Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science.PETER ATKINS Peter William Atkins (b. August 10, 1940) is a Fellow and professor of chemistry at Lincoln College in the University of Oxford, England. He is a prolific writer of popular chemistry textbooks, including Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry and By isolating and elaborating on 10 great ideas, Atkins summarizes scientific thought since Galileo's time. The core ideas profiled address topics in evolution and the emergence of complexity, DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. and genetics, energy, entropy, the atomic structure of matter, symmetry, quantum theory quantum theory, modern physical theory concerned with the emission and absorption of energy by matter and with the motion of material particles; the quantum theory and the theory of relativity together form the theoretical basis of modern physics. , curved space-time, the expanding universe, and mathematics. Atkins introduces readers to the basic concepts behind these ideas and then elaborates on each idea's impact on the world. His overview is an accessible and informative introduction to Western scientific thought. OUP OUP (in Northern Ireland) Official Unionist Party , 2003, 380 p., b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $30.00. |
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