Tag Archives: history of science

Euclid’s Window: a smorgasbord of geometry, history and anecdotes about famous scientists

Posted on February 28, 2026 by tkflor

“The discovery that mathematics is more than algorithms for calculating volumes of dirt or the magnitude of taxes is credited to a lone Greek merchant-turned-philosopher named Thales a bit more than 2,500 years ago.” From Euclid’s Window, a book by … Continue reading →

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Where does mass come from? *

Posted on July 30, 2023 by tkflor

Atoms are made from electrons and atomic nuclei. Since the nucleus accounts for more than 99.9% of the atom’s mass, we can focus on the nucleus, or on the protons and neutrons it is made of. Protons and neutrons are … Continue reading →

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The Strangest Man – the Hidden life of Paul Dirac

Posted on October 9, 2022 by tkflor

The equation was “achingly beautiful”, as theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek later described it: like Einstein’s equation of general relativity, the Dirac equation was universal yet fundamentally simple; nothing in it could be changed without destroying its power. The Strangest Man, … Continue reading →

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Book review: The Tenth Muse

Posted on October 30, 2021 by tkflor

This is a review of The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung, that I posted on Goodreads. The notion of the tenth muse, who is reborn in every generation as a mortal gifted woman drew me to read this book. The … Continue reading →

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Did Thomas Young perform his most famous experiment?

Posted on June 28, 2021 by tkflor

“phenomena of nature resemble the scattered leaves of the Sibylline prophecies; a word only, or a single syllable, is written on each leaf, which, when separately considered, conveys no instruction to the mind; but when, by the labor of patient … Continue reading →

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Moving the needle – 200 years since Ørsted experiment

Posted on April 21, 2020 by tkflor

The first connection between electricity and magnetism was found by Ørsted on 21 April 1820. Hans Christian Ørsted (14 August 1777 – 9 March 1851) was a Danish scientist. He became a professor at the University of Copenhagen in 1806. His … Continue reading →

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Richard Feynman’s 100th birthday

Posted on May 11, 2018 by tkflor

“There are two types of genius. Ordinary geniuses do great things, but they leave you room to believe that you could do the same if only you worked hard enough. Then there are magicians, and you can have no idea … Continue reading →

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An anniversary of an experiment that transformed the world

Posted on August 29, 2017 by tkflor

Two hundred years ago, the relationship between magnetism and electricity was not an established fact. It had been known that thunderbolts created certain magnetic effects, but there was no proof that magnetism and electricity were related, until 1820, when Hans … Continue reading →

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George Green’s birthday

Posted on July 13, 2016 by tkflor

When one is asked to name prominent English scientists who forged our understanding of electricity and magnetism, the two giants that immediately pop to mind: Michael Faraday (1791– 1867), who established the basis for the concept of the electromagnetic field, … Continue reading →

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Another reason to celebrate Albert Einstein’s birthday

Posted on March 13, 2016 by tkflor

“Nature shows us only the tail of the lion. But I do not doubt that the lion belongs to it even though he cannot at once reveal himself because of his enormous size.” Albert Einstein, in a letter, March 1914 … Continue reading →

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