Overview
Simply Dirac looks at the life and work of one of the world’s most accomplished—and strangest—theoretical physicists, Paul Dirac, who was among the founders of quantum mechanics. Written by physics scholar Helge Kragh for a non-academic audience, Simply Dirac is an engaging, accessible, and highly entertaining biography that requires no previous knowledge of physics to fully appreciate the odd life and lasting legacy of a man who revolutionized his field and changed the way we see the world.
Description
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.
About the author
Emeritus Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Helge Kragh is the author of numerous books on physics and cosmology, including the first full-length biography of Paul Dirac, Dirac: A Scientific Biography. Among his other books are Cosmology and Controversy (1999), Quantum Generations: A History of Physics in the Twentieth Century (2002), and Conceptions of Cosmos (2013).
About the series
Simply Charly's Great Lives Series offers brief, but authoritative introductions to the world's most influential people—scientists, artists, writers, economists, and other historical figures whose contributions have had a meaningful and enduring impact on our society. Each book, presented in an engaging, accessible and entertaining fashion, offers an illuminating look at their works, ideas and personal lives, and the legacies they left behind.
Series trailer
Reviews
"Kragh strikes the right balance with the material, situating Dirac in relation to his intellectual environment while speaking to his achievements…giving Dirac and his legacy the attention they deserve."
—Publishers Weekly
“Paul Dirac is one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century, often called ‘the theorist’s theorist.’ Yet he is much less well known than many lesser physicists. In Simply Dirac, the distinguished historian Helge Kragh gives an accessible introduction to Dirac’s most famous contributions to our understanding of the workings of nature, and gives us a good sense of the theoretician’s singular personality. A most enjoyable read.”
—Graham Farmelo, Author of The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom
"Kragh, who is a respected colleague and authoritative historian, has taken up an imposing challenge. Dirac's work is obscured by three barriers to understanding: The complexity of quantum mechanics, the novelty of Dirac's take on this field, and the strangeness of the man. To reveal Dirac's genius through this triple veil in such a clear way was no easy task, but one that Kragh has handled remarkably. He is a reliable guide through this difficult terrain and has contributed many valuable insights to this work."
—Hans Christian von Baeyer, Chancellor Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at the College of William and Mary
"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
"Helge Kragh has crafted an engaging and informative biography of a shy theorist who specialized in difficult physics—a beautiful life in science, in which Paul Dirac’s strengths and frailties are treated with a light touch."
—Simon Mitton, Author of Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science
“Written with depth and clarity, Helge Kragh's Simply Dirac is an informative and interesting description of Paul Dirac’s work and ideas and of his life and legacy. In particular, I found the author’s detailed discussions of methodology, something that is often neglected in a biography as well as his discussion of what little philosophy there was in Dirac’s thinking, illuminating.”
—Hans S. Plendl, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Florida State University
Genre:
NonfictionSubgenre:
Biography, ScienceLanguage:
EnglishISBN (eBook):
978-1-943657-00-1ISBN (Print):
978-1-943657-09-4Publisher:
Simply CharlyPublish-Date:
April 29, 2016Edition Number:
1Pages:
119Available for sale on
