This Source Book explores a millennium of European scientific thought accompanied by critical commentary and annotation; nearly half the selections appear for the first time in the vernacular. Representing "science" in the medieval sense, selections include alchemy, astrology, logic, and theology as well as mathematics, physics, and biology.

The development of physical theory is one of our greatest intellectual achievements. Its products--the currently prevailing theories of physics, astronomy, and cosmology--have proved themselves to possess intrinsic beauty and to have enormous explanatory and predictive power. This anthology of primary readings chronicles the birth and maturation of five such theories (the heliocentric theory, the electromagnetic field theory, special and general relativity, quantum theory, and the big bang theory) in the words of the scientists who brought them to life. It is the first historical account that captures the rich substance of these theories, each of which represents a fascinating story of the interplay of evidence and insight--and of dialogue among great minds. Readers sit in with Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo as they overturn the geocentric universe; observe the genius of Faraday and Maxwell as they "discover" the electromagnetic field; look over Einstein's shoulder as he works out the details of relativity; listen in as Einstein and Bohr argue for the soul of quantum mechanics in the Completeness Debate; and watch as Hubble and others reveal the history of the universe. The editors' approach highlights the moments of discovery that rise from scientific creativity, and the presentation humanizes the scientific process, revealing the extent to which great scientists were the first to consider the philosophical implications of their work. But, most significantly, the editors offer this as their central thesis: although each was ushered in by a revolution, and each contains counterintuitive elements that delayed its acceptance, these five theories exhibit a continuous rational development that has led them to a permanent place in the worldview of science. Accessible to the general reader yet sufficiently substantive that working scientists will find value in it, The Tests of Time offers an intimate look into how physical theory has been developed, by the brilliant people who have developed it.

Here, find source literature for the most important contributions to the remarkable recent expansion of geological knowledge. Excerpted are 65 articles on topics including the constitution of Earth's interior, earthquakes, radioactive timekeepers, submarine features and deep-sea cores, entrapment of petroleum, and crystal structure.

Kinetic Theory, Volume I: The Nature of Gases and of Heat deals with kinetic theory and the nature of gases and heat. A comprehensive account of the life, works, and historical environment of a number of scientists such as Robert Boyle and Hermann von Helmholtz is presented. This volume is comprised of 11 chapters and begins with an overview of the caloric theory, the principle of conservation of energy, the ""virial theorem,"" and atomic magnitudes. The discussion then turns to the qualitative atomic theory of the ""spring"" of the air, proposed by Robert Boyle; Isaac Newton's repulsion theory; Daniel Bernoulli's thery on the properties and motions of elastic fluids, especially air; and George Gregory's theory on the existence of fire. Subsequent chapters focus on Robert Mayer's theory on the forces of inorganic nature; James Joule's theory on matter, living force, and heat; Hermann von Helmholtz's theory on the conservation of force; and Rudolf Clausius's theory on the nature of heat. James Clerk Maxwell's dynamical theory of gases is also examined. This book is written primarily for students and research workers in physics, as well as for historians of science.