Enrico Fermi

The lecture notes presented here in facsimile were prepared by Enrico Fermi for students of his course at the University of Chicago in 1954. They are vivid examples of Fermi's unique ability to lecture simply and clearly on the most essential aspects of quantum mechanics. At the close of each lecture, Fermi created a single problem for his students. These challenging exercises were not included in Fermi's notes but were preserved in the notes of his students. This second edition includes a set of Fermi's assigned problems as compiled by a former student, Robert A. Schluter.

"Nobel laureate and scientific luminary Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was a pioneering nuclear physicist whose contributions to the field were numerous, profound, and lasting. Best known for his involvement with the Manhattan Project and his work at Los Alamos that led to the first self-sustained nuclear reaction and ultimately to the production of electric power and plutonium for atomic weapons, Fermi and his legacy continue to color the character of the sciences at the University of Chicago. During his tenure as professor of physics at the Institute for Nuclear Studies, Fermi attracted an extraordinary scientific faculty and many talented students - ten Nobel Prizes were awarded to faculty or students under Fermi's tutelage." "Fermi Remembered combines essays and newly commissioned reminiscences with private material from Fermi's research notebooks, correspondence, speech outlines, and lectures to document the profound and enduring significance of Fermi's life and labors. In candid recollections of Fermi by his colleagues and students, the eminent physicist emerges as a three-dimensional character who, for example, with his wife Laura, opened his home to young people for square dances during which the discussion of physics was forbidden. The volume also features extensive university archival material - including correspondence between Fermi and biophysicist Leo Szilard and a letter from Harry Truman - with new introductions that provide context for both the history of physics and the academic tradition at the University of Chicago."--BOOK JACKET.