This biography explores the life and career of the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi which is
also the story of thirty years that transformed physics and forever changed our understanding
of matter and the universe: nuclear physics and elementary particle physics were born nuclear
fission was discovered the Manhattan Project was developed the atomic bombs were dropped and
the era of big science began.It would be impossible to capture the full essence of this
revolutionary period without first understanding Fermi without whom it would not have been
possible.Enrico Fermi: The Obedient Genius attempts to shed light on all aspects of Fermi's
life - his work motivation influences achievements and personal thoughts - beginning with
the publication of his first paper in 1921 through his death in 1954. During this time Fermi
demonstrated that he was indeed following in the footsteps of Galileo excelling in his work
both theoretically and experimentally by deepening our understanding of the Pauli exclusion
principle winning the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the fundamental properties of slow
neutrons developing the theory of beta decay building the first nuclear reactor and playing
a central role in the development of the atomic bomb. Interwoven with this fascinating story
the book details the major developments in physics and provides the necessary background
material to fully appreciate the dramatic changes that were taking place.Also included are
appendices that provide a timeline of Fermi's life several primary source documents from the
period and an extensive bibliography. This book will enlighten anyone interested in Fermi's
work or the scientific events that led to the physics revolution of the first half of the
twentieth century.
