The Great Atom Debate
By Paul Halpern
An epic battle about the nature of reality, with the very future of science at stake.
Years before the quantum age, the realm of atoms was pure speculation.
Amidst social revolution, imperial Vienna was the center of heated scientific conflict.
Focused on the tangible, Ernst Mach convincingly disputed atoms’ existence. Ludwig Boltzmann ardently defended atoms until his dying breath.
This is the extraordinary tale of the passionate dispute that changed the face of physics forever.
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Chapters
Introduction: The Essence of Everything
1
Vienna in Motion
2
The Realm of the Senses
3
Making Arrangements
4
The Crux of Reality
5
The Arrow of Time
6
Wanderings
7
Quantum Leaps
8
Bohr’s Atomic Carousel and Einstein’s Universe
9
Legacies
Epilogue: Seeking Fundamental Truths
ABOUT the Author
Paul Halpern
Paul Halpern is a professor of physics at Saint Joseph’s University and the author of nineteen popular science books, including Flashes of Creation, The Quantum Labyrinth, Einstein’s Dice and Schrödinger’s Cat, Synchronicity, and The Allure of the Multiverse. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a fellow of the American Physical Society. He lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Praise for Paul Halpern’s Books
Praise for The Allure of the Multiverse:
★★★★★
“A splendidly lucid narrative of a century’s developments in relativity, particle physics and cosmic speculation.”―Wall Street Journal
“A lively synthesis of millennia of scientific debate.”―Scientific American
“Halpern is a lively, clear writer… this is a terrific guide to mind-bending physics.”―New Scientist
The Great Atom Debate 