The Fermi solution

From acclaimed science writer Hans Christian von Baeyer, the National Magazine Award - winning author of Taming the Atom, comes a magnificently written book that is a spectacular journey through the workings of the universe and into the minds of the creators of the twentieth-century-world picture, from the legendary geniuses, such as Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg, and Richard Feynman, to the current generation of scientists who follow in their footsteps. The Fermi Solution is a collection of dramatic tales bristling with subplots, vivid characters, and suspenseful twists and turns. Its subjects range across the spectrum of physical science, from the monumental - the Superconducting Super Collider and the Big Bang - to the enigmatic, such as crystals with impossible structures and the quest for the absolute zero of temperature. The drama of scientific research, the thoughts and feelings of its practitioners, the thrill of discovery, and the indomitable human urge to conquer the unknown form the rich background for the search for meaning that unites scientists and nonscientists alike. With wit and incisive intelligence the author pursues his central question: what do the breakthroughs and revolutionary insights at the cutting edge of science mean for ordinary people? In the course of this pursuit he explores the lessons that Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi's style of research teach us about the art of living, shows how CAT scans illustrate Richard Feynman's definition of the scientific method, and points out the visible clues for Einstein's theory of relativity that can be found in amusement parks. His fresh and illuminating images are drawn from the world of literature as often as from children's playgrounds and from daily life.