Hydrogen by John Rigden, Harvard University Press, $28/£19.50/€28, ISBN 0674007387 Reviewed by Graham Farmelo
NOTHING better illustrates the virtue of simplicity than the hydrogen atom. Because it has the simplest possible atomic structure – an electron orbiting a proton – hydrogen has taught us more about nature than all the other atoms. Hydrogen is also the commonest atom in the Universe and mother of all other atoms and molecules, apart from helium, which explains why John Rigden calls hydrogen the “heroine” of his book.
Rigden is deeply enamoured of physics, physicists and the historical anecdotes that bind them together. These…
