The Last Man Who Knew Everything

Posted on 25 October 2017 by David N. Schwartz

In 1942, a team at the University of Chicago achieved what no one had before a nuclear chain reaction At the forefront of this breakthrough stood Enrico Fermi Straddling the ages of classical physics and quantum mechanics, equally at ease with theory and experiment, Fermi truly was the last man who knew everything at least about physics But he was also a complex figure who was a part of both the Italian Fascist Party and the Manhattan Project, and a less than ideal father and husband who nevertheless remained one of history s greatest mentors Based on new archival material and exclusive interviews, The Last Man Who Knew Everything lays bare the enigmatic life of a colossus of twentieth century physics. Best Download The Last Man Who Knew Everything author David N. Schwartz For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr Here are my thoughts, from the Literary Review In spite of its title, this is not another book about Thomas Young, the subject of Andrew Robinson s The Last Man Who Knew Everything 2006 If anyone deserves that description, it is indeed Young, a linguist, classical scholar, translator of the Rosetta Stone, medical doctor and pioneering scientist at a time when scientists were very much generalists The subject of David Schwartz s book, Enrico Fermi 1901 54 , mightaccurately be described Here are my thoughts, from the Literary Review In spite of its title, this is not another book about Thomas Young, the subject of Andrew Robinson s The Last Man Who Knew Everything 2006 If anyone deserves that description, it is indeed Young, a linguist, classical scholar, translator of the Rosetta Stone, medical doctor and pioneering scientist at a time when scientists were very much generalists The subject of David Schwartz s book, Enrico Fermi 1901 54 , mightaccurately be described as the last man who knew nearly everything about physics, but that wouldn t make such a catchy title.Fermi s name tends to crop up these days in connecti...THE LAST MAN WHO KNEW EVERYTHING The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age 2017 David N Schwartz 1 2.This was one of the best biographies I ve read in years The author skillfully traces his subject s life and work in an extremely capable way, and presents an overview of his subject s career in language readily understandable by the average reader You cannot help but be impressed at both the quality and quantity of Fermi s work He truly did know everything at l THE LAST MAN WHO KNEW EVERYTHING The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age 2017 David N Schwartz 1 2.This was one of the best biographies I ve read in years The author skillfully traces his subject s life and work in an extremely capable way, and presents an overview of his subject s career in language readily understandable by the average reader You cannot help but be impressed at both the quality and quantity of Fermi s work He truly did know everything at least about physics Aside from his work that led to further elucidation of the atom s structure, he managed to fit in the time to enjoy life s physical delights also He was a well known outdoorsman, and proud of that sid...I learned a lot I didnt know about this amazing scientist, who died in his early 50s but influenced so mn any, including my other physics hero Dick FeynmanOne of Enrico Fermi s colleagues once referred to the eminent nuclear physicist and Nobel Prize winner by using the words of the book s title Fermi grew up in Rome in the early 1900s and showed brilliance as a child prodigy Just prior to the start of WWII, he escaped Italy s Mussolini with his family for America and soon found himself working on the Manhattan Project He played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb which hastened the end of the war in 1945 He was also a brilliant t One of Enrico Fermi s colleagues once referred to the eminent nuclear physicist and Nobel Prize winner by using the words of the book s title Fermi grew up in Rome in the early 1900s and showed brilliance as a child prodigy Just prior to the start of WWII, he escaped Italy s Mussolini with his family for America and soon found himself working on the Manhattan Project He played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb which hastened the end of the war in 1945 He was also a brilliant teacher and nurtured the scientific education of his younger associates, many of whom would go on to win Nobel Prizes themselves Author David Schwartz s father was also a Nobel Prize winner, a coincidence which surely helped him write this book There are many references to scientific subjects including atomic fission, Schrodinger Waves, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and Fermi Dirac statistics Don t let all these items deter you from reading this book you don t have t...Enrico Fermi was an amazing man, not only in the depth and breadth of his knowledge of physics and his accomplishments, but also in his ability to convey that information as a teacher Schwartz does an excellent job of giving us not only the details of Fermi s life, but of his science as w...Two fellow physicists described Fermi as the last man who knew everything because from the 1920s until his death in 1954, he was the master genius of nuclear physics and understood all of that field as it was then known, found solutions to problems, could suggest solutions to other problems, even quickly calculate equations rather that look them up in a reference He was a theorist and a practical experimenter, one such experiment possibly contributing to his cancer death at a relatively young Two fellow physicists described Fermi as the last man who knew everything because from the 1920s until his death in 1954, he was the master genius of nuclear physics and understood all of that field as it was then known, found solutions to problems, could suggest solutions to other problems, even quickly calculate equations rather that look them up in a reference He was a theorist and a practical experiment...Schwartz read a lot about Fermi before he realized that there was no definitive biography on the man After reading countless books and papers written about Fermi by his friends, loved ones, and acquaintances, he decided to write one himself The ...A very readable biography of a physicist something that is hard to produce A lot of the book is spent on the history of the production of the atomic bomb, but there is muchto Enrico Fermi s life and contribution to physics than that This biography gives a picture of a real person He is interesting even without the physics He lived in interesting times He enjoyed life, loved solving problems, and struggled with obstacles and decisions The story is told well with some detail about the A very readable biography of a physicist something that is hard to produce A lot of the book is spent on the history of the production of the atomic bomb, but there is muchto Enrico Fermi s life and contribution to physics than that...This was a good read At times a bit slow when discussing theory, but it was an interesting read about a man I knew little of A few places I thought were a little scary as when it talked about what would happen if they ever used a hydrogen bomb.I finished 50 percent of this book in 2 days, which is nothing compared to Fermi s work ethic in establishing the first chain reaction Schwartz details his life story as a prodigal student, a ground breaking scientist, top secret researcher, an opportunist trying to capitalist on his work, a workaholic father, a passionate teacher Fermi probably did not put a lot of stock in human nature, if we did not use the weapons someone else would However Fermi comes across a genuine scientist and probl I finished 50 percent of this book in 2 days, which is nothing compared to Fermi s work ethic in establishing...

English
25 October 2017

David N. Schwartz