Enrico Fermi: And the Revolutions of Modern Physics

A biography of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose work led to the discovery of nuclear fission, the basis of nuclear power and the atom bomb. The book begins describing the evolution of physics, with a straightforward language, starting with Newton, Maxwell, Planck and Rutherford among others. The narrative continues with Fermi's early life and the work of atomic scientists, including Fermi's work on the neutron and artificially induced radioactivity. The book also describes Fermi's work on chain reactions at the University of Chicago and his instrumental work building the atomic bomb, all written with many details. After the war, Fermi works on pion experiments and published numerous papers on a variety of interests. The final chapter briefly discusses his illness and death.