I thought this book was very enlightening, by the fact that the one was able to learn the history around some basic principles that are involved in the equation "E=mc^2" and how they have formulated. I found the connection between religion and new scientific theories in the 18th century a shock, such as the connection of magnetism and electricity by the theory that they both emit circular pluses instead of linear one, the basis of this theory being that people are holy and they work to complete the "circle" through good deeds. This book is filled with scientific history and formulation that causing a greater understanding in basic ideas that people have been told to memorize, causing a slow read, but an interesting one.

This is a really fun history of all the scientific discoveries leading up to Einstein's equation. I put it down for a while to read other things, but I am really enjoying this book.

very nice. i might now understand something about e=mc2. at least i'm convinced that the author understands it ;).

if i understand it correctly, i now know why it's so hard to lose weight. you have to burn energy equal to the amount of mass you want to lose x the speed of light squared!

i can't recommend this book though, i will keep looking for another book on this subject at this level, because the author includes x-rated information for absolutely no reason. not graphic, but repulsive and disgusting all the same. not the way i want my kids to get their science education. i will not try any more books by this author. too bad though, all his books are available in the bargain bin! although maybe that is an indication of their value.

I picked "A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation" for my Goodreads project. I believe the Author's purpose in this novel was to present facts about the creation of Einstein's Equation, E=MC Squared, and the events leading to the making of the Atomic Bomb. The theme of this story was to give the reader information as to how Einstein's Famous Equation was created. This novel also presented knowledgeable facts as to why Einstein created this equation. The Author used the style of narration which means he put all of his events in chronological order. This novel took you step by step through Einstein's process of creating this equation. I thought that this book was a great book for anyone interested in Physics, Mathematics, and other Sciences. I liked this book because I am interested in being a Theoretical Physicist and this novel included a great deal of information about this career. If I were to change anything about the book, it would be not to cram so many years worth of information and facts into a 219 page book. This book is similar to the book that is called "Understanding Quantum Mechanics". Both novels are mainly about Physics and Mathematics.

Great read. Felt a lot more informed about world now. Best part of the book is the ease with which author engages non science background readers. I was particularly impressed by some characters like Lise Meitner, Micheal Faraday etc. Thorouly enjoyed all through and strongly recommend everyone to pick this one.

As much a biography of an idea as a biography of Einstein, David Bodanis' E=mc2 is a fascinating and engaging read for all fans of cosmology or scientific history. Bodanis' writing isn't too weighty or heady for readers unversed in theoretical physics. He never leaves readers behind or talks over their heads. The ideas explored in the book cover everything from the birth of an idea to the expansion of the universe, and it doesn't stick exclusively to the title's subject. Bodanis covers the influence of the idea on subsequent generations of cosmologists and theorists, and he makes a strong case for something we already knew: Einstein and his famous equation changed the course of human civilization.

NC

Some books can give you a high, one of the most imaginative, happy highs. And it goes to a completely different level when it comes from finally understanding what you believed was not your cup of tea.

Thank you Afshan, for E=mc2 had shattered all my notions of physics and has reintroduced me to the subject that I had given up on long ago.

The book, as expected, is loaded with history, facts, and numbers. But, it also has people, their experiences, their lives and times, their thoughts, their stories..everything from the perspective of E=mc2. The book is a treasure box of anecdotes, pictures, small details, and simple yet effective writing style.

If the same style of breaking complex ideas into simplest forms could be adopted in academics, people like me would have had happier school days with no particular dislike for a subject.

Thanks once again, Afshan! This is one of the best birthday gifts ever.

3.5

Decent enough, somewhat interesting

Title: E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
Author: David Bodanis
Pages: 337
Publisher: 0425181642 (ISBN13: 9780425181645)
E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation is by far, one of my favourite biography book. I have never read such an entertaining book where I felt such a passion towards science. I have always hated science in the past two years in high school. But this book really opens my eyes to the beauty of this simple equation with splendid stories and history contexts.
This book is very interesting because the author, David Bodanis takes a very unique approach in explaining the meaning of this equation, E=mc2. “Instead of using the rocket ship-and-flashlight approach, I could write the biography of E=mc2. Everyone knows that a biography entrails stories of the ancestors, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood of your subject. It's the same with the equation.” Says Bodanis in his preface. Each letter of the equation E=mc2 represents something, such as "E" is the energy equal to the "M", mass in earth, with different historical stories. The twists and turns were created in the development of this equation, making this book not only unique, but surprising entertaining.
Reading this book not only taught me the beauty of a simple equation, but also brought me to a estate where I get to know the most well-known scientist of all time, Albert Einstein. Einstein was not only obnoxious in school, but he was also unable to take care of his wife and child when he was in his late twenties. This rises my curiosity on how a troubled scientist discovered the most famous equation of all time?
After all, I must emphasize that I enjoyed reading this book, it was a joy. It makes me fall in love with the beauty of a simple equation. It is something magical, as if a mother watched her child grow. This book makes me like physics, something that I want to dig deeper into in the future. I would like to recommend this book to anyone!

A lot of this book is not easy to follow despite the obvious efforts Bodanis has put in to make it more accessible to the lay reader. It's the anecdotes that make it an interesting read. The author marries his narrative of scientific progress with the last two centuries' pivotal events. This makes it not just a recounting of the triumph of science but also a chronicle of the role scientists have played in shaping history. The high point of this book is the part dealing with the development and the use of the atom bomb. Its fascinating as well as harrowing. That part more than makes up for the numerous duller tracts.

This book has a lot of AHA moments. It is written in a true biography form, with the reader learning about the ancestry of this most famous formula. You hear about all the personalities that led up to this formula. There is some question of whether Einstein or his wife really came up with the formula.

I liked the book. The middle was a bit too much biography about personalities and their traits that could have been left out or condensed. His writing of the atomic bomb as it floated down over Hiroshima was elegant and disturbing at the same time. Quite a trick in literature.

This was an increadibly engaging, abosorbing, and fully readable book for so esoteric a subject.

The author broke down each element of the equation devoting a chapter to E (and how scientists found that energy is energy, is energy regardless of the form it takes - and also the wave rather than linear concept thereof) a chapter to = (yes the equals sign), a chapter to m basically getting into the laws of conservation of matter, a chapter to c (the constant of the speed of light - put it in terms that were easily understood) and then a chapter to ^2 which really fascinated me inasmuch as it got into the whys and wherefors of the earlier equation of f=mv^2, and how it was Voltaire's lover that found that the ^2 mattered when Newton had created f=mv . . . and it was a really simple study that revealed it. (Dropping balls into clay and measuring how far they sank).

The book then went on to describe the reception of Einstein's paper in which he proposed the theory of relativity, and then got into the most chilling and practical application thereof - in 1939 - 34 years after he originally wrote it -- with atomic weapons. I found it interesting, I learned a lot more than the cursory "the Americans and the Germans were in a race to harness the power of nuclear fission and weaponize it and the Americans won working through something called the Manhattan project" -- it got into some of the personalities behind that and some of the Allied sabotage of the German efforts without which the Americans probably would not have won.

There was a great appendix which gave postscripts on most of the people introduced in the book and a thorough reading list at the end. Really, a very enjoyable book for a subject that has the potential to be incredibly dense.

I've seen a review say there were factual errors, and that I can't address - but it's not written to be a text book. It's written for the lay reader. Were I to want to learn more, there's a giant list of suggested reading at the end. Some of which I'm probably going to hit. But for an overview, it was WONDERFUL.