Prism And The Pendulum, The

Is science beautiful? Yes, argues acclaimed philosopher andhistorian of science Robert P. Crease in this engaging explorationof history’s most beautiful experiments. The result is anengrossing journey through nearly 2,500 years of scientificinnovation. Along the way, we encounter glimpses into thepersonalities and creative thinking of some of the field’s mostinteresting figures.We see the first measurement of the earth’s circumference,accomplished in the third century B.C. by Eratosthenes usingsticks, shadows, and simple geometry. We visit Foucault’smesmerizing pendulum, a cannonball suspended from the dome of thePanthéon in Paris that allows us to see the rotation of the earthon its axis. We meet Galileo—the only scientist with twoexperiments in the top ten—brilliantly drawing on his musicaltraining to measure the speed of falling bodies. And we travel tothe quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all.We also learn why these ten experiments exert such a powerful holdon our imaginations. From the ancient world to cutting-edgephysics, these ten exhilarating moments reveal somethingfundamental about the world, pulling us out of confusion andrevealing nature’s elegance. The Prism and the Pendulumbrings us face-to-face with the wonder of science.From the Hardcover edition.