Background
Weisskopf, Victor Frederick was born on September 19, 1908 in Vienna, Austria. Arrived in the United States, 1937, naturalized, 1942. Son of Emil and Martha (Gut) Weisskopf.
( More than 100,000 copies of the first edition of Knowle...)
More than 100,000 copies of the first edition of Knowledge and Wonder have been sold, both in the U.S. and abroad. Written expressly for the general reader and beginning science student, the book describes our present scientific understanding of natural phenomena and the universality of that understanding and its human significance.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262730529/?tag=2022091-20
(This selection of essays covers a wide range of subjects ...)
This selection of essays covers a wide range of subjects connected with the physical sciences and their relation to human affairs. They are broadly conceived and directed to a generally interested audience rather than to specialists in particular areas. Some are written for the initiated, some are broad synopses of a branch of physics and are directed to the scientifically interested layman. Some deal with more philosophic questions such as Niels Bohr's ideas on complementarity, and others deal with the problems of science, ethics, and society. Hans Bethe writes as follows in the Foreword: "His summary articles on special topics are lucid and are 'popular scientific writing' at its best. The subject is made clear to physicists in other branches of physics and to the educated public by simplifying it, but without ever making a compromise with fundamental accuracy, as many popular writers on science do when they get enamored with their own imagery and forget the subject that they really want to explain. Viki's Weisskopf's main concern, as of most theoretical physicists, is the correct interpretation of the quantum theory.... This theme is already prominent in 1951 in his article 'Quantity and Quality in Quantum Physics.' Here he makes clear how a quantitative difference, such as the number of electrons of 6 in a carbon and 11 in a sodium atom, makes all the difference in the qualitative behavior of these two chemical elements. He also foresees, at this early time, some of the developments in biology related to DNA. "The summary article about electron theory (1949) is written essentially for physicists. He summarizes the great advances brought about by the renormalization theory which gives finite results for all observable quantities and is fundamental to modern field theory. His own field of nuclear physics is summarized in 'Problems of Nuclear Structure' (1961), in a simpler form in 'Nuclear Models' (1951). Weisskopf is always excited by important developments in physics even if he himself has not contributed. A major one of these was described in the 'Fall of Parity.' This article is a beautiful example of his ability to make things understandable without changing the essentials. In the 'Visual Appearance of Rapidly Moving Objects' he explains the discovery of Penrose that a rapidly moving object looks to us as it if had its natural shape and is not distorted by the Lorentz contraction as had previously been believed; in fact, without relativity theory it would look badly distorted. His 'How Light Interacts with Matter' is rich in new insights. "The theme is further developed in 'Physics in the Twentieth Century' and 'The Quantum Ladder.'... I don't know of any other place where the essential solidity of our world as governed by quantum theory is better explained, or the great richness of the phenomena caused by quantitative differences is shown with greater love." In addition to those mentioned above, the book includes a number of other essays. These concern physical theory (articles on the compound nucleus and on elementary particles), the human aspects of scientific research (articles on Niels Bohr and on Marie Curie), and biological theory (considerations of symmetry and function at the macromolecular level and of the quantum basis of organic reproduction). A final group of essays is concerned with such issues as the intrinsic value of science, the contributions of science to society, and scientific ethics. The latter is described by Bethe as "A most beautiful and concise statement of the scientist's creed."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262230569/?tag=2022091-20
(A splendid review of subnuclear phenomena ... Physicists ...)
A splendid review of subnuclear phenomena ... Physicists of all stripes have reason to look forward to Volume II with considerable enthusiasm.'___ Physics Today .
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195033922/?tag=2022091-20
(This autobiography looks at the life and times of Victor ...)
This autobiography looks at the life and times of Victor Weisskopf, a scientist at the forefront of particle physics research who became one of the early advocates of nuclear responsibility. This book chronicles his life, set against the backdrop of one of history's most fertile periods of scientific endeavour. Coming of age as a physicist in pre-war Europe, Victor Weisskopf worked with such scientific greats as Niels Bohr and Wolfgang Pauli. He made seminal contributions to quantum electrodynamics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics, and he worked on the most important scientific project of the day - the Manhatten Project. The story of Weisskopf is truly international, moving from the Vienna of his childhood through Copenhagen, Zurich and on to Cambridge and Los Alamos. At each stopping point, he recreates the scientific ambience of the place, giving the reader an exciting sense of the close-knit community that existed among the brilliant scientists with whom he worked.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465036775/?tag=2022091-20
(The second volume of this authoritative work traces the m...)
The second volume of this authoritative work traces the material outlined in the first, but in far greater detail and with a much higher degree of sophistication. The authors begin with the theory of the electromagnetic interaction, and then consider hadronic structure, exploring the accuracy of the quark model by examining the excited states of baryons and mesons. They introduce the color variable as a prelude to the development of quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong interaction, and go on to discuss the electroweak interaction--the broken symmetry of which they explain by the Higgs mechanism--and conclude with a consideration of grand unification theories.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195033930/?tag=2022091-20
Weisskopf, Victor Frederick was born on September 19, 1908 in Vienna, Austria. Arrived in the United States, 1937, naturalized, 1942. Son of Emil and Martha (Gut) Weisskopf.
Doctor of Philosophy, University Goettingen, Germany, 1931.
Research associate University Copenhagen, Denmark, 1932—1934, Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland, 1934—1937. Assistant professor physics University Rochester, New York, 1937—1943. With Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1943—1946.
Professor physics Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1946—1960. Director general European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, 1961—1965. Professor Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1965.
Chairman high energy physics advisory panel Atomic Energy Commission, 1967—1973.
(Elucidates basic and well-established concepts of particl...)
(This autobiography looks at the life and times of Victor ...)
( A classic work by two leading physicists and scientific...)
(The second volume of this authoritative work traces the m...)
(This selection of essays covers a wide range of subjects ...)
( More than 100,000 copies of the first edition of Knowle...)
(A splendid review of subnuclear phenomena ... Physicists ...)
Fellow: American Physical Society (president 1960, Forum award 1991). Member: National Academy of Sciences, German Academy of Sciences, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Soviet Academy of Sciences (correspondent), Bavarian Academy of Sciences (correspondent), Austrian Academy of Sciences (correspondent), French Academy des Sciences (correspondent), Danish Academy of Sciences (correspondent), Scottish Academy of Sciences (correspondent), Spanish Academy of Sciences (correspondent), American Academy Arts and Sciences 1975-1979, (president 1975-1979).
Married Ellen Tvede, September 5, 1934 (deceased August 1989). Children: Thomas Emil, Karen Louise. Married Duscha Schmid, May 1991.