The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
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Patterns, 174–175, 220–221, 226
pattern recognition, 48, 127
Pauli, Wolfgang, 201, 201(n), 229, 230
Peace, 147
Penology, 243
Philosophy, 23, 115, 173, 195–196
Photons, 8, 234, 236
Physical Review, xii, 59, 198
Physics, xi, 99
and chemical processes, 125
doing physics, xviii, 11, 14, 19, 20, 60, 87
high energy, 238
high pressure, 118(n)
loose threads in, 199
and mathematics, 15, 105, 192–193, 194, 201, 228. See also Quantum electrodynamics, and mathematics
and small-scale manipulation and control, 118, 137
time needed for, 19–20 See also Quantum electrodynamics; Quantum mechanics; Science
Physiology, 203–204
Pi, 95–96, 176–177
Pions, 16
Plastics, 130
Platinum, 90
Plutonium, 89–90, 153
Pope, 7
Prayer, 251. See also Religion
Princeton University, 9, 11, 54, 55, 58, 190, 228
Problems, 71, 82, 83–85, 144, 182, 201, 202, 203, 246
in biology/chemistry, 124–125, 138
and bottom-up/top-down design, 158, 160–161
choice of to attack, 196
of infinities, 12, 190, 191, 196, 197
of resistance in small circuits, 136
in small machines, 130, 134–135
social, 98, 100, 141–142
solving, 113, 114, 227, 228
Propaganda, 108
Protons, 16, 238, 239
Psychology, 213–214, 214–215, 218
Publishing, 212–213
Quantification, 105
qualitative vs. quantitative understanding, 18–19
Quantum electrodynamics, 11(n), 16, 189, 192, 196, 227, 234–236
interpreting, 12
mathematics of, 17, 18, 19
and quarks, 17. See also Quarks
Quantum mechanics, 43, 50, 136, 172, 201
Quarks, 16–17, 192, 192(n), 199, 201, 202, 238–240
electrical charges of, 239
information stored in, 44, 45
Quaternions, 200–201, 200(n)
Rabi, I. I., 55
“Radiation Theories of Tomonaga, Schwinger and Feynman, The” (Dyson), xii
Radioactivity, 45, 73, 89–90, 132, 145, 190(n)
Redundant systems, 166, 168
Relativity, 190, 197
Religion, 24, 107, 142, 144, 185
belief in God, 246–247, 249, 250, 256
moral, metaphysical, inspirational aspects of, 252–254, 255–256 See also Catholic Church; under Science
Responsibility. See under Science
Retherford, Robert C, 196, 203
“Review of Certification Practices Potentially Applicable to Man-rated Reusable Rocket Engines” (Moore et al.), 153
Rhine, 216
Rogers, William P., 151
Russell, Henry Norris, 229
Safes, stories about, 91–96, 190
Safety issues, 71–73, 74–75
Saints, 107
Schrödinger, Erwin, 202, 202(n)
Schwinger, Julian, xi, 11(n), 12, 189–190, 191, 196, 197
Science, xviii–xix, 23, 171–188, 240–241
applications of, 98–99, 212, 240
and beauty, 2
Cargo Cult Science, 208–209, 210, 216, 243. See also Cargo cults
and Communism, 251–252
definitions of, 185, 187, 241, 255
and doubt, 146, 200, 209, 246, 247–248, 249, 251. See also Doubt
of education, 243
enjoyment of, 143
first grade science book criticized, 178–179
and governments, 115, 213
ignorance of, 102
integrity in, 209–216
as irrelevant, 103, 108, 109–110
and moral questions, 254–255
and philosophy, 195–196
and prejudices, 200
pseudo-science, 22, 186–187, 208, 242
and religion, 111, 245–254, 255
and responsibility, 108, 115, 141, 143, 146, 149, 212
scientific method, 104, 109, 243
scientists’ belief in God, 249. See also Religion, belief in God
and society, 97–115, 141–149
teaching, 20–21, 21–22, 102, 171–172, 178, 186, 203, 216
unification in, 15
unscientific environment, 106
world view produced by, 100–101, 143, 185
during World War II, 55 See also Physics
Scientific American, 39
Secrets, 70–71, 73, 84, 91, 92, 231
Segrè, Emilio, 72, 73, 74
Serber, Robert, 60
Servo motors, 132
Shakespeare, William, ix-x, xii, xiii
Sigmas, 16, 238
Silica, 119
Simulations, 46
Smyth, 55, 89
Social sciences, 22, 105–106
Solomon Islands, 242–243. See also Cargo cults
Sound barrier, 37
Soviet Union, 112
Space programs, manned vs. unmanned, 154
Space Shuttle Challenger, 151–169
avionics, 158, 164–168
certification principles, 161–162, 164, 168
computer system on Orbiter, 164–168
failure probabilities, 152, 161, 168–169
Flight Readiness Reviews, 152, 153, 164
high-pressure oxygen and fuel turbopumps, 159, 160, 162–164
launch schedules, 168, 169
management, 152, 155, 161, 167, 168–169
O-ring seals, 152, 155–156
problems. See Problems, and bottom-up/top-down design
solid fuel rockets, reliability estimates of, 153–157
Space Shuttle main engines, 157–164
turbine blades, 158, 159, 160, 162–164
Space-time approach, xi
Specialization, 245, 246
Spinoza, Benedict, 195
Stone and Webster Company, 76
Supercomputers, 30. See also Computers
Superstition, 103
Teaching, 106, 113, 242
ideas vs. definitions, 179 See also Education; under Science
Teller, Edward, 60, 70–71
Thought control, 98
Thoughts as visual, 217
Time-binding, 185, 188
Time sense, 218, 219
Tolman, 55, 56
Tomonaga, Sin-Itiro, xi, 11(n), 12, 189–190, 191, 196, 197
Transistors, 33, 35, 47
and Brownian motion, 38–39
energy used in, 36–37
of three or four atoms, 42–44
Tricks, 71
Trinity Test. See Los Alamos, Alamogordo test
Tukey, John, 221–222
Turbulence, 202
UFO’s, 206
Ulam, Stanislaw, 191
Ullian, Louis J., 153
Ultimate particles, 192–193, 199, 238
Uncertainty, 24–25, 104, 111–112, 115, 146, 247–249, 250, 252, 254, 256
and O-rings on Challenger, 157 See also Doubt
Uncertainty principle, 50
Understanding nature, 13–14, 15, 23, 102, 108, 110, 148, 182, 198, 204, 240, 241
imitating nature, 47
Uniforms, 7–8, 13
Universality, 101
Universe without man, 250
Uranium, 70, 74, 94
separating isotopes of, 54, 55, 56, 71–72, 231
uranium nitrate, 72
uranium 235, 71–72, 231
Urey, Harold, 55
Vacuum, 118
Van der Waals forces, 134–135, 134(n)
Virtual particles, 191
Viruses, 227
Voltage, 228. See also Computers, voltage use in
Von Neumann, John, 29, 29
(n), 86, 229
Walker, Bernie, 217
Wave propagation, 31
Webb, Julian, 74
Weisskopf, Victor, 60
Western civilization, 256–257
Wheeler, John, xi, 190, 229–230
Wigner, Eugene P., 229, 229(n)
Williams, John, 59
Wilson, Bob, 54, 56, 57–58, 90, 231
Wilson, J. Dover, xii
Wisdom, 187, 188, 243
Witch doctors, 207
World view. See Science, world view produced by
Young (psychological experimenter), 214–216
Yukawa, Hideki, 16, 237, 237(n)
Zinc, 90
Zumwalt (Lieutenant), 76, 78
Zweig, G., 192(n)