Taming the Atom: The Emergence of the Visible Microworld [Book Review]

Twenty-four centuries ago, the Greek philosopher Democritus and his teacher Leucippus gave birth to a new way of thinking about matter's invisible and elementary entity, the atom. Democritus's atomism was born on a purely philosophical basis, surely without anticipating some of this century's most triumphant scientific discoveries - atoms can now be seen, seen in motion and manipulated. Von Baeyer vividly and eloquently describes the past, present and future of atomism. His account of present-day discoveries is largely centred on the three fundamental dimensions, space, time and number, and is written in a coherent and personal style. As Roald Hoffman notes on the dust jacket, the author has provided a striking verbal picture of the contemporary scene of physics and chemistry.