Haphazard reality : half a century of science / H.B.G. Casimir ; with a new preface by Frans Saris.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 343-348) and index.

Print version record.

Contents; Preface to the Series; Author's Preface; Introduction; 1. Family Background and Schooldays; 2. Development of Physics; 3. Early Years at Leiden; 4. Copenhagen; 5. Berlin, Zürich, and back to Leiden; 6. Low Temperatures; 7. War Times; 8. Holst and the Philips research Laboratory; 9. Industry and Science After the Second World War; 10. The Science-Technology Spiral; Appendix A; Appendix B; Appendix C; Bibliographical Notes; Index.

Casimir, himself a famous physician, studied and worked with three great physicists of the twentieth century: Niels Bohr, Wolfgang Pauli and Paul Ehrenfest. In his autobiography, the brilliant theoretician lets the reader witness the revolution that led to quantum physics, whose influence on modern society turned out to be many times larger than the first atomic physicists could have imagined. Through his involvement in the technical-scientific and the business aspects of physics, through management positions at Philips Research Laboratory and as a member of the Board of Directors of Philips.

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