Swarthmore College Works Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works Physics & Astronomy 8-1-2011 Review Of "Soap, Science, And Flat-Screen Tvs: A History Of Liquid Crystals" By D. Dunmur And T. Sluckin And "Structure And Properties Of Liquid Crystals" By L. M. Blinov Peter J. Collings Swarthmore College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-physics Part of the Physics Commons Let us know how access to these works benefits ouy Recommended Citation Peter J. Collings. (2011). "Review Of "Soap, Science, And Flat-Screen Tvs: A History Of Liquid Crystals" By D. Dunmur And T. Sluckin And "Structure And Properties Of Liquid Crystals" By L. M. Blinov". Physics Today. Volume 64, Issue 8. 49-50. DOI: 10.1063/PT.3.1219 https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-physics/266 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Physics Today Soap, Science, and Flat-Screen TVs: A History of Liquid Crystals; Structure and Properties of Liquid Crystals Peter Collings Citation: Physics Today 64(8), 49 (2011); doi: 10.1063/PT.3.1219 View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.1219 View Table of Contents: http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/magazine/physicstoday/64/8?ver=pdfcov Published by the AIP Publishing Reuse of AIP Publishing content is subject to the terms at: https://publishing.aip.org/authors/rights-and-permissions. Download to IP: 130.58.65.20 On: Fri, 01 Jul 2016 18:07:20 books Illuminating discussions on an exotic material from near the middle of the minor criticism and in no way Soap, Science, and 19th century up to the present. decreases my admiration for Flat-Screen TVs As someone who has been what the authors have accom- engaged in liquid-crystal re - plished. This is a truly stimu- A History of Liquid Crystals search for several decades, I lating look at the history and David Dunmur and Tim Sluckin found that the historical nar - science of a little-understood Oxford University Press, New York, rative in Soap, Science, and phase of matter and a material 2011. $53.95 (345 pp.). Flat-Screen TVs filled in my that affects our lives every day. ISBN 978-0-19-954940-5 knowledge of many of the For experts looking for a characters. It also created in more rigorous lesson on liquid- my mind portraits of those crystal science, a textbook is the Structure and researchers as people. I would have obvious place to turn. And because few guessed that they possessed both amaz- texts exist for a course on the subject, Properties of ing talents and serious foibles, but those Structure and Properties of Liquid Crystals extremes don’t capture the full land- is a welcome addition. Its author, Lev Liquid Crystals scape of their lives, which the authors Blinov, has long been a leading contrib- Lev M. Blinov reveal with sensitivity and wit. All the utor to the field, and his taking the time Springer Science and Business facts given in the book are to write a high-quality text is a Media, Heidelberg, Germany, 2011. consistent with what I have wonderful gesture. By design, $129.00 (439 pp.). learned over the years. Thus the book fills a gap between ISBN 978-90-481-8828-4 the authors must be congratu- other available textbooks such Reviewed by Peter Collings lated for the accuracy and as Introduction to Liquid Crys- Chemist David Dunmur and physicist nuanced perspective that tals: Chemistry and Physics Tim Sluckin have made important con- characterizes the book. (Taylor & Francis, 1997) by tributions to the field of liquid-crystal What will nonexperts Michael Hird and me, The research and are respected by all of us think? For readers who enjoy Physics of Liquid Crystals (2nd who toil in it. Soap, Science, and Flat- learning some new science, edition, Oxford University Screen TVs: A History of Liquid Crystals is this book will be a wonderful Press, 1993) by Pierre-Gilles yet another contribution, but of a very read. They will be able to fol- de Gennes and Jacques Prost, different sort—namely, “somewhere low both the science and the personali- and Liquid Crystals: Fundamentals (World between history of science and popular ties; as a result, they will understand Scientific, 2002) by Shri Singh. The first science,” to use the authors’ own words. the convoluted scientific path that led to book contains only selected topics but Their desire is to “communicate the our understanding of liquid crystals develops the necessary background excitement of liquid crystals to a wider and come to appreciate that science, chemistry and physics. The other two audience.” To do that, they explain the after all, is done by people. I find it more books cover many more topics at a important concepts and techniques nec- difficult to gauge the reaction of readers higher mathematical and scientific level, essary to understand the historical nar- who might be interested in the book’s but contain little background informa- rative, frequently placing them in boxes characters but not in the scientific ques- tion on general chemistry and physics. so as not to disrupt the storyline. But tions with which those characters grap- Structure and Properties of Liquid Crys- there’s no mistaking that the book pled. Without an appreciation of those tals discusses the theoretical concepts focuses on bringing to life the people questions, I think a good deal of what necessary to understand the liquid- who did the experiments and formed makes the characters interesting is lost. crystal phase from the perspective of an the theories, by including a good deal Such is the peril of trying to teach sci- experimentalist. All the necessary the- about their personalities, interactions, ence in a history book. ory is there for a wide range of topics in intellectual proclivities, and historical The authors note that their explana- the physics of liquid crystals. But when- settings. The result is a well-written, tions do not include equations and ever possible, Blinov makes connec- accurate, and totally engaging look at mathematical rigor; as a result they tions to experimental techniques and the history and science of liquid crystals expect to be criticized by experts. I results, and he includes some develop- found the explanations both clear and ment of the general physical ideas that Peter Collings, whose research on liquid correct for the most part, so their expec- form the foundation of our knowledge crystals spans nearly 40 years, is the tation may not be realized. At one point, in this field. Line drawings are used Morris L. Clothier Professor of Physics at however, there is confusion about throughout the text to help with the Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, whether it is the direction of propaga- explanations, as are simple analogies Pennsyl vania. He is the author or coauthor tion or the direction of polarization that and references to familiar concepts. The of two books on liquid crystals and has determines the index of refraction in an book is certainly suitable for advanced edited a handbook on liquid-crystal science. anisotropic material. Still, that is a undergraduates and graduate students Reuse of AIPwww.physicstoday.org Publishing content is subject to the terms at: https://publishing.aip.org/authors/rights-and-permissions. August Download 2011 to IP: Physics 130.58.65.20 Today On:49 Fri, 01 Jul 2016 18:07:20 taking a course on liquid crystals. conducting postdoctoral re - Other gems in the book are Some minor shortcomings appear in search at the Institute for the wonderful discussions by the text. One concerns the presence of Advanced Study in Princeton, DeWitt and Wheeler about numerous grammatical mistakes and New Jersey. They married in Hugh Everett III and his “rel- misspellings. Those never rise to the 1951 and moved to the Univer- ative state” or “many-worlds” level of causing confusion, but they are sity of North Carolina at interpretation of quantum noticeable. The second concerns a slight Chapel Hill in 1956; there, mechanics (pages 91–100); an unevenness in how much background encouraged by Freeman important biographical mem- physics is supplied for the myriad top- Dyson and John Wheeler, oir (pages 123–131) by Steven ics covered in the book. In most cases, DeWitt would become the Weinberg that he prepared in Blinov nicely relates his topic to basic founding director of the Insti- 2008 for the National Acad- physics before developing the ideas tute of Field Physics. (It was at emy of Sciences; and an excel- important to liquid crystals. But some- the institute that Peter Higgs, then a lent introductory letter from DeWitt to times he makes a connection to a fairly postdoc, wrote his famous 1964 paper his grandson, Ben, partly to explain sophisticated idea; in such cases readers on the Higgs boson and its role in why he chose physics (pages 1–4). unfamiliar with the concept will wish spontaneous symmetry breaking.) The DeWitt-Morette took great care in the author had offered a more funda- DeWitts moved to the University of producing a well-documented and mental discussion. But the weaknesses Texas at Austin in 1971 where he well-rounded memoir covering the are fairly inconsequential; Structure and remained until his passing in 2004. many aspects of her husband’s out- Properties of Liquid Crystals is a truly use- DeWitt was the first to find the per- standing character and achievements. ful addition to the pedagogical litera- turbation rules to all orders for ghost The only significant lacuna I noticed is ture on liquid crystals.