Overview

""A thought-provoking critique of Einstein's tantalizing combination of brilliance and blunder."" -- Andrew Robinson, New Scientist. Although Einstein was the greatest genius of the twentieth century, many of his groundbreaking discoveries were blighted by mistakes, ranging from serious errors in mathematics to bad misconceptions in physics and failures to grasp the subtleties of his own creations. This forensic biography dissects Einstein's scientific mistakes and places them in the context of his turbulent life and times. In lively, accessible prose, Hans C. Ohanian paints a fresh, insightful portrait of the real Einstein at work, in contrast to the uncritical celebrity worship found in many biographies. As this book persuasively argues, the defining hallmark of Einstein's genius was not any special mathematical ability but an uncanny talent to use his mistakes as stepping stones to formulate his revolutionary theories.

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9780393337686

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Reviews

...Einstein's Mistakes is a superlative intellectual biography of Einstein and an excellent introduction to the complex, complicated and often counterintuitive discipline of modern physics...Anyone interested in the history of science should read this fascinating and rewarding book. Fortean Times ...a well-informed and thought-provoking critique of Einstein's tantalizing combination of brilliance and blunder. New Scientist

Recounts [Einstein's] chronicle of errors in clear and engaging prose, giving us in the process a short course in the history of modern physics and a witty and provocative account of the subject's life. -- Darrin M. McMahon - Wall Street Journal The book's quixotic approach-retelling Einstein's story by homing in on his blunders-makes for good intellectual entertainment... [It] kept me eagerly turning the pages. -- George Johnson - Los Angeles Times A wonderful story that is well worth taking the time to read...We get a short course in this history of modern physics, one that is well-written and entertaining as well. -- Alan S. McRae - Mathematical Reviews

The book's quixotic approach-retelling Einstein's story by homing in on his blunders-makes for good intellectual entertainment... [It] kept me eagerly turning the pages. -- George Johnson - Los Angeles Times A wonderful story that is well worth taking the time to read...We get a short course in this history of modern physics, one that is well-written and entertaining as well. -- Alan S. McRae - Mathematical Reviews Recounts [Einstein's] chronicle of errors in clear and engaging prose, giving us in the process a short course in the history of modern physics and a witty and provocative account of the subject's life. -- Darrin M. McMahon - Wall Street Journal

Author Information

Hans C. Ohanian received his B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University, where he worked with John A. Wheeler. He has taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College, and the University of Vermont. He is the author of several textbooks spanning all undergraduate levels: Physics, Principles of Physics, Relativity: A Modern Introduction, Modern Physics, Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Classical Electrodynamics, and, with Remo Ruffini, Gravitation and Spacetime. He is also the author of dozens of articles dealing with gravitation, relativity, and quantum theory, including many articles on fundamental physics published in the American Journal of Physics, where he served as associate editor for some years. He lives in Vermont.

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