A unique insight into Dirac's life and work, by four internationally respected physicists.

Paul Dirac, who died in 1984, was without question one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century. His revolutionary contribution to modern quantum theory is remembered for its insight and creativity. He is especially famous for his prediction of the magnetic moment and spin of the electron and for the existence of antiparticles. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1933 at the age of 31. In this memorial volume, 24 of Dirac's friends, colleagues and contemporaries remember him with affection. There are chapters describing Dirac's personality, and many anecdotes about the man with a reputation for silence. Other chapters describe Dirac's science and its impact on modern physics.

The first full length biography of Dirac, one of the most brilliant physicists of the twentieth century.

“What a fantastic entrée into the life of Paul Dirac and the exotic world of Quantum Mechanics, of which he was one of the great pioneers. With its cast of some of the most important scientists of the modern age, this is both an entertaining and an enlightening read.” —Michael White, Bestselling author of 39 books including Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer Paul Dirac (1902–1984) was a brilliant mathematician and a 1933 Nobel laureate whose work ranks alongside that of Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton. Although not as well known as his famous contemporaries Werner Heisenberg and Richard Feynman, his influence on the course of physics was immense. His landmark book, The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, introduced that new science to the world and his “Dirac equation” was the first theory to reconcile special relativity and quantum mechanics. Dirac held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University, a position also occupied by such luminaries as Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. Yet, during his 40-year career as a professor, he had only a few doctoral students due to his peculiar personality, which bordered on the bizarre. Taciturn and introverted, with virtually no social skills, he once turned down a knighthood because he didn’t want to be addressed by his first name. Einstein described him as “balancing on the dizzying path between genius and madness.” In Simply Dirac, author Helge Kragh blends the scientific and the personal and invites the reader to get to know both Dirac the quantum genius and Dirac the social misfit. Featuring cameo appearances by some of the greatest scientists of the 20th century and highlighting the dramatic changes that occurred in the field of physics during Dirac’s lifetime, this fascinating biography is an invaluable introduction to a truly singular man.

Quantum Theory, together with the principles of special and general relativity, constitute a scientific revolution that has profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is a definitive historical study of that scientific work and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning. Drawing upon such materials as the resources of the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics, the Niels Bohr Archives, and the archives and scientific correspondence of the principal quantum physicists, as well as Jagdish Mehra's personal discussions over many years with most of the architects of quantum theory, the authors have written a rigorous scientific history of quantum theory in a deeply human context. This multivolume work presents a rich account of an intellectual triumph: a unique analysis of the creative scientific process. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is science, history, and biography, all wrapped in the story of a great human enterprise. Its lessons will be an aid to those working in the sciences and humanities alike.

Not only was E.P. Wigner one of the most active creators of 20th century physics, he was also always interested in expressing his opinion in philosophical, political or sociological matters. This volume of his collected works covers a wide selection of his essays.

Cambridge University's Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics is one of the world's most celebrated academic positions. Since its foundation in 1663, the chair has been held by seventeen men who represent some of the most influential minds in science and technology. Principally a social history of mathematics and physics, the story of these great natural philosophers and mathematical physicists is told here by some of the finest historians of science. This informative work offers new perspectives on world famous scientists including Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage, Paul Dirac, and Stephen Hawking.

Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac (1902-84) is one of the icons of modern physics. His work provided the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. He also made key contributions to quantum field theory and quantum statistical mechanics. He is perhaps best known for formulating the Dirac equation, a relativistic wave equation which described the properties of the electron, and also predicted the existence of anti-matter. The Dirac Centennial Symposium commemorated the contributions of Dirac to all areas of physics, and assessed their impact on frontier research. This book constitutes the proceedings of the symposium, containing articles by Leopold Halpern, Pierre Ramond, Frank Wilczek, Maurice Goldhaber, Jonathan Bagger, Joe Lykken, Roman Jackiw, Stanley Deser, Joe Polchinski, Andre Linde and others. A special contribution from Dirac's daughter Monica Dirac presents a portrait of Paul Dirac as father and family man.

Since the 'scientific revolution' of the seventeenth century, a great number of distinguished scientists and mathematicians have been associated with the University of Cambridge. Cambridge Scientific Minds provides a portrait of some of the most eminent scientists associated with the University over the past 400 years, including accounts of the work of three of the greatest figures in the entire history of science, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and James Clerk Maxwell. The chronological balance reflects the increasing importance of science in the recent history of the University. The book comprises personal memoirs and historical essays, including contributions by leading Cambridge scientists. Cambridge Scientific Minds will be of interest not only to graduates of the University, science students and historians of science, but to anyone wishing to gain an insight into some of the greatest scientific minds in history.

Here is a lively history of modern physics, as seen through the lives of thirty men and women from the pantheon of physics. William H. Cropper vividly portrays the life and accomplishments of such giants as Galileo and Isaac Newton, Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, right up to contemporary figures such as Richard Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, and Stephen Hawking. We meet scientists--all geniuses--who could be gregarious, aloof, unpretentious, friendly, dogged, imperious, generous to colleagues or contentious rivals. As Cropper captures their personalities, he also offers vivid portraits of their great moments of discovery, their bitter feuds, their relations with family and friends, their religious beliefs and education. In addition, Cropper has grouped these biographies by discipline--mechanics, thermodynamics, particle physics, and others--each section beginning with a historical overview. Thus in the section on quantum mechanics, readers can see how the work of Max Planck influenced Niels Bohr, and how Bohr in turn influenced Werner Heisenberg. Our understanding of the physical world has increased dramatically in the last four centuries. With Great Physicists, readers can retrace the footsteps of the men and women who led the way.