calculate the energy levels that fit the experimental results such as the observed UV spectra of a hydrogen atom. Schrodinger developed relativistic equation first and then the non-relativistic equation. The relativistically framed (without spin) equation did not agree with the experimental result because it did not include electron spin. It was not known at that time that electron has a spin. This equation was good for a particle with no spin and it was the same as fine structure formula of Sommerfeld.
   
   According to Vedanta; there exists only one universal being called the Brahman, which comprises all of reality in an undivided unity. This being absolutely homogeneous in nature: It is pure thought, which is not an attribute but the substance devoid of any qualities. The Brahman is associated with a power or a principle of illusion called Maya. As a magician creates illusion during his act, Brahman through Maya creates the appearances of the material world. Maya is the cause of the material world, and an indivisible Brahman is present in all forms of existence. The soul in reality is an infinite Brahman enmeshed in the unreal world of Maya. The unenlightened soul is incapable of looking beyond this illusion, but an enlightened soul knows the difference between its true self and the external illusory world thus paving the way for identifying itself with Brahman. This unity and continuity concept of All in One expounded in Vedanta is consistent with quantum physics where the universe is superimposed inseparable waves of probability amplitudes. The existence of Heisenberg uncertainty phenomenon and quantum Zeno effect is an allegory to the illusions of Maya or a prelude to the indivisible, All in One, Supreme Brahman. This intense philosophical debate was taking place in the mind of young Erwin in the midst of discovering wave mechanics! Nov 1925 to Dec 1926 is a critical period for the development wave mechanics. Erwin's thought process was so upbeat that his creative power peaked during this period and remains without parallel in the history of science!
   
   In personal life; Erwin had contempt for Nazis but never openly criticized the regime. Schrodinger left Berlin 1933 to protest Nazi regime, in the same year he was awarded Nobel Prize with Paul Dirac. At one time he considered a faculty position at Tata Institute (Indian Institute of Science) in Bangalore, India at the invitation of Nobel laureate C.V. Raman. Erwin's love interests include a long list of women; Felice Krauss, Lotte Rella, Ithi Junger, Hansi Bauer-Bohm, Hilde March, Sheila May Green, Kate Nolan, Betty Dolan, Lucie Rie, and maids of Vienna during war years. He had two daughters Ruth and Linda from his lovers. Hilde March, wife of physicist Arthur March, with whom he had a daughter was his pseudo-wife living side by side with wife Annemarie under the same roof. It is ironic that the personal stress associated with his daring extra martial affairs unperturbed by the pressures of the society, and sadness created by financial problems and deaths of his parents and the terrible guilt that ensured due to his inability to do more to care them may have helped rather than hindered his creativity. In a letter of 1930, he recalls how his father's death on the Christmas Eve of 1919 left little cheer in his soul for the festive season throughout his life. This demonstrates the emotional and human side of Erwin; the deaths of his parents shook his consciousness and left him with tremendous pain and loss. Schrödinger's life is filled with drama and sadness caused by several failed romances; three illegitimate children, infidelity, two wives, nervous breakdown of his wife Annemarie, and some of his lovers, and his own illness due to various health problems, and constant displacement due to war and the Nazi regime. Yet his contributions to mankind are immortal. At the end of the book you feel like crying at the triumph and tragedies of this great human being.
   
   1. What Is Life?: with "Mind and Matter" and "Autobiographical Sketches"
   2. Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality: Solving the Quantum Mysteries Tag: Author of In Search of Schrod. Cat
   3. 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series)
   4. Space-Time Structure (Cambridge Science Classics)
   5. Letters on Wave Mechanics: Schrodinger-Planck-Einstein-Lorentz
   6. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory: Erwin Schrodinger and the Rise of Wave Mechanics, Part 1 : Schrodinger in Vienna and Zurich 1187-1925 (Historical Development of Quantum Theory)



5. If you look on page 238 on Walter Moore's book and view the Solvay Conference of Physics in 1927, you should think carefully of the world that Erwin Schrodinger was part of. All of those great minds were around him, Curie, Pauli, Einstein, etc, plus he lived through two world wars, and he had to deal with the Nazis and so on. Has anyone every lived at a better (or worse) time? The Schrodinger equation was probably the greatest discovery of the 20th century, but because of the wave mechanics involved, most people credit Einstein with being the smartest guy around because they would rather talk about relativity than a complicated equation. Our QM world is based on his equation for the most part and he did this in 1925! There is no denying this is a most complete book, having virtually every detail of ES life mentioned (some where) in it. My problem with this is it really necessary? Physicists will probably like this book because they can relate to it much better, but I guess you could skip the math and just read on. You can see how the scientists of the time pretend not to compete with one another, yet it is evident Schrodinger is the man for most of this period in time. This story is that of a great physicist that many times is overlooked because of the company he kept. He was horrified by the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, as were most of his friends and considered it mass murder, but later managed to solve the Peierls equation which allows one to calculate the critical mass of a nuclear explosive. I would recommend this book for reading, but must warn you that every sexual encounter is included and you will not complete it in a day. It was quite interesting to read of the closeness between ES and Einstein. However, this exposure of how great ES was should impress upon you how often a man of such importance is virtually unheard of in many parts of the modern world--even today. guyairey

No comments about Handbook of Mass Measurement.

No comments about Gravity, Black Holes, and the Very Early Universe: An Introduction to General Relativity and Cosmology.

1 comments about Einstein's Enigma or Black Holes in My Bubble Bath.

1. What do Einstein, Black Holes, and Bath Tubs have to do with each other? The relationship between Einstein and black holes is no mystery even to someone, like myself, who is not a specialist in astrophysics. But the bath tubs? The title intrigued me, so I bought the book and read it.
   This book is about relativity and black holes, as the title implies. But it is unlike any other book on the subject I have come across so far.
   
   To begin with, in lieu of the lecture-style format common to this kind of books, the author uses two fictional personas, his alter egos George and Alfie, to present the fundamentals of relativity and black hole physics. George, an astrophysicist, and Alfie, a FLOP according to the author, love to discuss physics while eating and drinking at an Italian restaurant. The narrative style of the book is that of a dialogue, in homage to Galileo, perhaps. The casual environment of the restaurant, where most of the dialogues take place, sets the tone for the entire book.
   This is a book intended for the non-specialist, interested public. The use of mathematics is kept to a minimum, and many concepts are illustrated with simple and intuitive cartoons-style diagram scribbled on the napkins in the restaurant (where else?, you may ask).
   
   The book follows 2 parallel narrative tracks: the first track is personified by George and his explanations of the physics of relativity and black holes. The second track is introduced and represented by Alfie.
   Alfie has an extraordinary memory, and remembers an incredible amount of data and information about anything he reads. Alfie is interested in the human side of science, and represents the wide range of interests and knowledge of Prof. Vishveshwara outside the realm of physics. It is through Alfie's eyes, and dreams, that the reader encounters great physicists of the past, Kepler, Galileo, Einstein, and even such characters as Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland.
   Alfie may be a FLOP, as the book says, but he has magic, and his magic permeates the entire book making it a delightful read, more like fiction than science. And if you are wondering what a FLOP is, I strongly recommend you read the book to find out.

1 comments about Exact Solutions of Einstein's Field Equations.

1. The extreme non-linear, coupled nature of Einstein's Field Equations has meant that relatively few exact solutions are known. So what Stephani presents seems to be a fairly complete rendition of these solutions. It goes beyond the trivial solutions given in the standard texts by Weinberg or Misner, Thorne and Wheeler.
   
   Stephani saves you from a lot of searching through decades of various physics journals. A boon for a General Relativity researcher.

2 comments about Time's Arrows Today: Recent Physical and Philosophical Work on the Direction of Time.

1. The nature of time is one of the oldest and most basicquestions in Western philosophy; since we are all destined to growolder and watch irreversible changes in our bodies, and we are all aware that we will eventually die, it is probably a basic and inherent question in all philosophical systems. Whoever tries to understand the nature of time must explain two of its apparent characteristics: it seems to be unidirectional and unchanging. This perhaps explains the name of this book, which is concerned not only with the direction of time but also with time's essential nature. This book is one of a large number on the subject which have been published recently. I haven't read the others, being more familiar with earlier discussions of the question, but I have two remarks to make about this one: Anyone who doesn't read it is missing something, and the general level of academic philosophy has greatly improved in the last few years, which I've noticed in other books as well.

   Most of the articles in this collection are good, but I particularly enjoyed four of them. The first is Savitt's historical overview of modern discussions of the direction of time, which is just that, and excellent.

   The second is Unruh's discusssion of the new role of time in general relativity and quantum mechanics. Unruh begins by by saying the Newton "tells us that it is unnecessary to define time, but then proceeds to do just that". Unruh misunderstands Newton, who indeed leaves time undefined; what Unruh thinks is a definition is a warning not to confuse physical time, which needs no substrate, with common concepts of time based on recurrent phenomena in concrete objects. It's when Unruh talks about relativistic time that he really comes into his own. He explains that gravitation is an inherent consequence, an epiphenomenon, of the concept of spacetime. Few of his colleagues try to explain what gravity is, one of the really basic questions; they delude themselves into thinking they have done so when they have really only described anew how is behaves quantitatively. He also has a section on time in quantum mechanics which can serve as an ultrashort introduction to some of the basic concepts of that entire subject.

   The second of Sklar's articles here is mainly a critique of attempts to explain perceived time in terms of entropy. Most of his objections can be countered by replacing the concept of entropy in systems external to the person by that of neurochemical systems which are inherently asymmetrical under physiological constraints, but his discussion is deep and enlightening.

   Barrett and Sober point out that entropy, the most popular word in modern explanations of time, "is well-defined [only] for chambers of gases", and proceed to construct an abstract mathematical concept of entropy which will also be useful in discussions of time.

   In addition to everything else, most of the articles in this book, including these four, are beautifully literate, written by and for educated people. Anybody with an interest in time, or metaphysics generally, will profit from and enjoy reading it. Only elementary mathematics, if any, is really necessary.




2. The nature of time is one of the oldest and most basic questions in Western philosophy; since we are all destined to grow older and watch irreversible changes in our bodies, and we are all aware that we will eventually die, it is probably a basic and inherent question in all philosophical systems. Whoever tries to understand the nature of time must explain two of its apparent characteristics: it seems to be unidirectional and unchanging. This perhaps explains the name of this book, which is concerned not only with the direction of time but also with time's essential nature. This book is one of a large number on the subject which have been published recently. I haven't read the others, being more familiar with earlier discussions of the question, but I have two remarks to make about this one: Anyone who doesn't read it is missing something, and the general level of academic philosophy has greatly improved in the last few years, which I've noticed in other books as well.

   Most of the articles in this collection are good, but I particularly enjoyed four of them. The first is Savitt's historical overview of modern discussions of the direction of time, which is just that, and excellent.

   The second is Unruh's discusssion of the new role of time in general relativity and quantum mechanics. Unruh begins by by saying the Newton "tells us that it is unnecessary to define time, but then proceeds to do just that". Unruh misunderstands Newton, who indeed leaves time undefined; what Unruh thinks is a definition is a warning not to confuse physical time, which needs no substrate, with common concepts of time based on recurrent phenomena in concrete objects. It's when Unruh talks about relativistic time that he really comes into his own. He explains that gravitation is an inherent consequence, an epiphenomenon, of the concept of spacetime. Few of his colleagues try to explain what gravity is, one of the really basic questions; they delude themselves into thinking they have done so when they have really only described anew how is behaves quantitatively. He also has a section on time in quantum mechanics which can serve as an ultrashort introduction to some of the basic concepts of that entire subject.

   The second of Sklar's articles here is mainly a critique of attempts to explain perceived time in terms of entropy. Most of his objections can be countered by replacing the concept of entropy in systems external to the person by that of neurochemical systems which are inherently asymmetrical under physiological constraints, but his discussion is deep and enlightening.

   Barrett and Sober point out that entropy, the most popular word in modern explanations of time, "is well-defined [only] for chambers of gases", and proceed to construct an abstract mathematical concept of entropy which will also be useful in discussions of time.

   In addition to everything else, most of the articles in this book, including these four, are beautifully literate, written by and for educated people. Anybody with an interest in time, or metaphysics generally, will profit from and enjoy reading it. Only elemantary mathematics, if any, is really necessary

4 comments about Pushing Gravity: New Perspectives on Le Sage's Theory of Gravitation.

1. Some of the greatest minds in history have pondered this question-and then pretty much given up on it. Newton, and later Einstein, to a more exacting degree, gave us mathematical models of gravity, which hold true to this day. Except that they say nothing about the mechanism which actually causes gravity. Einstein's theory, General Relativity (GR), attributes the cause to the "fabric of space." But as Tom Van Flandern, one of the contributors to this book, points out, Einstein's "rubber sheet analogy" presumes real gravity underneath the "fabric" which causes planets to sink down into the "gravity wells" in the sheet. It therefore explains nothing about the real cause of gravity.
   In the mid 18th century, G.L. LeSage proposed a mechanical theory of gravity whereby tiny particles in space move about in all directions and at very high speeds, causing equal force on all sides of any object or planet they make contact with. But the space between any two objects has less of these particles or "gravitons" than the surrounding space, because some of the gravitons have already been absorbed as they passed through the object. This dearth of gravitons between objects causes a kind of low-pressure area allowing the gravitons in the outlying areas to push the objects together-thus causing gravity.
   LeSage's theory has been revived and then rejected by many famous scientists over the years, and is presently undergoing its most recent revival. If such particles exist, there must be a way to detect them. One method, attempted by the physicist Q. Majorana, early in the 20th century, was to test the effect that gravitational shielding has on the absorption of gravitons and hence the weight of objects. Through elaborate scaling experiments carried out in a very careful and meticulous manner, he obtained some seemingly positive results. But these results, along with more recent shielding experiments using satellites in Earth orbit, have not been conclusive. They have not yet been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the mainstream of science.
   What the theory of pushing gravity does have, especially in its modern versions, is its compelling logic. It posits a physical cause to gravity as opposed to, for example, Newton's instant action at a distance, (IAAD), (which, incidentally Newton was never happy with), and Einstein's "fabric of space."
   Van Flandern, an astronomer, and one of pushing gravity's most convincing advocates, points out that IAAD can be better explained by positing gravitons which move at many times the speed of light. A slower propagation speed, e.g., the speed of light, would cause a delay or aberration of the signal carrying the gravitational force between, say, the Sun and the Earth. This would cause Earth's orbit to be unstable.
   For those interested in serious cutting edge science, but accessible to the intelligent layman, this is a fascinating book. There is some "quantitative" (i.e. mathematical) description, but most of the essays are perfectly lucid on the "qualitative" (verbal) level.
   If there is ever to be "anti-gravity" science in mankind's future, the physical cause of gravity must first be understood. This book is a must for optimistic science enthusiasts.



2. This is an eminently refreshing book. In a world that takes "bending of space" as literal, and for granted, it's worthwhile remembering that we still don't have a mechanism for how gravity works. Even the "bending of space" might imply being "pushed" by interaction with particles from some physical fourth dimension.

   This book takes a step back from that and tries to posit physical underpinnings of gravity in our own universe, no extra dimensions required.

   The major underlying position of the papers in this book is that gravity is caused by the pushing force of particles. That said, there's an impressive variety of mechanisms through which it can be accomplished, and various authors set out to posit their particular solutions.

   Explanations range from the markedly hypothetical (Tom van Flandern posits faster-than-light interaction, disallowed by Einsteinian relativity, but surprisingly allowed by Lorentzian relativity), to the almost 'banal' (positing that gravity is caused by normal EM particles of a particular wavelength, along the same way that microwaves and heat-infrared interact), and many options in-between.

   There's a lot of solid mathematics going on here, which you can follow along with, and a lot of decent prose to go with it.

   What I found most interesting was that, while many equations duplicate the inverse square law to the umpteenth degree, many of the theories posit testable aberrations from the inverse square law. That may be the lynchpin to their success (or failure). Some propose they might solve the mysteries of the aberrations of satellite orbits, or even why a galaxy can maintain its outer rim shape without huge amounts of dark matter.

   Highly recommended.




3. I'm by no means a scientist -- I got a "C" in chemistry in college -- but I enjoy books about cosmology and astronomy, especially ones that challenge accepted wisdom. I loved this book. Reading it is like taking a joyride through the universe at speeds thousands of times faster than light! All the essays were great, especially Tom Van Flandern's. Ever wonder what Copernicus felt as he realized that most scientists of his day had it wrong? Get this book and you'll experience some of that sense of wonder and excitement. Then read Van Flandern's magnum opus "Dark Matter,Missing Planets and New Comets: Paradoxes Resolved,Origins Illuminated."
   by Michael Christian



4. This is a remarkable book, from both the historical side of science and
   from the future side, as well. The book shows that, contrary to what is said
   for the laity, gravity is still not understood, and perhaps Einstein wasn't correct
   in everything. There is an amazing, short chapter uniting gravity and EM theory
   by suggesting that gravity is just ultra-long EM waves! And they are ultralong
   because of the Compton effect. The Compton effect puzzled Bohr and Einstein,
   and ultimately convinced Bohr about quanta. That it might be the cause
   of gravity is an exciting idea. The book deserves reading my anyone adventarous
   enough to think that scientific ideas should be considered that aren't in the
   beaten path.

3 comments about Causality, Electromagnetic Induction, and Gravitation: A Different Approach to the Theory of Electromagnetic and Gravitational Fields, 2nd edition.

1. Starting with the principle of causality (that is, that causes must precede effects in time) Jefimenko argues that Maxwell's equations as usually presented do not give us a causal understanding of EM phenomena. He then goes on to derive equivalent equations for the electric and magnetic fields that are causal (namely the retarded fields). Using these, he presents a variety of examples to argue that E&M still holds many curious and fascinating surprises. Finally, he applies the same methodology to Newtonian gravity, and argues convincingly that the standard rejection of this theory in favor of GR was too hasty, since a causal formulation of Newton's theory can reproduce many of the qualitative features of general relativity. An absolute must read for anyone interested in the foundations of physics, or anyone skeptical of the irrationality in modern physics.



2. Despite the fact that this book is written by a professor of physics at West Virginia University, the contents should not be taken as representing `fact' as agreed by the scientific community. The reader should understand that there are many modern re-interpretations of standard physics which are not valid. Having said that, this book gives a learned and scholarly description of a new set of possibilities. One difficulty is that the more controversial ideas are not differentiated from the `standard' ideas. Thus it is hard to know when you are being led into `disputed territory'.

   The book is quite expensive for a 202 page paperback. Having said that the paper is of good quality and is stitched together in the style of a hardback. Durability of the book is therefore not an issue.

   This book is certainly aimed at a graduate level, or above, with probably more than half of the `reasoning' based on vector calculus expressions of retarded variables. There is no experimental evidence given of any of the new ideas, especially where the new ideas conflict with existing ideas of black holes and general relativity.

   I would not like to say that this book presents a `correct' idea of the subject; it does however present a stimulating argument, and deserves credit for this achievement in its own right.

   The last part of this book is a paper on gravitation written by Oliver Heaviside in 1893. The last sentence is "Perhaps, therefore, my suggestions may not be wholly useless." This sentence sums up my feelings about the book as a whole.

   Leslie Green CEng MIEE




3. Have you ever wondered why Lenz's Law seems to make no sense at all? Have you wondered why, after 140 years, no one has ever successfully measured the magnetic field inside a capacitor that is "caused" by Maxwell's Displacement Current? Would you like to understand how gravitational fields seem to operate like electromagnetic fields?
   
   If so, this book is for you. (If you do not know what these questions mean, then pass on this book.)
   
   Dr. Jefimenko starts with a simple, logical definition of causality. He explains what conditions must be present in order for Event A to cause Result B. He then shows that, in the case of Maxwell's Equations, E does not cause H, and H does not cause E. Then he teaches us what does!
   
   This book is heavy with differential equations, and very light on pictures and diagrams. It is definitely upper division or post graduate level. The only negative issue is that it is sometimes difficult to discern where Jefimenko's analysis diverges from established theory/dogma. Careful reading will solve this.

1 comments about 'Nature and the Greeks' and 'Science and Humanism' (Canto original series).

1. Erwin Schrodinger was a major contributor to the development of quantum physics. He, Werner Heisenberg, and many other giants of modern scientific thought, were very conscious of their enormous intellectual debt to Greek philosophy. Shrodinger's lectures on Greek ideas about Reason and the Senses, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, the Atomists, and much more besides, is a wonderful historic account that enables contemporary readers to understand and appreciate the forgotten grounding of science within philosophy.

1 comments about Gravity Decoded: Exploring the Structure of Space-Energy.

1. The author explain gravity with a complete new aproach, and the simplicity of the idea is beautiful, easy to understand, simple, thus it is accepted by reader. The basic idea is based on Einstein's conclusion that matter is concentrated energy. As space (spacetime) is an ocean of very diluted energy, a basic particle is in fact a concentration of a region of space (energy) in a point, causing a surrounding region of emptyness. The gradient between these empty "spaces" and the particles is the gravity force.