Enrico Fermi, Physicist (Paperback)

by Emilio Segre (Author) "Wednesday is a market day in Rome, and one Wednesday late in 1915 a fourteen-year-old boy, short and stocky, was making his way among the..." (more)
Key Phrases: neutroni lenti, chain reacting unit, neutronic reactor, Los Alamos, United States, Scuola Normale (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Student, collaborator and lifelong friend of Enrico Fermi, Emilio Segrè presents a rich, well-rounded portrait of the scientist, his methods, intellectual history, and achievements. Explaining in nontechnical terms the scientific problems Fermi faced or solved, Enrico Fermi, Physicist contains illuminating material concerning Fermi's youth in Italy and the development of his scientific style.

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226744736
• ISBN-13: 978-0226744735
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #745,122 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The master described by the pupil, both Nobel winners, July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This is the best researched biography of the great Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, the last universalist in physics, in what concerns science and education. For the private life of the great man and for the less formal aspects of his life, the best book is "Atoms in Family", by his wife, Laura Fermi. Both are remarkable books. The book by Segre, who himself won the Nobel prize for the first observation of the anti-proton, besides being very well written, has some features of his own. First, there is, in an appendix, a series of letters exchanged between Fermi and Persico, another distinguished physicist, of about the same age, which talk mainly of education:which book to use for thermodynamics (Planck), how to study, progresses in some researches, etc. Second, an interview with a friend of Fermi's father, the engineer Amidei, who had a great influence on the education of teenager Fermi, by lending him books he assumed would be important for his future. Among t! hese books is the Mecanique (mechanics) of Poisson, which remained impressed in Fermi's memory forever. The list of these books, with the dates when they were taken and given back, is there. Fermi's style, the simplicity that comes from deep knowledge, is exemplified in many occasions. Perhaps the best story is that of the malfunctioning of Compton's watch; or the first measurement of the power of the first nuclear explosion, made by Fermi by measurind the displacement caused by the shock wave on little scraps of paper released when the first light from the explosion arrived. I read this book at least ten times. I know I will read it again many times.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From one physisict to another, April 21, 2001

By	Muzaffer Muctehitzade "hacibey" (Boston, Ma USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an interesting biography for it is written by a friend with same interests and loyalty to each other. No jealosy, no envie but appreciation and loyalty how nice. This is the story of Fermi mostly about his intellectual and social life and not about his private life and that part is in fact covered very nicely by his wife in her beautiful book. Segre without any short cuts describe Fermi, his behaior, his mastery in physics with all important documents reproduced and day by day their successes and few dissappointments. There are certain scientific explanations about the experiments they conducted days in and days out and if you are not into Atomic physics those explanations are just words but even if you do not know what they are doing you still get the pleasure of visualising masters in action. descriptions are very vivid. Hard work is necessary but knowing what you are doing is more important and this book along with the biographies of other master Physisist shows the same. Prof Serge is exteremely good in writing biography, you do not get bored while reading the book. All the surroundings, social and political world conditions are clearly described, showing the conditions these people had to go through and yet was exteremely productive.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Andrew Ullrich Enrico Fermi review2, April 24, 2006

By	Andrew Ullrich "AU" (VA) - See all my reviews

Overall, the book "Enrico Fermi Physicist" was very informative and interesting. The long time friend and first graduate of Fermi, Mr. Emilo Segre, stood by Fermi's side for many years. Mr. Serge also wrote the book, and was able to do so in a very all-inclusive manner. Not only does the book teach us everything that Fermi's has accomplished through his long and illustrious career as a physicist, but it also shows us a very human side of this brilliant mind. There are stories about Enrico's childhood dispersed intermittently throughout the book, so we can look at Fermi as a regular person, rather than as a series of brilliant mathematical laws and experiments. Due to the chronological design of the book, we see Enrico grow from a young and furtive mind, with an unrestrained sense of enthusiasm for math and science, into an old and wise master of physics.
I think that Emilio Segre was compelled to write his book on Fermi for several reasons. By reading the book it is very clear that Segre has the utmost respect and appreciation for Fermi because when he describes the man it is in a tone of awe. He spends almost a page later on in the book talking about how impressed everyone was by Fermi, and how the man's brilliant mind warranted respect form all who could see him work. I also think that Segre felt some type of duty, almost a responsibility, to share Fermi's story with the rest of the world because he knew he was better qualified for the task than anyone, thanks to his close relationship with Fermi.
By reading this book one learns of Fermi's classical experiments, which would eventually come to yield the atomic pile, and later help foster the construction of the atom bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. There is also a myriad of additional scientific details in the book, depicted in confusing and esoteric jargon. Personally, I think the book could have been more simplistic in the explanations of Fermi's work, instead of spending so much time with detailed information of little significance to the average reader. Overall, the book was engrossing, but excess scientific information gets a bit cumbersome later on in the book.
Science buffs who also like a bit of history and want to learn about a scientist's life should read this story. As far as scientists go, I found Enrico Fermi to be one of the more fascinating scientists to ever live. Through reading the book, Fermi is revealed not only as a scientific and mathematical genius, but also a fun loving kid, who was almost expelled from school for a prank he pulled.