Most people have probably seen a Crookes radiometer and been captivated by it. It's a reasonably priced novelty item, so it usually ends up on a desktop as a stimulating piece of office decor.
But there are unanswered questions. How does it work? Who was this Crookes guy and how did he come up with it? It looks so simple. A glass bulb with four vanes inside that turn when you shine light on them, no batteries required.
Some of the best physicists of the last 150 years have also been intrigued by the radiometer. Both James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein took it upon themselves to shed light on how it works.
If you have a Crookes radiometer, or would like to buy one, this book is a wonderful companion that explains how the radiometer works for the curious who like to go deeper than the simplistic, and usually wrong, description on the box.
The book includes the history of the device, starting with its invention in the 1870's. The book will give you a deeper understanding of the radiometer than you ever thought possible. You may even learn some new physics in the process.
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