On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy

About this book

Stephen Hawking brings together the greatest works by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Einstein, showing how their pioneering discoveries changed the way we see the world. From Copernicus' revolutionary claim that the Earth orbits the sun and Kepler's development of the laws of planetary motion, Einstein's interweaving of time and space, each scientist built on the theories of his predecessors to answer the questions that had long mystified humanity. Hawking also provides glimpses into their lives and times - Galileo's trial in the Papal inquisition, Newton's bitter feuds with rivals and Einstein absent-mindedly jotting notes that would lead to his Theory of Relativity while pushing his baby son's pram. Depicting the great challenges these men faced and the lasting contributions they made, Hawking explains how their works transformed the course of science - and gave us a better understanding of the universe and our place in it.

Contents

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543): his life and work; "On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) - his life and work; "Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences". Johannes Kepler (1571-1630): his life and work; "Harmony of the World" book five. Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727): his life and work; "Principia". Albert Einstein (1879-1955): his life and work; selections from "The Principle of Relativity".

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Biography

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (Newton's old position). He is the author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME, which remained on the New York Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Curiously, Hawking was born 300 years to the day after Galileo died.