The Prism and the Pendulum: The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments in Science..

This pleasant and absorbing book was inspired by a poll conducted by historian and philosopher of science, Robert P. Crease, initially through Physics World magazine and subsequently through the Internet. He wanted to know which physics experiments his readers considered the “most beautiful”—and as the poll broadened the answers began to include experiments from sciences outside physics. Based on the results Professor Crease wrote this book, which describes each experiment and its context in ten to twenty pages at a level suitable for the general reader. The book also contains an introduction, ten short interludes that to a large extent are there to elaborate on the relation between physics experiments and beauty, and a conclusion. The result is quite successful. I have started to recommend this book to the students in our algebra-based introductory course and in the physics for the liberal arts class that I occasionally teach. However, I...