Atomism Argued

The Chemist’s Bookshelf

Atomism Argued

not have much regard for formal beauty by a debate with Ernst Mach, the Austri- or simplicity. “Elegance,” Boltzmann was an physicist and philosopher. Mach fond of saying, “is for the tailor and the distrusted excessive theorizing and felt shoemaker.” Luckily for us, Lindley has that science should be based only on written an elegant book that gives an what could be experienced through plain excellent overview of Boltzmann’s scien- observation. Therefore, he found Boltz- tific ideas and their historical and mann’s belief that atoms actually exist- cultural context. ed to be a wild speculation. In response, Lindley devotes much of his attention Boltzmann argued that although atoms to Boltzmann’s attempts at explaining were not directly observable, their exis- and defending his work in Great Britain, tence was established reliably by inter- the United States, Germany, and Austria. preting the macroscopic behavior of Boltzmann’s Atom: The Great Everywhere he went, Boltzmann was physical systems with the theory of Debate That Launched a greeted as a great scientist and a master statistical mechanics. Revolution in Physics of theoretical physics, but his ideas on On the whole, Lindley sees these David Lindley atomism and statistical mechanics met debates as constructive and as preparing The Free Press, New York, 2001, 260 pp, $24 with considerable criticism. For one thing, the way for later advances. In particular, hardcover ISBN 0-684-85186-5 scientists of the day held the bias that Boltzmann’s interactions with James physical laws should be rigidly determin- Clerk Maxwell and William Thomson oday, virtually no one questions istic. Rudolf Clausius, the original author during his visit to Great Britain resulted the existence of atoms. Ask gram- of the second law of thermodynamics, in friendly criticism that helped develop Tmar-school students whether or believed that entropy never decreased in his own ideas. In contrast, the debate not atoms exist, and they will probably the course of a thermodynamic process, with Mach seems to have contributed to think you’re joking. Therefore, it may whereas Boltzmann’s analysis allowed the tragedy of Boltzmann’s later life. come as a surprise to learn that atomism that entropy might drop in rare cases. According to Lindley, Boltzmann was “a was not fully accepted by the scientific Boltzmann seemed to be saying that the grandfather of quantum theory”, even community just 100 years ago. David second law was true in most, but not all, though he was not aware of important Lindley’s biography of the Austrian physi- cases. To many scientists, this was a high- papers at the end of his life. Just as his cist Ludwig Boltzmann gives us a much- ly disagreeable proposition. ideas were being vindicated in the work needed revisiting of the man who helped Others objected even more strenu- of Max Planck, Josiah Willard Gibbs, and pave the way for the modern atomic ously to Boltzmann’s atomism. Much of Albert Einstein, he was diverted from theory of matter and the advances in Boltzmann’s later career was dominated his scientific work by the frustrating quantum theory that followed. philosophical debate with Mach. As During the 19th century, most many readers will know, Boltzmann’s life chemists used the atomic hypothesis as More for the Shelf ended as a suicide. Lindley casts some a practical means of solving problems, light on the personal, professional, and despite the fact that little was known Ludwig Boltzmann: The Man Who cultural circumstances that might have about what atoms looked like. Because Trusted Atoms Carlo Cercignani. contributed to the loss of one of the of their limited knowledge, scientists Oxford University Press, 1998. world’s greatest scientists. were hesitant to rely on atoms in framing Taming the Atom: The Emergence Lindley’s book is popular science at new physical laws. Nevertheless, during of the Visible Microworld Hans its best. It gives a fascinating and reli- the 1870s, Boltzmann wrote a series of Christian von Baeyer. Dover Publi- able description of Boltzmann’s atomism papers suggesting that the second law cations, 2000. and development of statistical mechan- of thermodynamics (that entropy always The Atom in the History of Human ics without being too technical. At the increases or stays the same) could be Thought Bernard Pullman, Axel same time, it gives an intriguing portrait interpreted in terms of the movements R. Reisinger (Translator). Oxford of Boltzmann’s historical and profession- of the microscopic constituents of a University Press, 2002. al milieu but excludes excessive details. physical system. Many scientists of the Lectures on Gas Theory Ludwig It is recommended to anyone interested day found his statistical analyses of Boltzmann, Stephen G. Brush (Trans- in the origins of modern atomism, quan- large ensembles of atoms (or molecules) lator). Dover Publications, reprint tum mechanics, and the importance of hard to interpret. It did not help that edition, 1995. theory to the development of science. Boltzmann wrote long papers that did Gary J. Weisel ◆