Book ID: CBB042236017

Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons: From the Mathematics of Heat to the Development of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable (2020)

unapi

Nahin, Paul J. (Author)


Princeton University Press


Publication Date: 2020
Physical Details: 232
Language: English

An entertaining mathematical exploration of the heat equation and its role in the triumphant development of the trans-Atlantic telegraph cableHeat, like gravity, shapes nearly every aspect of our world and universe, from how milk dissolves in coffee to how molten planets cool. The heat equation, a cornerstone of modern physics, demystifies such processes, painting a mathematical picture of the way heat diffuses through matter. Presenting the mathematics and history behind the heat equation, Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons tells the remarkable story of how this foundational idea brought about one of the greatest technological advancements of the modern era.Paul Nahin vividly recounts the heat equation’s tremendous influence on society, showing how French mathematical physicist Joseph Fourier discovered, derived, and solved the equation in the early nineteenth century. Nahin then follows Scottish physicist William Thomson, whose further analysis of Fourier’s explorations led to the pioneering trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. This feat of engineering reduced the time it took to send a message across the ocean from weeks to minutes. Readers also learn that Thomson used Fourier’s solutions to calculate the age of the earth, and, in a bit of colorful lore, that writer Charles Dickens relied on the trans-Atlantic cable to save himself from a career-damaging scandal. The book’s mathematical and scientific explorations can be easily understood by anyone with a basic knowledge of high school calculus and physics, and MATLAB code is included to aid readers who would like to solve the heat equation themselves.A testament to the intricate links between mathematics and physics, Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons offers a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between a formative equation and one of the most important developments in the history of human communication.

...More
Reviewed By

Review Susan Shelangoskie (2021) Review of "Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons: From the Mathematics of Heat to the Development of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 626-627). unapi

Review Susan Shelangoskie (2021) Review of "Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons: From the Mathematics of Heat to the Development of the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 626-627). unapi

Multimedia Object Jim Stein; Nahin, Paul J. (2020) Paul Nahin, “Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons” (Princeton UP, 2020). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB042236017/

Similar Citations

Article Hayashi, Haruo; (1999)
The Influence of Fourier on W. Thomson (/isis/citation/CBB000330326/)

Multimedia Object Jim Stein; Nahin, Paul J.; (2020)
Paul Nahin, “Hot Molecules, Cold Electrons” (Princeton UP, 2020) (/isis/citation/CBB088116271/)

Article Burke, Katie; (2013)
Absolutely Negative (/isis/citation/CBB001320840/)

Book Finn, Bernard; Yang, Daqing; (2009)
Communications under the Seas: The Evolving Cable Network and Its Implications (/isis/citation/CBB000950315/)

Article Guedj, Muriel; (2006)
Du concept de travail vers celui d'énergie: L'apport de Thomson (/isis/citation/CBB000760016/)

Article Kragh, Helge; (2009)
Styles of Science and Engineering: The Case of Early Long-Distance Telephony (/isis/citation/CBB000932329/)

Book Gavroglu, Kostas; (2014)
History of Artificial Cold: Scientific, Technological and Cultural Issues (/isis/citation/CBB001500399/)

Article Lunteren, Fran H. van; Hollestelle, Marijn J.; (2013)
Paul Ehrenfest and the Dilemmas of Modernity (/isis/citation/CBB001321213/)

Article Peter Kasten; (2016)
The Search for Electron Rings Inside Atoms Led to the Debye-Scherrer Method (/isis/citation/CBB667679508/)

Article Hoag, Christopher; (2006)
The Atlantic Telegraph Cable and Capital Market Information Flows (/isis/citation/CBB000660455/)

Book Cheung, Derek T.; Brach, Eric; (2014)
Conquering the Electron: The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age (/isis/citation/CBB001422636/)

Article José Antonio Chamizo; (2014)
The Role of Instruments in Three Chemical Revolutions (/isis/citation/CBB078200210/)

Book Stewart Ash; (2018)
The Cable King: The Life of John Pender (/isis/citation/CBB763888073/)

Article Tully, John; (2009)
A Victorian Ecological Disaster: Imperialism, the Telegraph, and Gutta-Percha (/isis/citation/CBB001030428/)

Book Gordon, John Steele; (2002)
A Thread across the Ocean: The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable (/isis/citation/CBB000773355/)

Chapter Mullaney, Thomas S.; (2014)
Semiotic Sovereignty: The 1871 Chinese Telegraph Code in Historical Perspective (/isis/citation/CBB001213957/)

Authors & Contributors
Ash, Stewart
Stein, Jim
Kjeldsen, Tinne Hoff
Kasten, Peter
Brach, Eric
Cheung, Derek T.
Concepts
Physics
Telegraphs; telephones
Cable, transatlantic
Science and technology, relationships
Communication technology
Technology
Time Periods
19th century
20th century
18th century
20th century, early
21st century
17th century
Places
Great Britain
Naples (Italy)
United States
Italy
China
Southeast Asia
Institutions
Bell Telephone Laboratories
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment