Libri di David Bodanis Migliori da leggere e Consigliati

‘By the end of the astonishing E=mc2, a dedicated reader will have achieved, if only by osmosis, an understanding of Einstein’s theory of relativity and feel quite at ease dining with Nobel Prize winners. It’s a lucid, even thrilling study: the very best kind of science journalism. I didn’t know I could know so much.’ Fay Weldon, Books of the Year, Washington Post In 1905, Albert Einstein produced five historic papers that shattered many cherished scientific beliefs. One of those papers introduced the theory of special relativity and his legendary equation, E=mc2. Generations have grown up knowing that equation changed the shape of our world, but without understanding what it really means and why it is so significant. In this fascinating biography David Bodanis tells the story of one of the greatest scientific discoveries in history. He looks at the elements ‘e’, ‘m’ and ‘c’; and honours the scientists whose landmark discoveries paved the way for Einstein. He plots the course of the equation through the twentieth century, showing how our lives have been revolutionized by its applications; and looks far ahead to the future. But as with any biography, it is the human stories that really ignite the subject – stories of love, courage and tragedy, of near misses, disappointments and disasters that, brought together by Bodanis in this remarkable book, turn Einstein’s seemingly impenetrable theory into a dramatic and accessible human achievement. ‘Both informative and highly readable…E=mc2 is a wonderful romp through Einstein’s famous formula.. this is everything a popular science book should be’ DAILY EXPRESS ‘Bodanis himself seems like an intellectual thermonuclear explosion, a kind of Jonathan Miller on speed…This is an outstanding introduction to relativity by a gifted practitioner of popular science’ INDEPENDENT ‘With skill and plenty of colourful anecdotes Bodanis traces the intellectual ancestry of E=mc2…fast moving and entertaining’ THE TIMES ‘E=mc2 reveals, amongst other wonders, how many women physicists were involved in the story. Which makes this morally improving, as well as fascinating reading’ George Walden, Books of the Year, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ‘The book fizzes in the readers imagination’ TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

Already climbing the bestseller lists-and garnering rave reviews this “little masterpiece” sheds brilliant light on the equation that changed the world.Bodanis begins by devoting chapters to each of the equation’s letters and symbols, introducing the science and scientists forming the backdrop to Einstein’s discovery from Ole Roemer’s revelation that the speed of light could be measured to Michael Faraday’s pioneering work on energy fields. Having demystified the equation, Bodanis explains its science and brings it to life historically, making clear the astonishing array of discoveries and consequences it made possible. It would prove to be a beacon throughout the twentieth century, important to Ernest Rutherford, who discovered the structure of the atom, Enrico Fermi, who probed the nucleus, and Lise Meitner, who finally understood how atoms could be split wide open. And it has come to inform our daily lives, governing everything from the atomic bomb to a television’s cathode-ray tube to the carbon dating of prehistoric paintings.

‘David Bodanis is an enthralling storyteller. Prepare to be taken on a surprising, wide-ranging and ultimately inspiring journey to explore what makes us human’ Tim Harford Can you succeed without being a terrible person? We often think not: recognising that, as the old saying has it, ‘nice guys finish last’. But does that mean you have to go to the other extreme, and be a bully or Machiavellian to get anything done? In THE ART OF FAIRNESS, David Bodanis uses thrilling historical case studies to show there’s a better path, leading neatly in between. He reveals how it was fairness, applied with skill, that led the Empire State Building to be constructed in barely a year – and how the same techniques brought a quiet English debutante to become an acclaimed jungle guerrilla fighter. In ten vivid profiles – featuring pilots, presidents, and even the producer of Game of Thrones – we see that the path to greatness doesn’t require crushing displays of power or tyrannical ego. Simple fair decency can prevail. With surprising insights from across history – including the downfall of the very man who popularised the phrase ‘nice guys finish last’ – THE ART OF FAIRNESS charts a refreshing and sustainable new approach to cultivating integrity and influence.