The Best of Indian Physics

The Best of Indian Physics PDF

Author: Burra Gautam Sidharth

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 110

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

India has had a very long tradition of path-breaking excellence in science and technology including mathematics, physics and astronomy. Even though the British rulers of India had no enthusiasm for Indians learning and doing science, the rising tide of nationalistic fervour in the first half of the twentieth century gave rise to, what has been called the golden age of Indian physics. There were some physicists, amongst others, who could be ranked with the best in the world. If we are to speak of the Indian Physics, then four names from that period immediately come up: Jadadeesh Chandra Bose who, before Marconi, actually demonstrated the propagation of radio waves. Some years later Sir CV Raman received the Nobel Prize for his celebrated Raman Effect. Then there were Meghnad Saha and Satyen Bose who made seminal contributions to physics. This new and important book offers a window into the backgrounds and achievements of these remarkable scientists.

The Making of Modern Physics in Colonial India

The Making of Modern Physics in Colonial India PDF

Author: Somaditya Banerjee

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-05-14

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1317024702

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This monograph offers a cultural history of the development of physics in India during the first half of the twentieth century, focusing on Indian physicists Satyendranath Bose (1894-1974), Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1888-1970) and Meghnad Saha (1893-1956). The analytical category "bhadralok physics" is introduced to explore how it became possible for a highly successful brand of modern science to develop in a country that was still under colonial domination. The term Bhadralok refers to the then emerging group of native intelligentsia, who were identified by academic pursuits and manners. Exploring the forms of life of this social group allows a better understanding of the specific character of Indian modernity that, as exemplified by the work of bhadralok physicists, combined modern science with indigenous knowledge in an original program of scientific research. The three scientists achieved the most significant scientific successes in the new revolutionary field of quantum physics, with such internationally recognized accomplishments as the Saha ionization equation (1921), the famous Bose-Einstein statistics (1924), and the Raman Effect (1928), the latter discovery having led to the first ever Nobel Prize awarded to a scientist from Asia. This book analyzes the responses by Indian scientists to the radical concept of the light quantum, and their further development of this approach outside the purview of European authorities. The outlook of bhadralok physicists is characterized here as "cosmopolitan nationalism," which allows us to analyze how the group pursued modern science in conjunction with, and as an instrument of Indian national liberation.

Astronomy in India: A Historical Perspective

Astronomy in India: A Historical Perspective PDF

Author: Thanu Padmanabhan

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2014-08-20

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 818489998X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

India has a strong and ancient tradition of astronomy, which seamlessly merges with the current activities in Astronomy and Astrophysics in the country. While the younger generation of astronomers and students are reasonably familiar with the current facilities and the astronomical research, they might not have an equally good knowledge of the rich history of Indian astronomy. This particular volume, brought out as a part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Indian National Science Academy, concentrates on selected aspects of historical development of Indian astronomy in the form of six invited chapters. Two of the chapters – by Balachandra Rao and M.S. Sriram – cover ancient astronomy and the development of calculus in the ancient Kerela text Yuktibhasa. The other four chapters by B.V. Sreekantan, Siraj Hasan, Govind Swarup and Jayant Narlikar deal with the contemporary history of Indian astronomy covering space astronomy, optical astronomy, radio astronomy and developments in relativistic astrophysics. These chapters, written by experts in the field, provide an in-depth study of the subject and make this volume quite unique.

The World According to Physics

The World According to Physics PDF

Author: Jim Al-Khalili

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0691182302

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Scale -- Space and time -- Energy and matter -- The quantum world -- Thermodynamics and the arrow of time -- Unification -- The future of physics -- The usefulness of physics -- Thinking like a physicist.

The Roots and Development of Particle Physics in India

The Roots and Development of Particle Physics in India PDF

Author: Sreerup Raychaudhuri

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-08-16

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 3030803066

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book narrates the history of the initiation and development of elementary particle physics in India and by Indians, focusing on the first half of the twentieth century. The thread is taken up with the introduction of Western science into India in the previous century. The contents are a mixture of science and biographies, interspersed with anecdotes and reflections on the historical and societal connections. The style is generally non-technical, with any technical issues explained and interwoven into the narrative. This book is of interest to scientists, to people with interest in science and the history of science, students curious about the initiation of science in the Indian context and about the famous Indian scientists, as well as administrators who wish to understand the roots of current Indian science, especially in the context of particle physics.

Physics of the Future

Physics of the Future PDF

Author: Michio Kaku

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2011-03-15

Total Pages: 456

ISBN-13: 0385530811

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The renowned theoretical physicist and national bestselling author of The God Equation details the developments in computer technology, artificial intelligence, medicine, space travel, and more, that are poised to happen over the next century. “Mind-bending…. [An] alternately fascinating and frightening book.” —San Francisco Chronicle Space elevators. Internet-enabled contact lenses. Cars that fly by floating on magnetic fields. This is the stuff of science fiction—it’s also daily life in the year 2100. Renowned theoretical physicist Michio Kaku considers how these inventions will affect the world economy, addressing the key questions: Who will have jobs? Which nations will prosper? Kaku interviews three hundred of the world’s top scientists—working in their labs on astonishing prototypes. He also takes into account the rigorous scientific principles that regulate how quickly, how safely, and how far technologies can advance. In Physics of the Future, Kaku forecasts a century of earthshaking advances in technology that could make even the last centuries’ leaps and bounds seem insignificant.

Ancient Hindu Science

Ancient Hindu Science PDF

Author: Alok Kumar

Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers

Published: 2019-03-15

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1681735318

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

To understand modern science as a coherent story, we must recognize the achievements of the ancient Hindus and this book tells their stories through painstaking research of historical and scientific sources. The ancient Hindus invented our base-ten number system and zero that are now used globally, carefully mapped the sky and assigned motion to the Earth in their astronomy, developed a sophisticated system of medicine with its mind-body approach known as Ayurveda, mastered metallurgical methods of extraction and purification of metals, including the so-called Damascus blade and the Iron Pillar of New Delhi, and developed the science of self-improvement that is popularly known as yoga. Their scientific contributions impacted noted scholars globally: Aristotle, Megasthenes, and Apollonius of Tyana among the Greeks; Al-Biruni, Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Labban, and Al-Uqlidisi, Al-Jahiz among the Islamic scholars; Fa-Hien, Hiuen Tsang, and I-tsing among the Chinese; and Leonardo Fibbonacci, Pope Sylvester II, Roger Bacon, Voltaire and Copernicus from Europe. In the modern era, thinkers and scientists as diverse as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, Carl Jung, Max Mueller, Robert Oppenheimer, Erwin Schroedinger, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Henry David Thoreau have acknowledged their debt to ancient Hindu achievements in science, technology, and philosophy. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, in 2000, published a timeline of 100 most important scientific findings in history to celebrate the new millennium. There were only two mentions from the non-Western world: (1) invention of zero and (2) the Hindu and Mayan skywatchers astronomical observations for agricultural and religious purposes. Both findings involved the works of the ancient Hindus. Ancient Hindu Science is well documented with remarkable objectivity, proper citations, and a substantial bibliography. The style of writing is lucid and elegant, making the book easy to read. This book is the perfect text for all students and others interested in the developments of science throughout history and among the ancient Hindus, in particular.