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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010325054 | QC16.W79 T73 2014 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Narrating the well-lived life of the "Chinese Madame Curie" -- a recipient of the first Wolf Prize in Physics (1978), the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Princeton University, as well as the first female president of the American Physical Society -- this book provides a comprehensive and honest account of the life of Dr Wu Chien-Shiung, an outstanding and leading experimental physicist of the 20th century.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Madame Wu was one of the most important experimental physicists of the 20th century. She is best known for her 1956 experiments that showed that parity, a kind of mirror symmetry, is not conserved in weak nuclear interactions. Her colleagues C. N. Yang and T. D. Lee received the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics for their theoretical work suggesting parity non-conservation. Many physicists thought it unfair that Wu did not share in this award. Wu worked in experimental nuclear physics throughout her long career at Columbia University and was rewarded with many awards and honors. This well-documented biography, written by science journalist Tsai-Chien, was completed shortly before Wu's death in 1997 and is based on many interviews with Wu, her colleagues, and her friends, as well as on the written record. Wu was born in China in 1912 and was raised in very supportive family. She went to graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, and then moved east with her new husband, also a physicist. Tsai-Chien's writing is lively and covers most aspects of Wu's life. This excellent work belongs in all high school and college libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All history of physics and women's studies collections. M. Dickinson formerly, Maine Maritime Academy
