The End of the Certain World: The Life and Science of Max Born.THE END OF THE CERTAIN WORLD: The Life and Science of Max Born NANCY THORNDIKE GREENSPAN Physicist Max Born was both a committed pacifist and a teacher to several of the men who built the first atomic bomb atomic bomb or A-bomb, weapon deriving its explosive force from the release of atomic energy through the fission (splitting) of heavy nuclei (see nuclear energy). The first atomic bomb was produced at the Los Alamos, N.Mex. . He was also a Nobel laureate Noun 1. Nobel Laureate - winner of a Nobel prize Nobelist laureate - someone honored for great achievements; figuratively someone crowned with a laurel wreath and the leading shepherd of quantum theory and the uncertainty principle. This book, the first biography of Born, tells of the physicist's formative years, including compulsory service as a weapons researcher in World War I Germany, and his subsequent commitment to pacifism pacifism, advocacy of opposition to war through individual or collective action against militarism. Although complete, enduring peace is the goal of all pacifism, the methods of achieving it differ. . Like many Jewish-German scientists of the early 20th century, Born grew up in the face of anti-Semitism and departed Germany after being fired from a university under Adolph Hitler's orders. Born was a success as a physicist, but his record as an educator is even more impressive. He taught nine Nobel prize winners Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel Year Recipient(s) 1969 Ragnar Frisch Jan Tinbergen 1970 Paul A. Samuelson 1971 Simon Kuznets 1972 Sir John R. Hicks Kenneth J. , including Werner Heisenberg, Enrico Fermi, Otto Stern, Wolfgang Pauli, Paul Dirac, and Maria Goeppert-Mayer. Born was a lifelong friend of Albert Einstein, and the two sparred for most of their lives over the veracity veracity (v  ras´itē),n of quantum physics. Their 40 years of debate on the matter was settled in 1954, when Born was awarded the Nobel prize Nobel Prize, award given for outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, peace, or literature. The awards were established by the will of Alfred Nobel, who left a fund to provide annual prizes in the five areas listed above. for his lifelong work in that field. Author Greenspan, better known for her books on child psychology, was introduced to this topic by Born's granddaughter, the pop singer Olivia Newton-John. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the golden age of physics, as Born was one of its most influential figures. Basic Books, 2005, 374 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $26.95 |
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