BOLTZMANN’S ATOM

A tribute to the 19th-century Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann, whose early work “laid the groundwork” for quantum and chaos theory.

Lindley (The End of Physics, 1993) has several goals: to honor Boltzmann, to emphasize that 20th- and 21st-century physics owe debts to the so-called era of classical physics (c. 1850–1900), and to solidify the argument that theoretical physicists are not simply quark-gazers—they open new ways for experimental physicists to think about matter and energy (as well as time and the Big Bang). Boltzmann, born in 1844 to a middle-class family in the Vienna of imperial Austria, entered the University of Vienna in 1867 with no notable signs of scientific genius. But he was quickly attracted to the ideas about atoms that were then swirling among a few scientists in Austria and elsewhere. Boltzmann developed a theory about the behavior of atoms: using statistical methods that included reckoning probability, Boltzmann offered mathematical evidence that the behavior of invisible, but numerous, beads of matter (atoms) were responsible for, for instance, how gas responded to temperature and pressure. Lindley brings in scientists from around the world to defend and challenge Boltzmann’s theories in detail. Austrian scientists in particular confronted him on his theory of atoms: If you can’t see it, does it really exist? Nevertheless, Boltzmann established an international reputation, with support from Emperor Franz-Josef. Despite what most would call a successful career—he was in demand from prestigious universities—the pressure of scientific and academic politics got to Boltzmann, and he eventually committed suicide, even as successors Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and others were acknowledging their debt to him. Lindley devotes a chapter to connecting the dots of 19th- and 20th-century physics with a history of atomic theory that dates back to the 4th century in Greece.

Physicists will be bolstered by Lindley’s bottom line: Like Boltzmann, theorizing is okay. Science buffs may need to have references at hand, however, to refresh their memories on the principles of thermodynamics and kinetic energy.