Unearthing Fermi's Geophysics

Unearthing Fermi's Geophysics is a rather unusual book. It is a text on geophysics that Enrico Fermi might have written, based on notes from a course he did give at Columbia University in the late 1930s. It is idiosyncratic in its coverage of topics, but does an excellent job of illustrating how Fermi went about exploring a field for which he had no background other than being a (remarkably able) physicist. Segre and Stack have done a fine job of filling in the details needed to make sense of Fermi's lecture notes. This invaluable book is not only clearly a labor of love, but also a boon to students of the history of science and of Fermi. -- Robert Rosner, Departments of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics, Enrico Fermi Institute, and Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago An assured and informative biography of the pioneering nuclear scientist. * New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice, on The Pope of Physics * Superb. . . . A definitive study of Fermi's life and work. * Wall Street Journal, on The Pope of Physics * Impressive. . . . Both intelligent and extremely engaging. * Washington Post, on The Pope of Physics * Humane, scientifically astute, and beautifully written. * Physics Today, on The Pope of Physics * Nobel Prize laureate Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was famous among physicists for the simplicity with which he explained complex questions and made valid numerical estimates about many phenomena. Fermi worked primarily in nuclear and particle physics and built the world's first nuclear reactor. This book is based on notes he made for a course in geophysics that he taught to senior-level physics students between 1939 and 1941 at Columbia University, soon after he arrived in the US from Italy... The text expands on and explains Fermi's notes with annotations by Segre and Stack, providing supplementary equations and numerical calculations... Highly recommended. * Choice *