THE SCIENCE STUDY SERIES 



The Science Study Series offers to students and to the 

 general public the writing of distinguished authors on 

 the most stirring and fundamental topics of physics, 

 from the smallest known particles to the whole universe. 

 Some of the books tell of the role of physics in the world 

 of man, his technology and civilization. Others are bio- 

 graphical in nature, teUing the fascinating stories of the 

 great discoverers and their discoveries. All the authors 

 have been selected both for expertness in the fields they 

 discuss and for ability to communicate their special 

 knowledge and their own views in an interesting way. 

 The primary purpose of these books is to provide a sur- 

 vey of physics within the grasp of the young student or 

 the layman. Many of the books, it is hoped, will en- 

 courage the reader to make his own investigations of 

 natural phenomena. 



These books are published as part of a fresh approach 

 to the teaching and study of physics. At the Massachu- 

 setts Institute of Technology during 1956 a group of 

 physicists, high school teachers, journalists, apparatus 

 designers, film producers, and other speciaUsts organized 

 the Physical Science Study Committee, now operating 

 as a part of Educational Services Incorporated, Water- 

 town, Massachusetts. They pooled their knowledge and 

 experience toward the design and creation of aids to the 

 learning of physics. Initially their effort was supported 

 by the National Science Foundation, which has con- 



