Twentieth Century Science and Technology

Find the table of physicists from the lecture here.

Here is the Atomic Chronology.

There are many fine places to explore the history of modern physics on-line. An excellent discussion of the Michelson-Morley experiment has been put together by Michael Fowler of the University of Virginia. You should read this carefully. He follows with a fine overview of relativity; he also refers to a somewhat more mathematical treatment of relativity.

The revolution in the life sciences in the mid and late twentieth century is well covered by on-line information.

The history of genetics in general has a number of informative sites, including MendelWeband the Biotech Chronicles.

The so-called "central dogma" of molecular biology--the idea that there was a material basis for inheritance--is explained in this article by Francis Crick himself.

The development of the atomic bomb, and the implications of nuclear technology for science, society, and morality is explored in a variety of sites. You should spend time with at least one of these:

Another rich area for exploration is the history of the digital computer. A good place to begin is the Computer History website.

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