He studied with Niels Bohr, taught Richard Feynman, and boned up on relativity with his friend and colleague Albert Einstein. John Archibald Wheeler's fascinating life brings us face to face with the central characters and discoveries of modern physics. He was the first American to learn of the discovery of nuclear fission, later coined the term "black hole," led a renaissance in gravitation physics, and helped to build Princeton University into a mecca for physicists. From nuclear physics, to quantum theory, to relativity and gravitation, Wheeler's work has set the trajectory of research for half a century. His career has brought him into contact with the most brilliant minds of his field; Fermi, Bethe, Rabi, Teller, Oppenheimer, and Wigner are among those he called colleagues and friends. In this rich autobiography, Wheeler reveals in fascinating detail the excitement of each discovery, the character of each colleague, and the underlying passion for knowledge that drives him still.

Author: John Archibald Wheeler
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 02/01/2000
Pages: 390
Weight: 0.7lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780393319910
Revised Edition


Review Citation(s):
New York Times 02/27/2000 pg. 36

About the Author
Ford, Kenneth: - Kenneth Ford is the retired director of the American Institute of Physics. He recently taught high-school physics and served as science director of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.Wheeler, John Archibald: - John Archibald Wheeler currently holds an emeritus professorship at Princeton University, where he spent most of his career.