E=mc2 [Paperback]

David Bodanis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2001

'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".

Editorial Reviews

Review

'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 science1 Independent

About the Author

David Bodanis is a writer and academic. His previous books include The Secret House and The Secret Family. Davis Bodanis lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan (August 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330391658
• ISBN-13: 978-0330391658
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,017,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the famous equation., February 24, 2006

By 

Metallurgist (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: E=mc2 (Paperback)

I originally wrote this review for the hardcover edition, but I actually read the paperback. The pictures in the paperback are not on glossy paper and are therefore not very high quality, but I do not know if this is enough of a drawback to prompt one to buy the hardback instead.

I saw the PBS program that was based on this book, so I purchased it hoping to get a more detailed treatment. All in all, I liked the film better, but this is not to say that this book is not worth reading.

The book is, as the title describes, a biography (discussion) of the famous Einstein equation. The author goes into detail describing each term (including the = sign). While I have an advanced science degree, I found that there was much of the story that I did not know. Bodanis goes into the personal relationships of all the players and puts their contributions into a social and political as well as a scientific context. I am very familiar with Michael Faraday, but did not appreciate his relationship with Maxwell. I did not realize exactly why Lavoisier was beheaded, or of the contributions of his wife. The author highlights the many overlooked contributions of women scientists. While I was well aware of the work of Lisa Meitner, I had never heard of Emilie du Chatelet and of her very important contributions to 18th century science. The book gives a brief but non-rigorous derivation of the equation itself. It is physical and logical and gave me a very good idea of how Einstein was able to equate energy and mass. Unfortunately, I think that it is a bit of a fudge, and was not the way that Einstein actually derived the formula. Nonetheless, it did let me see that the equation is a logical outgrowth of the special theory of relativity. Bodanis does this in a very readable manner and you definitely do NOT need a science background to understand and enjoy this book.

The book covers more than just the famous equation. The book goes into the Manhattan project, Nazi science and their quest for the atomic bomb, the persecution of German Jewish scientists and applications of the equation beyond the atomic bomb. As I said, I liked the film better, but this book is a very useful and entertaining companion to it, as well as a good stand alone read. I would recommend this book to those who want to know more about; the equation itself, the personalities who were involved with the various terms that make up the equation, some of the history of science (particularly as it pertains to women in science), the history of the making of the atomic bomb and a bit of cosmology. While not a complete discussion of these topics the book does give a very useful and entertaining snapshot of them.

4.0 out of 5 stars History of an Equation, April 21, 2011

By 

Alan Goodwin (Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: E=mc2 (Paperback)

In his book E=mc2 A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation the writer David Bodanis tells us the history and importance of Albert Einstein's famous equation.

This is not a science heavy book, nor is it a biography of Einstein. Indeed the actual science is quite minimal and if you are looking for a more scientific explanation of the theory I would suggest you try Brian Cox's Why does E=mc2 What Bodanis does is take the individual components of energy, mass and the speed of light (as well as the mathematical symbols "equals" and "squared") and provide a history of them using the personalities of those involved in their discovery before launching into the significance of the equation itself.

The book traverses the race for the atomic bomb during the second world war (taking in some accounts of Norwegian resistance raids on the heavy water plant at Vemork), Los Alamos, Hiroshima, understanding how the sun works, Black Holes and the ultimate extinction of the earth when our sun runs out of energy.

This is a light and fast pace account, taking in a number of personalities and stories you wouldn't usually hear when talking about physics. It delivers on what it sets out to do - telling us how the equation came about and how it has impacted on our world and our understanding of the universe (past, present and future). It is an ideal sounding board for a more in depth study of the equation, Einstein and physics.

5.0 out of 5 stars Science, May 22, 2009

By 

Anthony Batchelor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: E=mc2 (Paperback)

The best account of e=mc2 I have ever read. I suspect I now understand it better than ever.