Energy, the Subtle Concept

The work is full of surprises, and some illuminating apercus. It makes one think about the subject in a new way - the connections made with dynamics, Hamilton and Lagrange are germane, and one never sees these in books on thermodynamics.'Sir Aaron Klug, Nobel laureate, President of the Royal Society 1995-2000I am pleased to heartily recommend Coopersmith’s readable, enjoyable, and largely nonmathematical yet profound account of the development of an important physical concept - energy. With a vein of humor running throughout, it deals with an enormous compass of important topics seldom found elsewhere at this level. It should be of great interest and utility to students, both undergraduate and graduate, historians of science, and anyone interested in theconcepts of energy and their evolution through time.‘George B. Kauffman, Chemical & Engineering NewsIn clear and engaging prose, Coopersmith shows how the modern understanding of energy was formulated, moving from the first documented discussions of simple machines and perpetual motion in ancient Greece, to the work of Gottfried Leibniz and other 17th-century thinkers, to Einstein's theory of relativity and beyond... 'Energy, the Subtle Concept' is a fascinating read, both physicists and nonphysicists who want to learn more about the history of energywill enjoy it.'Lisa Crystal, Physics TodayCoopersmith has been on a commendable personal journey to understand energy’Colin Axon, Energy Group NewsletterThe more I read this book, the more difficult it was to put it down ... [It] has a fascinating story to tell about the development of our understanding of energy as a physical quantity...'Matt Chorley, Popular Sciencebeautifully-written text … Throughout, the book is sprinkled with anecdotes and, most importantly, insightful commentary, with a plethora of figures that assist the reader in digesting the concepts detailed.‘Jay Wadhawan, University of HullThe conservation of energy is arguably the most important law in physics. But what exactly is being conserved? Are some forms of energy more fundamental than others? You will have to read the book to find out. Coopersmith sets out to answer such questions and to explain the concept of energy through the history of its discovery. This is neither a straightforward narrative nor one for the faint-hearted. Those not put off by the odd bit of mathematics, willbe well-rewarded by dipping into this book.'Manjit Kumar, New ScientistThis is a work of physics in substance and history in form. ‘Energy, the Subtle Concept’ is as much concerned with physicists as with physics. Its scientific interest is matched by human interest. Jennifer Coopersmith deftly brings to life the people who made the science throughout its history.‘Charles C. Gillispie, Professor of History of Science Emeritus, Princeton University`This book makes me proud to be a physicist, for two reasons. First it is a tale of the giants of the past who contributed to our present understanding of energy, people whose astonishing intuition took them from gossamer clues to the understanding we have today of one of the most basic explanatory concepts in physics. We’ve had some pretty good players in our team. More than this - and this is the second reason - this is a story as much about invention asdiscovery … I am sure all physicists would enjoy this book and indeed learn from it.‘Australian Physics

Jennifer Coopersmith took her PhD in nuclear physics from the University of London, and was later a research fellow at TRIUMF, University of British Columbia. She was for many years an associate lecturer for the Open University (London and Oxford). She currently does similar work on astrophysics courses for Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne while based at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Victoria.