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Gravity
A distinguished physicist and teacher, George Gamow also possessed a special gift for making the intricacies of science accessible to a wide audience. In Gravity , he takes an enlightening look at three of the towering figures of science who unlocked many of the mysteries behind the laws of physics: Galileo, the first to take a close look at the process of free and restricted fall; Newton, originator of the concept of gravity as a universal force; and Einstein, who proposed that gravity is no more than the curvature of the four-dimensional space-time continuum.
Graced with the author's own drawings, both technical and fanciful, this remarkably reader-friendly book focuses particularly on Newton, who developed the mathematical system known today as the differential and integral calculus. Readers averse to equations can skip the discussion of the elementary principles of calculus and still achieve a highly satisfactory grasp of a fascinating subject.
Starting with a chapter on Galileo’s pioneering work, this volume devotes six chapters to Newton's ideas and other subsequent developments and one chapter to Einstein, with a concluding chapter on post-Einsteinian speculations concerning the relationship between gravity and other physical phenomena, such as electromagnetic fields.
Graced with the author's own drawings, both technical and fanciful, this remarkably reader-friendly book focuses particularly on Newton, who developed the mathematical system known today as the differential and integral calculus. Readers averse to equations can skip the discussion of the elementary principles of calculus and still achieve a highly satisfactory grasp of a fascinating subject.
Starting with a chapter on Galileo’s pioneering work, this volume devotes six chapters to Newton's ideas and other subsequent developments and one chapter to Einstein, with a concluding chapter on post-Einsteinian speculations concerning the relationship between gravity and other physical phenomena, such as electromagnetic fields.
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1962
About the author
George Gamow
114 books236 followersGeorge Gamow (Russian pronunciation: [ˈɡaməf:]; March 4 [O.S. February 20:] 1904 – August 19, 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov (Георгий Антонович Гамов), was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist born in the Russian Empire. He discovered alpha decay via quantum tunneling and worked on radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis, big bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave background, nucleocosmogenesis and genetics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 20, 2010
Pretty awesome. Who writes a popular text about gravity? The classical stuff is good, the introduction to relativity is great. It might not be as accessible as Gamow seems to think it is, though. It would be fun to teach a class along these lines to people with no real math. There's an error in the equation on page 88.
March 25, 2020
Георгиј Гамов, руски физичар који је постао америчка побјегуља и преименовао се у Џорџ ("мазићу га и пазити и зваћу га Џорџ..."), познат је сваком ко је прочитао макар једну научнопопуларну књигу. Он је открио некаква зрачења или неко слично чудо везано за Велики прасак, што се онда логично спомиње у свакој књизи која се бави популарном науком, макар онако узгред, ако јој већ тај Велики прасак није главна тема. Поред научног рада, Гамов је како кажу био и врло плодан и успјешан писац популарне науке, те сам одлучио да дохватим неко од његових таквих дјела да се увјерим како то изгледа (иако ме те побјегуље које се зову Георгиј и онда преименују у Џорџ, или Озимов у Асимов, изузетно нервирају).
Претходни пасус notwithstanding, ово НИЈЕ популарна наука, или барем није популарна наука у смислу у ком се данас тај појам користи (а при чему можемо да се позовемо на Стивена Хокинга, који је у својој Краткој повијести (да не кажем историји) времена шаљиво констатовао да свака додатна формула преполови продају књиге, па је зато у ту своју књигу уврстио само једну формулу, ону познату Е = мц^2). Гамов се уопште не суздржава од навођења разноразних формула, једну или двије је чак и извео, затим у трећем поглављу се бави неким основама диференцијалног и интегралног рачуна (са све симболима!) и иако то обрађује само за једноставне степене функције, ако вам није до математике и напрезања мозга, боље је да ову књигу прескочите. С друге стране, неки средњошколац или студент коме су ове ствари још свјеже у памети, могао би лијепо да профитира из овог додатног стручног погледа на тему.
Елем, гравитација је, као што знамо, сила која узрокује да се Земља окреће око Сунца или да камен који зафрљаците погоди неког у чело умјесто да одлети у небо и томе сличне ствари. Гамов у овој књизи прво обрађује Њутнову теорију гравитације и овај дио може да буде врло користан онима који су читали његове Математичке принципе природне филозофије и остали у потпуном мраку због компликованости (гледам у самог себе) да макар пружи да неке основне смјернице око тога шта је то тачно Њутн у свом магнум опусу покушавао (и успио) да уради. Суштински, уз претпоставку да међу небеским тијелима стварно постоји гравитациона сила која се понаша исто као обична сила због које тиква пада на земљу, показао је да ће небеска тијела имати управо такве путање које задовољавају већ раније утврђене Кеплерове законе. Објашњења у овом дијелу књиге су кристално јасна.
Међутим, онда слиједи Ајнштајнова теорија гравитације, са сви м својим необичностима и ту сам "запео" на неколико мјеста, а то су потпуно иста мјеста на којима сам запео и у свим другим књигама. Једноставно, не могу некако да се "сјединим" са том теоријом. Не вјерујем да је у питању нека њена инхерентна бизарност, биће да је у питању само мој недостатак пажње и чињеница да је, бар за ову теорију, најбољи извор управо сам Ајнштајн, а не описи из друге руке. Коначно, књижица се завршава неким неријешеним проблемима Ајнштајнове теорије, али пошто је књига писана прије 60 година, нисам сигуран да су још увијек неријешени.
Напоменуо бих још да књижица садржи симпатичне илустрације које је цртао сам аутор.
Ако вам није мрско да вам се понеки извод или интеграл промува по видном пољу, апсолутно бих вам препоручио ову књигу, али гледајте да пронађете неко новије издање (ја сам читао оно оригинално, из 1962.), чисто да имате и информације како је теорија у међувремену напредовала. Један од (малобројних) дијелова у којима застарјелост књиге долази до изражаја јесте пред сами крај, гдје се у Дираковом објашњењу неке (огромне) константе појављује количник два броја који је једнак таман тој константи. Међутим, један од тих бројева је директно везан за старост свемира, која је у то вријеме била процијењена на 5 милијарди година, а данас се тај број скоро утростручио. Према томе, тај доказ отпада, а а да нисам лијен као што јесам, провјерио бих на Интернету како су у међувремену ријешили тај проблем. Али сам лијен.
Претходни пасус notwithstanding, ово НИЈЕ популарна наука, или барем није популарна наука у смислу у ком се данас тај појам користи (а при чему можемо да се позовемо на Стивена Хокинга, који је у својој Краткој повијести (да не кажем историји) времена шаљиво констатовао да свака додатна формула преполови продају књиге, па је зато у ту своју књигу уврстио само једну формулу, ону познату Е = мц^2). Гамов се уопште не суздржава од навођења разноразних формула, једну или двије је чак и извео, затим у трећем поглављу се бави неким основама диференцијалног и интегралног рачуна (са све симболима!) и иако то обрађује само за једноставне степене функције, ако вам није до математике и напрезања мозга, боље је да ову књигу прескочите. С друге стране, неки средњошколац или студент коме су ове ствари још свјеже у памети, могао би лијепо да профитира из овог додатног стручног погледа на тему.
Елем, гравитација је, као што знамо, сила која узрокује да се Земља окреће око Сунца или да камен који зафрљаците погоди неког у чело умјесто да одлети у небо и томе сличне ствари. Гамов у овој књизи прво обрађује Њутнову теорију гравитације и овај дио може да буде врло користан онима који су читали његове Математичке принципе природне филозофије и остали у потпуном мраку због компликованости (гледам у самог себе) да макар пружи да неке основне смјернице око тога шта је то тачно Њутн у свом магнум опусу покушавао (и успио) да уради. Суштински, уз претпоставку да међу небеским тијелима стварно постоји гравитациона сила која се понаша исто као обична сила због које тиква пада на земљу, показао је да ће небеска тијела имати управо такве путање које задовољавају већ раније утврђене Кеплерове законе. Објашњења у овом дијелу књиге су кристално јасна.
Међутим, онда слиједи Ајнштајнова теорија гравитације, са сви м својим необичностима и ту сам "запео" на неколико мјеста, а то су потпуно иста мјеста на којима сам запео и у свим другим књигама. Једноставно, не могу некако да се "сјединим" са том теоријом. Не вјерујем да је у питању нека њена инхерентна бизарност, биће да је у питању само мој недостатак пажње и чињеница да је, бар за ову теорију, најбољи извор управо сам Ајнштајн, а не описи из друге руке. Коначно, књижица се завршава неким неријешеним проблемима Ајнштајнове теорије, али пошто је књига писана прије 60 година, нисам сигуран да су још увијек неријешени.
Напоменуо бих још да књижица садржи симпатичне илустрације које је цртао сам аутор.
Ако вам није мрско да вам се понеки извод или интеграл промува по видном пољу, апсолутно бих вам препоручио ову књигу, али гледајте да пронађете неко новије издање (ја сам читао оно оригинално, из 1962.), чисто да имате и информације како је теорија у међувремену напредовала. Један од (малобројних) дијелова у којима застарјелост књиге долази до изражаја јесте пред сами крај, гдје се у Дираковом објашњењу неке (огромне) константе појављује количник два броја који је једнак таман тој константи. Међутим, један од тих бројева је директно везан за старост свемира, која је у то вријеме била процијењена на 5 милијарди година, а данас се тај број скоро утростручио. Према томе, тај доказ отпада, а а да нисам лијен као што јесам, провјерио бих на Интернету како су у међувремену ријешили тај проблем. Али сам лијен.
February 18, 2022
This is not a lay-friendly book. There is math, formula, technical language; there is a lack of some needed elaboration and clarity. Still, a few tidbits:
Gamow notes that the Earth is slowing its rotation around its axis about “fourteen seconds per century” due to the dissipation of tidal energy via the “friction at the ocean bottom.” He refers to George Darwin (grandson of Charles?) who believes that the Earth and moon were once “a single body.” But then he says - I didn’t understand this - that the moon will eventually return to Earth, which will “probably tear up the Moon into a billion pieces, forming a ring similar to that of Saturn.”
As in his book, “1,2,3…Infinity,” Gamow references a decrease in gravitational pull over time, post Big Bang, and “that this decrease may be associated with the expansion of the Universe and the steady rarefaction of the material filling it." This suggests what? The speeding up of galaxies at the edge of space and endless time? Or, alternatively, given a spherical cosmos, a return of energy and matter to itself on the other side of spacetime?
Gamow writes that “it is natural to expect that an oscillating mass should give rise to gravitational waves just as an oscillating electric charge produces electro-magnetic waves….If they exist, gravitational waves must carry energy; but their intensity, or the amount of energy they transport, is extremely small.” I think this might mean that gravitational waves are transporting energy, without matter/particles - making it easier to understand the “concept” of a gravitational wave.
Finally, just as with antimatter (opposite electric charges and magnetic poles), Gamow speculates that gravity has two kinds of particles: “those with positive gravitational mass which would be attracted by the Earth, and those with negative gravitational mass which would be repelled.” Then he goes on to say that, while “Positive and negative electric charges as well as two kinds of magnetic poles are equally abundant in nature…particles with negative gravitational mass are as yet unknown, at least within the structure of ordinary atoms and molecules.” This is the first I’ve heard about the possibility of negative gravitational mass that, Gamow writes, would, if true, “deliver a painful blow to the entire Einstein theory of gravity by disproving the Principle of Equivalence.” I don’t follow Gamow’s speculation here. The equivalence of gravitational mass and inertia almost suggests that inertia is some form of anti-gravity at work?
Gamow notes that the Earth is slowing its rotation around its axis about “fourteen seconds per century” due to the dissipation of tidal energy via the “friction at the ocean bottom.” He refers to George Darwin (grandson of Charles?) who believes that the Earth and moon were once “a single body.” But then he says - I didn’t understand this - that the moon will eventually return to Earth, which will “probably tear up the Moon into a billion pieces, forming a ring similar to that of Saturn.”
As in his book, “1,2,3…Infinity,” Gamow references a decrease in gravitational pull over time, post Big Bang, and “that this decrease may be associated with the expansion of the Universe and the steady rarefaction of the material filling it." This suggests what? The speeding up of galaxies at the edge of space and endless time? Or, alternatively, given a spherical cosmos, a return of energy and matter to itself on the other side of spacetime?
Gamow writes that “it is natural to expect that an oscillating mass should give rise to gravitational waves just as an oscillating electric charge produces electro-magnetic waves….If they exist, gravitational waves must carry energy; but their intensity, or the amount of energy they transport, is extremely small.” I think this might mean that gravitational waves are transporting energy, without matter/particles - making it easier to understand the “concept” of a gravitational wave.
Finally, just as with antimatter (opposite electric charges and magnetic poles), Gamow speculates that gravity has two kinds of particles: “those with positive gravitational mass which would be attracted by the Earth, and those with negative gravitational mass which would be repelled.” Then he goes on to say that, while “Positive and negative electric charges as well as two kinds of magnetic poles are equally abundant in nature…particles with negative gravitational mass are as yet unknown, at least within the structure of ordinary atoms and molecules.” This is the first I’ve heard about the possibility of negative gravitational mass that, Gamow writes, would, if true, “deliver a painful blow to the entire Einstein theory of gravity by disproving the Principle of Equivalence.” I don’t follow Gamow’s speculation here. The equivalence of gravitational mass and inertia almost suggests that inertia is some form of anti-gravity at work?
April 23, 2010
I give this book only two stars because I was under the impression Gamow was a great populist when it came to science, writing books that would make science accessible to laypeople. This book does not fit that category in the slightest. That may be my own mistake, but I see no way that this book is truly comprehensible unless you already have proficience in higher math. So if you do, you may rate this book higher.
June 7, 2020
Unlike other books of Gamov this is not a easy read populist one. chapter three on Calculus (Clouded by equations) is bit hard to digest if u are not having basic background in mathematics..But as a primier for newton's law and Einstein's genral relativity reading this will be helpful. try this ... If we were establishing a discourse with intelligent being on another planet ,it would be natural to start with gravity (in a alien world the biology will be different but physics through out the universe is the same)This force grips planets in their orbits and holds the stars together.On a still larger scale ,entire galaxies,black holes all r governed by gravity....No substance not even light ,no kind of particle can escape its grasp...It controls the expanson of the entire universe and perhaps its eventual fate ...It is the most perplexing amoung four fundamental forces of nature ...
More to do with basics this book is bit outdated as it was written before m-87 picture or discovery of Gravitaional waves ..No mention of gravitational rotayional problem of Swiss physicist Fritz zwicky or Zara rubin's dark matter or modified newtonian dynamics ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZYHP....
recommended ......
More to do with basics this book is bit outdated as it was written before m-87 picture or discovery of Gravitaional waves ..No mention of gravitational rotayional problem of Swiss physicist Fritz zwicky or Zara rubin's dark matter or modified newtonian dynamics ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZYHP....
recommended ......
May 24, 2020
Superb book. To find popular reading on this topic is very difficult, what's more is Prof. Gamov has done a wonderful job.
Be warned this is not in the lines of a Hawking or Penrose, dealing with the many intricacies, but flat out simple, telling you what's it's all about. You could call it Gravity for dummies or something similar 😁😉.
The Newtonian view is really well done and really one should recommend the first seven chapters for advanced school kids.
The Einsteinian view is dealt very simply so as to get a general idea, though I felt Prof. Gamov could have done a bit more for the more enthusiastic readers. But on the plus side, he has not gotten the readers head in knots.
Well worth the time spent. Highly recommended.
Be warned this is not in the lines of a Hawking or Penrose, dealing with the many intricacies, but flat out simple, telling you what's it's all about. You could call it Gravity for dummies or something similar 😁😉.
The Newtonian view is really well done and really one should recommend the first seven chapters for advanced school kids.
The Einsteinian view is dealt very simply so as to get a general idea, though I felt Prof. Gamov could have done a bit more for the more enthusiastic readers. But on the plus side, he has not gotten the readers head in knots.
Well worth the time spent. Highly recommended.
November 23, 2016
Dette er populærvitenskap slik jeg liker det. Litt teknisk, litt matematikk, ordentlige forklaringer - uten overdrivelser og sensasjonelle beskrivelser.
Gamow er veldig flink å forklare, antakelig den beste fysikkforfatteren jeg har kommet over. Han er hakket mer teknisk enn mange andre bøker (bøkene involverer noen få ekte formler!), men med litt videregåendematte i bakhodet burde mange klare å komme seg gjennom dette. Ihvertfall utrolig lærerikt.
Gamow er veldig flink å forklare, antakelig den beste fysikkforfatteren jeg har kommet over. Han er hakket mer teknisk enn mange andre bøker (bøkene involverer noen få ekte formler!), men med litt videregåendematte i bakhodet burde mange klare å komme seg gjennom dette. Ihvertfall utrolig lærerikt.
February 27, 2017
Look around, there is an invisible force holding stuff close to this big planet; like a giant magnet that attracts every single atom in the vicinity. Amusingly, this fantastic phenomenon is holding together the whole universe. Damn, Gamow did a great job explaining why Newton even invented Calculus to understand it. Then Einstein joined the talk saying that it can even bend light! If you don't believe it, Gamow does some calculations to entertain you. Have fun.
March 10, 2021
Gravitaţia este legea supremă a universului. Ea ţine adunate laolaltă cele o sută de miliarde de stele din Calea Laptelui; ea face ca Pămîntul să se rotească în jurul Soarelui iar Luna în jurul Pămîntului; datorită ei cad pe pămînt merele coapte şi avioanele avariate. In istoria cunoştinţelor omului despre gravitaţie figurează trei nume mari: Galileo Galilei, care a studiat pentru prima dată, în mod amănunţit, fenomenul căderii libere şi cel al căderii dirijate; Isaac Newton, primul care a conceput gravitaţia ca o forţă universală şi Albert Einstein, care a spus că gravitaţia nu este altceva decît curbura „continuului" spaţiutimp cu patru dimensiuni.
July 24, 2022
This book single-handedly made me so curious about gravity that now I have embarked on a new journey to understand this fundamental force in its entirety. On the other hand, I repent that this book wasn't known and available to me when I was in school. It had the potential to change my career objectives. A must-read if you value your time in this finite human life.
Of course, the author is highly influenced by the western idea of the history of the development of science. But this is expected given that this book was written when the world was more colonial that it is today and internet revolution hadn't penetrated as it has now.
Of course, the author is highly influenced by the western idea of the history of the development of science. But this is expected given that this book was written when the world was more colonial that it is today and internet revolution hadn't penetrated as it has now.
February 13, 2023
Reading some of the reviews, if you have no background in Calculus or Physics, you will probably not enjoy this book. Most of the material in this book I have seen elsewhere and I still read the book two times to get the most out of it. The first time I read it, I was not impressed until I got more than half way through the book. I really enjoyed it the second time I read it and if I were to read it a third time I would most likely enjoy it more, understand it better, and see something I didn't the first two times I read it.
August 31, 2018
Interesting but dated.
Lots of better, up to date books on the topic. I had forgotten how bad graphics were in books written prior to the 90s. The bad graphics detract from the story a bit. I think the presentation in modern book helps the reader , but perhaps the mental gymnastics required to understand the old figures led to a better understanding. Who knows?
Lots of better, up to date books on the topic. I had forgotten how bad graphics were in books written prior to the 90s. The bad graphics detract from the story a bit. I think the presentation in modern book helps the reader , but perhaps the mental gymnastics required to understand the old figures led to a better understanding. Who knows?
October 2, 2019
Good & fun book. Picked it up on a whim in the basement of a bookstore in San Francisco. The concepts are explained easily and effortlessly by Gamow. Chapter 3 is supposedly hard since it deals with Calculus but it is an extremely light mention of the subject, so do not be dissuaded if Maths is not your cup of tea. I heartily recommend this light summer read.
December 17, 2017
A collection of essays on the subject of Gravity. There is some math. :)
December 4, 2017
Good and clear explanations on gravity.
July 19, 2018
Excellent book in Gamow's inimitable style covering both classical and relativity theories of gravity, with lots of hand-drawn illustrations.
January 16, 2020
Good explanation of theories of the Gravity, both classical and general theory of relativity. Published in the sixties of the last century, it is obviously dated
November 14, 2022
Able short treatment of the topic. Dated, but accurate. A good read overall.
December 18, 2022
The important thing to understand that the author -- or anybody else, really -- will not finally explain what gravity is. What he will do is describe its properties and manifestations, mostly in an accessible way.
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February 23, 2013I was a little disappointed by this book. From having read about Gamow in the past, I expected more personal anecdotes and humor. Aside from that, the book is not as easy for laypeople as Gamow seems to think. Understandably, a book about physics will be heavy with equations, but for a book meant for laypeople, it almost reads more like a textbook at times. Though some of the stories are incredibly interesting, they are clouded by equations that are admittedly above my head, and Gamow as a writer adds very little to the book itself.
March 1, 2013
What can I say? This book is about gravity. From Galileo to Newton to Einstein, Gamow explores this fundamental force in nature giving a brief overview of the science and history behind it. A quick read that discusses the fundamentals with the inclusion of Newton's calculus and various equations that help to describe it. Most of the book is for lay people, however a little background in mathematics helps in actually understanding the equations.
April 14, 2020
I read this book while teaching high-school students gravity, and this was probably the best introduction I could provide to my children. Though, condensing the book in a 1-hour lecture was a mammoth task. I love the historical context provided in how Galileo and Newton among others arrived at their conclusions from such sparse data and understanding of the universe. Must read for anyone teaching physics or trying to understand the story of gravity!
May 23, 2010
Science is fun! Gravity is such a weird thing, but Gamow makes it accessible in 6 chapters. He talks about Newton a lot for obvious reasons and there is an entire chapter dedicated to a brief history of calculus or the calculus.
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June 13, 2011Given the age of this book, it's great! I does a fantastic job of the search for gravity and the related math that has resulted from it. I would definitely add it to the list of books to read if you love knowing the history of the issue.
July 26, 2016
Interesting read. It's not as accessible to the lay reader as some make it out to be. Some of the math requires some knowledge of trig and calc, but if you don't have that, you can just press the "I believe" button and move on.
January 13, 2022
Es muy, pero muy bonito, muy al alcance del publico, y muy facil de leer. Es agradable, y tiene muy buenas reflexiones sobre el desarrollo de las teorias fisicas.
November 1, 2013
There were a few aha! moments for me while reading this book. Weirdly, the section on calculus was more helpful than I would've expected.
May 23, 2015
Great insight into some fundamental problems of mechanics and kinematics
April 20, 2015
Well beyond any mental capacity that I have ever even dreamed of possessing. But still exuberantly interesting.
January 31, 2016
Fantastic!
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