Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory Revised ed. Edition, Kindle Edition

George Gamow has written a very lucid account of the beginnings oh quantum theory. There is some math but nothing that a bright highs schooler cannot understand. The author, being a noted physicist himself, shares many humorous anecdotes about prominent physicists, some from personal experience. The book may seem a little dated now but it gives a very good account of how quantum theory was born and prospered. A must read for amateur physicists.

Thirty years that shook physics by G. Gamow gives a very good account of the happenings in physics circle from 1900 to 1930. These thirty years are considered very important in the history of Quantum physics. The author, himself a great scientist, gives in detail the part played by other great scientists Max Planck, N. Bohr, W. Pauli , De Broglie, W.Heisenberg, Dirac, Fermi and Yukawa in the development of quantum physics. If you want to learn about quantum physics, this book will help you learn the basics about it, and at times it is is funny too when it describes some of the incidents related to these scientists. I had a good laugh when reading about Pauli's very funny third principle of things breaking down in laboratories in the presence of theoretical physicists. When a scientist's experiment went wrong, he wrote a letter to Pauli. Pauli wrote back that he was in the train at that time and the train had a brief halt at the station in the city where the experiment was being conducted, suggesting the failure of experiment due to his presence in the city station at that time. Really good humor !

Well written but not enough math development

This book boils down quantum mechanics to what changed with respect to classical physics. Gamow states these changes in very simple terms. His description of the problems that lead to quantum mechanics is simple and straightforward. The leading people responsible for the many discoveries that lead to quantum mechanics appear as real people. Niels Bohr in Kopenhagen comes through as the key person that makes many fruitful collaberations possible. I recommend this to any young student of physics going into college, or for that matter to anybody that would like an excellent layman's understanding of quantum physics.

Excellent history or the period, with a personal experience touch to it. Some of the translation is a bit awkward, so that I had to re-read sentences a few times to determine what I though he was trying to say. The translations make for some interesting analogies, and I really liked the first-person description of events. I'm reading "Mr. Tompkins in Paperback" now.

George Gamow was a brilliant physicist who grew up with and was friends with many of the great physicists who created modern relativistic and quantum physics. His gossipy narrations are amusing, but not quite satisfying. The feeling I got from reading this book twice was that Gamow was brilliant but not thorough, he did not really think things all the way through. This book is light reading for a couple of evenings.Steven Weinberg's books are much more satisfying.

Lots of information surrounded by personal observations and scientific profiles. Great reading.

George Gamow was one of the scientists in the great era of quantum theory. He is able to bring readers in the road to discovering the quantum theory. The book also provides the views from different great scientists and what they were debating in the road to nurture the theory. It is worth for anyone, who is interested in Physics, to read.

I just received this book. I have begun reading this book and I am enjoying it. Glad I bought this book.

Interesting book

Amazing collection of anectodetes from one of the builders of the quantum theory. The physics may be not accessible for all the audience, but even the non specialist can grasp some concept.

Gamow, como espectador privilegiado e como um físico de expressão didática reverenciável, traz detalhes muito bem postos sobre esse período de 30 anos revolucionário para a Física. Obra altamente recomendável para professores (que ainda sentem alguma dificuldade em abordar alguns assuntos introdutórios de Quântica em aulas regulares) e para todo e qualquer entusiasta da área!

Es un libro interesante. Los libros de George Gamow son siempre buenos.