Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
BUILDING THE H BOMB : A PERSONAL HISTORY - FORD KENNETH W

BUILDING THE H BOMB

A PERSONAL HISTORY

By: FORD KENNETH W

Paperback | 25 March 2015

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $43.99

$39.75

10%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $9.94 with

 or 
In Stock and Ships in 1-2 business days

In this engaging scientific memoir, Kenneth Ford recounts the time when, in his mid-twenties, he was a member of the team that designed and built the first hydrogen bomb. He worked with - and relaxed with - scientific giants of that time such as Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, Stan Ulam, John von Neumann, and John Wheeler, and here offers illuminating insights into the personalities, the strengths, and the quirks of these men. Well known for his ability to explain physics to nonspecialists, Ford also brings to life the physics of fission and fusion and provides a brief history of nuclear science from the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 to the ten-megaton explosion of "Mike" that obliterated a Pacific Island in 1952.Ford worked at both Los Alamos and Princeton's Project Matterhorn, and brings out Matterhorn's major, but previously unheralded contribution to the development of the H bomb. Outside the lab, he drove a battered Chevrolet around New Mexico, a bantam motorcycle across the country, and a British roadster around New Jersey. Part of the charm of Ford's book is the way in which he leavens his well-researched descriptions of the scientific work with brief tales of his life away from weapons.

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 25th March 2015

More in Science in General

Liars, cheats and copycats : Trickery and deception in nature - James O'Hanlon
The Shortest History of Innovation - Andrew Leigh
How Emotions Are Made : The Secret Life of the Brain - Lisa Feldman Barrett
The First Astronomers : How Indigenous Elders read the stars - Duane Hamacher
Ferment : The Life-Changing Power of Microbes - Tim Spector

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 - Bill Bryson

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF
Invisible Women : Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - Caroline Criado Perez
Behave : The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst - Robert M Sapolsky
Stolen Focus : Why You Can't Pay Attention - Johann Hari

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 2 : The Pillars of Civilization - Yuval Noah Harari
Dopamine Nation : Why our Addiction to Pleasure is Causing us Pain - Anna Lembke
Royal Observatory Greenwich : A History in Objects - Louise Devoy
Swainston's Fishes of Australia : The complete illustrated guide - Roger Swainston