I think this could be an inspirational t Crease seems to really think highly of scientists. I think this could be an inspirational text for people in college or high school. Crease takes a very standard view of what is real and venerates these scientists, although he seems to take art, truth and beauty in a very uncritical way, repeating these words over and over as though to impress upon us the depth of what these scientists did and the impact they had on our world view.
Essentially Crease is a reporter and historian of no great depth, although what he writes is interesting because it adds meaning for me -- although I am not sure that Creases readers will see what he means to impart automatically.
Crease assumes a context in his book that he doesn't fully explain -- and that I think is beyond his ability to explain. This is a basic history-science book, and that's okay. Oct 25, Booknerd Fraser rated it it was ok. The chief problem with this book is that it was written by a philosopher, not a scientist, and I'm not sure he understands the concept of "elegance" in science, viz.
Also, not being a native scientist, some of his explanations are strained. Furthermore, the book was conceived after a poll at a physics magazine the author writes for, so the entries are all physics experiments. Apr 19, Jaycob rated it really liked it.
I'm somewhat a fan of science and I don't really mind it. The book was great and it was interesting, why I chose to write about this book is because how fascinating it is to read it. The book shows you a wide range of experiments done back in the The book is also short but it's also not that simple, I was struggling to pronounce words and they were real difficult for me, I don't know if it's me but they were hard, anywho, I like this book very much and I also learned a lot from this a I'm somewhat a fan of science and I don't really mind it.
The book is also short but it's also not that simple, I was struggling to pronounce words and they were real difficult for me, I don't know if it's me but they were hard, anywho, I like this book very much and I also learned a lot from this and I want to read more from this author.
TLDR; good book, hard to pronounce words, and a fairly short read. Jan 11, Robert New England rated it it was amazing Shelves: science. We meet Galileo — the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten — brilliantly drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies.
Jan 13, Vijay Triplicane rated it it was amazing. Science in indeed beautiful :. Oct 25, Jim rated it really liked it Shelves: science. Highly readable profiles of 10 of history's most powerful, far-reaching and yes, "beautiful" scientific experiments - and the people who created them.
Mar 30, Daisy2 rated it really liked it Shelves: science. This is an excellent book. The science is explained very well. The people who made the discoveries were interesting characters. Note to myself to watch for more of this authors books. Straightforward but uncompelling treatment of major science experiments There are two aspects of the experiments that the author addresses here. First, is the strict treatment of the experiment itself: its importance, how it was carried out, and the significance of the results.
He does a good job here in most cases, though the doesn't always communicate some underlying complications understandably. The second aspect is, of course, the "beauty" of the experiments. Frankly, I'm not sure many expe Straightforward but uncompelling treatment of major science experiments There are two aspects of the experiments that the author addresses here. Frankly, I'm not sure many experimental physicists would characterize experiments of any kind as being beautiful.
Results, perhaps. The most beautiful experiments in science are all physics and astronomy experiments! I think not! This book would make a great basis for an undergraduate course for physics majors or for non-majors, as many of the experiments could be easily reproduced in the classroom, and they raise a lot of important issues about the nature of science, of experiment, and of reality. I was most fascinated by the chapter on Millikan's Oil Drop experiment. I performed this experiment as an undergraduate physics major, nearly going blind from squinting at dim little globules of light, throwing my back out of whack for a week because I had to hunch over to see through the awkwardly-positioned microscope, and getting lousy results—I think I found the mass of the electron to be 2.
More interesting than the description of the experiment itself is The Prism and the Pendulum's discussion of how Millikan selected and represented his data.
Is it ethical to discard data that you feel are clearly out of line due to faults in your instrument or your experimental setup? Is it okay to do so without making mention of it in your paper? I don't think so. Is it okay to discard data and then claim that you used all the data you collected in order to avoid criticism by rival camps?
Not by my standards, though Crease defends Millikan's choice to do just that. Definitely a good read for someone interested in physics or the process of science. An excellent book, it effectively uses the ten experiments to illustrate a set of broader ideas in the philosophy of science through a series of interludes. Maybe they both should have dropped the adjective "most," resting only on the u An excellent book, it effectively uses the ten experiments to illustrate a set of broader ideas in the philosophy of science through a series of interludes.
Maybe they both should have dropped the adjective "most," resting only on the unambiguously true claim that they're about beautiful experiments. Or maybe the Crease books should have added the qualifier "physics," the field that essentially all of his experiments are drawn from. I only stuck with The Prism and the Pendulum out of persistence, and not wanting to give up on a book before it was finished. I still question if that was a good idea. The author asks, "Can a science experiment be beautiful?
And if the answer is 'Yes', what does that say about science? What does that say about beauty? He was serious about attempting to answer these boring questions. So, between chapters describing the experiments, there were essays that further e I only stuck with The Prism and the Pendulum out of persistence, and not wanting to give up on a book before it was finished.
So, between chapters describing the experiments, there were essays that further explored the relationship between science and beauty. Jul 04, Elizabeth rated it liked it. I liked reading this book. It took me a long time to get through it, the science is understandable for a lay-person, but very dense.
I was a little disappointed that almost all the experiments were physics experiments. But they were all very important experiments about the world we live in, so I can live with it.
Overall, a very good book. Oct 06, Lucas Miller rated it it was amazing. Incredible writing and thinking by Mr. As I'm one that seldom gives 5 stars I will clarify that they mean "I love it" rather than "a classic.
Dec 02, Bill Yates rated it really liked it. The historical chapters were 5 star, but the interludes were dense and rather dull. It would have been better to add a couple more experiments, and delete the interludes. Descriptions of the experiments were fascinating; arguments about "beauty" were not. Sep 23, Tiffany rated it really liked it.
This book was spot-on for my Scientific Thinking class. Why do these "Beautiful Experiments" books George Johnson wrote another neglect Biology so shamefully? We deserve our own book! May 24, Vance J. Very nicely done book on how science is done, examined through the lens of 10 classic elegant and beautiful experiments. Would make a nice text for high school science students looking for inspiration and something more challenging. Aug 09, DC rated it liked it.
Mostly readable and a good piece of non-fiction. As the book progressed, I got a bit more mired in the tone, which felt a bit I liked the chornological organization of the book.
It should definitely be called "the most beautiful experiments in physics. Books Video icon An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs.
Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. The prism and the pendulum : the ten most beautiful experiments in science Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Yes, argues acclaimed philosopher and historian of science Robert P.
Crease in this engaging exploration of history's most beautiful experiments. The result is an engrossing journey through nearly 2, years of scientific innovation. Along the way, we encounter glimpses into the personalities and creative thinking of some of the field's most interesting figures. We see the first measurement of the earth's circumference, accomplished in the third century B. We meet Galileo--the only scientist with two experiments in the top ten--brilliantly drawing on his musical training to measure the speed of falling bodies.
And we travel to the quantum world, in the most beautiful experiment of all.
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