Thursday 11 October 2012

BOOK REVIEW: Quantum Man

One of the greatest scientists since Newton for me, this book follows Richard Feynman’s rock ‘n’ roll-like life. The story of a man for whom knowledge was his ultimate goal, finding things out for himself, and having such a huge impact on the way we do do physics today. Fame was irrelevant, often willing to attribute his findings to other people. His work on QED and his path over sum approach re-defining the way physics is done. Completing work overnight that other people had already been working on for two years. Lawrence Krauss tells his story through his discoveries and how he came about them in such a way that, like Feynman’s ability to make clear the complicated world of Quantum Mechanics, it is also easy to understand to anyone with interest in the field. In this way, not only is it a fascinating insight into Feynman’s life, but also a great science book too. If this man would have been more interested in contributing to existing fields and complimenting other’s work rather then just wanting to find things out for himself, who knows what he could have achieved.

Score: 6/7