The World treasury of physics, astronomy, and mathematics Book

World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics, Timothy Ferris, Ed., 1991, 859pp., ISBN 0316071366, Dewey 500.2, Library-of-Congress QC71.W67

Ninety-seven articles by the likes of Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988), Isaac Asimov, John Archibald Wheeler, many others.

Many of these articles recount the period when the scientists were still puzzling out a possible explanation of the thing they are observing.

So, such articles give a feel for what science actually is--trying to figure out how to explain something that doesn't fit the current idea of how the world is.

Some of the articles make clear that this window of questioning can be very small. From "well, how about this as a possible explanation," to, "could be . . . ," to "/I/ can't think of any other explanation either--you /must/ be right," and a new orthodox dogma is born. This process can be very quick.

Far the best writers in the set are Richard P. Feynman and Isaac Asimov. They are the ones who understand so thoroughly and communicate so clearly that they can tell you what's really going on without either glossing it over or burying it in incomprehensible jargon.

Niels Bohr's 1958 essay on Causality and Complementarity in quantum mechanics should've dispelled the confusion being spouted currently by people who should know better. "All information concerning atomic objects is derived from permanent marks--such as a spot on a photographic plate, caused by the impact of an electron. . . . The description of atomic phenomena has a perfectly objective character; no reference is made to any individual observer." (p. 803) "While, within the scope of classical physics, the interaction between object and apparatus can be neglected or, if necessary, compensated for, in quantum physics this interaction forms an inseparable part of the phenomenon. . . . The fact that repetition of the same experiment in general yields different recordings pertaining to the object, implies that an account of experience in this field must be expressed in statistical laws. (p. 804) "In the treatment of atomic problems, calculations are carried out with the help of the Schrödinger state function, from which the statistical laws governing observations obtainable under specified conditions can be deduced. It must be recognized, however, that we are here dealing with a purely symbolic procedure, the unambiguous physical interpretation of which requires a reference to a complete experimental arrangement. Disregard of this point has sometimes led to confusion, and in particular the use of phrases like 'disturbance of phenomena by observation' or 'creation of physical attributes of objects by measurements' is hardly compatible with common language and practical definition." (pp. 805-806)

Excerpts from
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
The Character of Physical Law, R. P. Feynman
Adding a Dimension, Isaac Asimov
Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge, Niels Bohr

The book answers questions such as