Curt Suplee, a science writer for The Washington Post, documents one of the most remarkable flowerings of knowledge in human history. In seven cogent chapters, he shows how brilliant theories about the properties of matter were gradually confirmed by equally ingenious experiments, which in turn spawned practical devices that entirely transformed technology. The achievements of many of the century's greatest thinkers - including Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, Hans Bethe, and Richard Feynman - are described.The extraordinary illustrative material focuses mainly on the remarkable images - from the atomic to the cosmic scale - that are made possible by the instruments of advanced physics. These pictures offer a new vision of the physical world, in dynamic shapes, patterns, and colors never before seen. Also included are photographs of experimental equipment - including massive particle colliders beautiful in their own right - and pioneering inventions. Read Less