Biografía de la física

Portada
Alianza, 2001 - 448 páginas
Dentro de la tradición de la gran divulgación científica, GEORGE GAMOW (1904-1968), destacado físico teórico que trabajó con Niels Bohr, ocupa un lugar sobresaliente. Entre sus aportaciones científicas destacan la propuesta de un modelo nuclear, el concepto de «barrera de Gamow» (o barrera potencial en el interior del núcleo) y el modelo cosmológico del «Big Bang». BIOGRAFÍA DE LA FÍSICA expone la historia de esta disciplina con admirable sencillez y rigor. También en esta colección: «Historia del tiempo» (CT 2001), de Stephen W. Hawking, «Einstein y Cía.: La ciencia moderna a través de sus protagonistas» (CT 2504), de Ernst P. Fischer y «Sobre la teoría de la relatividad especial y general» (CT 2005), de Albert Einstein.

Acerca del autor (2001)

Born in Odessa, Russia, George Gamow, the son of a teacher, studied at the University of Leningrad, becoming professor of physics in 1931. He emigrated to the United States in 1933 and taught at George Washington University (1934-56) and at the University of Colorado (1956-68). His scientific work covered many fields, mostly related to nuclear physics. In the field of molecular biology, Gamow suggested the triplet mechanism for coding DNA. He and his associate Ralph Alpher developed a detailed model of the early stages of cosmic evolution in the "big bang" theory. Although Gamow's basic assumption that the primordial universe contained only neutrons was incorrect, this assumption stimulated a great deal of subsequent work in cosmology. Gamow wrote 30 popular books on astronomy, physics, and related sciences. In his "Mr. Tompkins" series (one of the most famous), Gamow used the figure of a curious, interested bank clerk as a protagonist for various journeys into quantum physics and gravity. His sense of humor is evident in his books and in his scientific career. For example, one of the key papers on the "big bang" theory is called the alpha-beta-gamma paper. In 1956, UNESCO awarded Gamow the Kalinga Prize for science writing.

Información bibliográfica