Background
Lightman, Alan Paige was born on November 28, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Son of Richard Louis and Jeanne (Garretson) Lightman.
("Alan Ligtman has a unique giftt for exploring science an...)
"Alan Ligtman has a unique giftt for exploring science and connecting its ideas for meanings to our lives." This collection of essays and stories bring up questions that he probes with imagination and wit.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670812390/?tag=2022091-20
( An essential resource for learning about general relati...)
An essential resource for learning about general relativity and much more, from four leading experts Important and useful to every student of relativity, this book is a unique collection of some 475 problems--with solutions--in the fields of special and general relativity, gravitation, relativistic astrophysics, and cosmology. The problems are expressed in broad physical terms to enhance their pertinence to readers with diverse backgrounds. In their solutions, the authors have attempted to convey a mode of approach to these kinds of problems, revealing procedures that can reduce the labor of calculations while avoiding the pitfall of too much or too powerful formalism. Although well suited for individual use, the volume may also be used with one of the modem textbooks in general relativity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069108162X/?tag=2022091-20
( The conservation of energy, the second law of thermodyn...)
The conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, the theory of relativity, quantum mechanicstogether, these concepts form the foundation upon which modern physics was built. But the influence of these four landmark ideas has extended far beyond hard science. There is no aspect of twentieth-century cultureincluding the arts, social sciences, philosophy, and politicsthat has not been profoundly influenced by them. In Great Ideas in Physics, Alan Lightman clearly explains the physics behind each of the four great ideas and deftly untangles for lay readers such knotty concepts as entropy, the relativity of time, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Throughout the book he uses excerpts from the writings of scientific luminaries such as Newton, Kelvin, Einstein, and de Broglie to help place each in its proper historical perspective. And with the help of expertly annotated passages from the works of dozens of writers, philosophers, artists, and social theorists, Lightman explores the two-way influences of these landmark scientific concepts on our entire human culture and the world of ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071357386/?tag=2022091-20
( Origins reveals the human being within the scientist i...)
Origins reveals the human being within the scientist in a study of the philosophical, personal, and social factors that enter into the scientific process. Twenty-seven active cosmologists--including Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose, Steven Weinberg, Vera Rubin, Allan Sandage, Margaret Geller, and Alan Guth--talk candidly about their childhoods and early influences, their motivations, prejudices, and worldviews. The book's lucid introduction traces the explosion of new ideas that has recently shaken cosmological thinking. Origins explores not just the origin of the universe but also the origins of scientific thought.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674644719/?tag=2022091-20
(Throughout his life, Bennett Long pursues a vision that c...)
Throughout his life, Bennett Long pursues a vision that compels him to become a scientist and that transforms the everyday world into one of purity, beauty, and order, whose very allure lies in its unattainable ideal. 100,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo. Tour.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679436146/?tag=2022091-20
(From the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams comes th...)
From the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams comes this lyrical and insightful collection of science writing that delves into the mysteries of the scientific process and exposes its beauty and intrigue.In these brilliant essays, Lightman explores the emotional life of science, the power of imagination, the creative moment, and the alternate ways in which scientists and humanists think about the world. Along the way, he provides in-depth portraits of some of the great geniuses of our time, including Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Edward Teller, and astronomer Vera Rubin. Thoughtful, beautifully written, and wonderfully original, A Sense of the Mysterious confirms Alan Lightman's unique position at the crossroads of science and art.
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(Radiative Processes in Astrophysics: This clear, straight...)
Radiative Processes in Astrophysics: This clear, straightforward, and fundamental introduction is designed to present-from a physicist's point of view-radiation processes and their applications to astrophysical phenomena and space science. It covers such topics as radiative transfer theory, relativistic covariance and kinematics, bremsstrahlung radiation, synchrotron radiation, Compton scattering, some plasma effects, and radiative transitions in atoms. Discussion begins with first principles, physically motivating and deriving all results rather than merely presenting finished formulae. However, a reasonably good physics background (introductory quantum mechanics, intermediate electromagnetic theory, special relativity, and some statistical mechanics) is required. Much of this prerequisite material is provided by brief reviews, making the book a self-contained reference for workers in the field as well as the ideal text for senior or first-year graduate students of astronomy, astrophysics, and related physics courses. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics also contains about 75 problems, with solutions, illustrating applications of the material and methods for calculating results. This important and integral section emphasizes physical intuition by presenting important results that are used throughout the main text; it is here that most of the practical astrophysical applications become apparent.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471827592/?tag=2022091-20
Lightman, Alan Paige was born on November 28, 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Son of Richard Louis and Jeanne (Garretson) Lightman.
AB, Princeton University, 1970. Doctor of Philosophy in Physics, California Institute of Technology, 1974. Doctor of Letters (honorary), Bowdoin College, 2005.
Doctor of Fine Arts (honorary), Memphis College Arts, 2006. DHum (honorary), University Maryland Baltimore County, 2006.
Postdoctoral fellow Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1974-1976. Assistant professor Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1976-1979. Staff scientist Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 1979-1988.
Professor science and writing Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988-1995, John E. Burchard professor humanities, 1995—2001, adjunct professor humanities, since 2001. Chair science panel National Research Council Astronomical and Astrophysical Survey for 1990s.
( An essential resource for learning about general relati...)
(Radiative Processes in Astrophysics: This clear, straight...)
(Throughout his life, Bennett Long pursues a vision that c...)
(From the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams comes th...)
( The conservation of energy, the second law of thermodyn...)
( Origins reveals the human being within the scientist i...)
( Origins reveals the human being within the scientist i...)
(Bennett "Benito" Lang is a lonely and confused young boy ...)
("Alan Ligtman has a unique giftt for exploring science an...)
(Sense of Mysterious : Science and the Human Spirit by Ala...)
Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Academy Arts and Sciences, American Physical Society. Member American Astronomical Society (chairman high energy astrophysics division 1991).
Married Jean Greenblatt, November 28, 1976. Children: Elyse, Kara.