TY - BOOK AU - Gamow, George TI - One Two Three . . . Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science SN - 9780486256641 PY - 1961///] CY - NewYork, U.S PB - Dover Publications N1 - PART 1. PLAYING WITH NUMBERS I. Big Numbers II. Natural and Artificial Numbers PART II. SPACE, TIME & EINSTEIN III. Unusual Properties of Space IV. The World of Four Dimensions V. Relativity of Space and Time PART III. MICROCOSMOS VI. Descending Staircase VII. Modern Alchemy VIII. The Law of Disorder IX. The Riddle of Life X. Expanding Horizons PART IV. MACROCOSMOS XI. The Days of Creation N2 - One of the world's foremost nuclear physicists (celebrated for his theory of radioactive decay, among other accomplishments), George Gamow possessed the unique ability of making the world of science accessible to the general reader. He brings that ability to bear in this delightful expedition through the problems, pleasures, and puzzles of modern science. Among the topics scrutinized with the author's celebrated good humor and pedagogical prowess are the macrocosm and the microcosm, theory of numbers, relativity of space and time, entropy, genes, atomic structure, nuclear fission, and the origin of the solar system. In the pages of this book readers grapple with such crucial matters as whether it is possible to bend space, why a rocket shrinks, the "end of the world problem," excursions into the fourth dimension, and a host of other tantalizing topics for the scientifically curious. Brimming with amusing anecdotes and provocative problems, One Two Three . . . Infinity also includes over 120 delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by the author, adding another dimension of good-natured charm to these wide-ranging explorations ER -