Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Elements of scientific thinking

3. Christopher Columbus discovers the "Indies"

4. Antoine Lavoisier and Joseph Priestley both tested the befuddling phlogiston theory

5. Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction but failed to unify electromagnetism and gravitation

6. Wilhelm Röntgen intended to study cathode rays but ended up discovering x-rays

7. Max Plank, the first superhero of quantum theory, saved the universe from the ultraviolet catastrophe

8. Albert Einstein attacked the problem "Are atoms real?" from several angles

9. Nils Bohr modeled the hydrogen atom as a quantized system with compelling exactness

10. Conclusions, status of science, and lessons for our time

Reviews

".physicist Tibbetts (General Motors) humanizes the methods of several scientists, using an easy-to-read style that includes enough detail to satisfy the casual and the professional reader alike.Even readers who are familiar with many of these stories will gain new insights into the thought processes of some of the great scientists."--Choice, July 2013