Einstein for dummies PDF
Preview Einstein for dummies
Einstein For Dummies by Carlos I. Calle, PhD Einstein For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005923739 ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-8348-3 ISBN-10: 0-7645-8348-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 1O/QT/RQ/QV/IN About the Author Carlos I. Calle, PhD, is a senior research scientist at NASA Kennedy Space Center and the founder and director of NASA’s Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory. He holds a doctorate in theoretical nuclear physics from Ohio University. He is the recipient of numerous NASA awards, including the Spaceflight Awareness Award in 2003 for exceptional contributions to the space program. With his laboratory staff, he has developed new testing techniques for the Space Shuttle Thermal Control System and for the thermal shrouds on the International Space Station modules. Calle has been working on the physical properties of the lunar and Martian soil and is currently designing and building instrumentation for future planetary exploration missions. As one of the world experts on the electrostatic properties of the lunar and Martian dust, he has been working on methods to keep dust from the space suits and equipment being planned for the lunar exploration missions. Calle is the author of Superstrings and Other Things: A Guide to Physics, a book on physics for the general reader. He has authored over 100 scientific papers in nuclear physics, relativity, particle electrostatics, the properties of the Martian soil, and the lunar surface dust. He has lectured on physics and relativity at several colleges and universities and is a regular speaker at the physics department at Florida Institute of Technology. When he is away from his lab at NASA, Calle likes to spend his time drawing, painting, and sculpting, usually from life. He is married to Luz Marina Calle, also a NASA scientist. Their son and daughter-in-law, Daniel and Emily, are software engineers. Dedication To my wife and fellow NASA scientist, Dr. Luz Marina Calle. Your constant support and encouragement truly made this book possible. Author’s Acknowledgments My warm thanks go first to my editor, Joan Friedman, for her invaluable and efficient editing of this book. Her intelligence, her insightful remarks, and her attention to detail enhance the clarity of the book. I also wish to thank Joyce Pepple at Wiley and the outstanding team that she put together for this book. Kathy Cox, acquisitions editor at Wiley, believed in the project and provided support and editorial assistance; Lisa Reed created the beautiful and accurate illustrations; and Heather Dismore provided helpful editorial support. Finally, Dr. Brian Murphy of Butler University reviewed the entire manuscript and provided helpful insights, suggestions, and corrections. I wish to acknowledge also the professional reviews of Dr. Scott Hyman at Sweet Briar College and Dr. Jim Mantovani at Florida Institute of Technology. Their important and helpful suggestions improved the book. Many other people, directly or indirectly, made possible the completion of this book. I am grateful to my agent, Susan Protter, for her support throughout the project. Special thanks to my son, Daniel, and to his wife, Emily, for their enthusiasm and support. Thanks also to Dr. Dominique Leveau and to Tanya Leveau for their warm understanding. Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Joan Friedman Acquisitions Editor: Kathy Cox Technical Editor: Brian Murphy, PhD Editorial Supervisor: Carmen Krikorian Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistants: Hanna Scott, Melissa S. Bennett Cover Photos: © Abbie Enneking/2005 Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Andrea Dahl, Kelly Emkow, Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper, Heather Ryan, Mary Gillot Virgin Special Art: Lisa Reed Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, Jessica Kramer, Dwight Ramsey, Aptara Indexer: Aptara Special Help Heather Dismore Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Contents Title Introduction About This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Part I : A Genius Awakens Chapter 1: Who Was Einstein? Dissecting That Famous Brain Touring Einstein’s Life Appreciating His Contributions Standing in Awe Chapter 2: Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Man Glimpsing Albert’s Early Years Dropping Out of High School Spending a Great Year at a Swiss School Becoming a College Rebel Falling in Love Again Asserting His Independence Moving Forward Chapter 3: 1905: Einstein’s Miracle Year Searching for Work The Botched-Up House of Physics Storming the Scientific World Part II : On the Shoulders of Giants: What Einstein Learned in School Chapter 4: A Clockwork Universe Introducing the First Astronomers Sowing the Seeds of Physics Battling with Mars: Later Astronomers Inventing Modern Science: Galileo Marveling at Newton’s Miracle Year Developing Newtonian Physics Sharing Genius: Newton and Einstein Chapter 5: The Arrow of Time Identifying the Laws of Thermodynamics Following the Arrow of Time Bringing Einstein into the Equation Chapter 6: Einstein’s Most Fascinating Subject Bringing Invisible Forces to Light Identifying Forces and Fields Sensing the Attraction Between Electricity and Magnetism Failing a Demo, and Changing Science Creating a Current The Great Scot: Appreciating Maxwell Creating T-shirt Equations Chapter 7: And There Was Light Trying to Measure the Speed of Light Proving Maxwell Right Creating a Theory of Colors
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