The End of the Certain World: The Life and Science of Max Born, the Nobel Physicist Who Ignited the Quantum Revolution

by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan

Max Born (1882--1970), physicist, Nobel prize winner and close friend to Albert Einstein, was one of the brilliant minds of the twentieth century. An advocate of the new theories of Einstein and a researcher into the science that was to become quantum mechanics, he soon attracted a stream of brilliant young students around him at Frankfurt and Goettingen. This was a golden age of physics and a formative period for modern science, when many of the foundations of modern science were being sketched out in German cafes. Nine of Borna s students went on to win Nobel prizes for their work, although four (two working for the Germans and two for the US) saddened him by working on the development of the atomic bomb. In 1924 he published a paper entitled a Quantum Mechanicsa the first to label the research with this name. He played a crucial role in the development of the theory of quantum mechanics and of wave function. In the 1930s he was forced to flee from Germany to escape the anti--Semitic

Genres: Science, Biography, Physics

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Luca Ferrarini · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I really love about books such as this one is that they provide you with an historical framework for facts and names you have heard and read about during your school and/or academic years.
It is nice to read and dense in information. Not to mention the opportunity of better understanding one of the greatest mind of our recent history

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently well-researched. Not written in a captivating style. A few editing errors. I would have preferred reading this more from the viewpoint of a physicist. Credit due for telling the story of a much underappreciated pioneer of quantum mechanics. Born did live an interesting life.

[Sarah Koester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good biography of an interesting scientist - especially how both world wars impacted him and his research. There was at times much information that didn’t seem relevant to his story, and many times which I wished for more detail on his physics.

[Karen]

I've just started this book. Max Born was instrumental in the discovery of quantum physics, and the uncle of a good friend (also the uncle of Olivia Newton-John), so it's partly his history too.

[Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story, horribly told.

[Michael Medsker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the people that shaped our thoughts about phyics. One of the people that truely inspired me.

[Robert Sparrenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. The guy had an interesting life but that doesn't come through. Love physics and the quantum revolution.