“On the Shoulders of Giants”
Kenna’s new book discusses 10 unsung heroes within quantum physics, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and even philosophy. Co-written with quantum thinker Brian Lenahan, Kenna discusses some of the world’s biggest inventions, from algebra to modern computers, highlighting the people behind these works who you don’t know about.
Our subjects include Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi, an ancient Persian scholar who invented algebra; Gottfried Leibniz, a 17th-century German scientist-philosopher who developed key theories, including calculus; Elmer Imes, the 2nd African American to earn a Ph.D. in physics and was part of the Harlem Renaissance; Satyendra Nath Bose, an Indian scientist who worked with Einstein to develop key models for quantum movement; Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, a Japanese theoretical physicist who won the 1965 Nobel Prize along with Schwinger and Feynman for his work on quantum electro-dynamics; Claude Shannon, a mathematician who invented key methods for sending digital information, he was also on the covers of Vogue, Time, and Life magazine, though few people recognize him now; Betty Holberton, one of the first computer programmers and part of the ENIAC 6 team of women to program the first modern computer during WWII; Pantur Silaban, an Indonesian theoretical physicist looking at Grand Unified Theory; Mark Reed, a Yale professor who coined the term “quantum dots,” and worked with cutting-edge nanotechnology; and Deborah “Debbie Jin,” who created the first quantum degenerate gas.
This book is perfect for anyone interested in mathematics, engineering, computer science, quantum physics, physics, or the history of science. It’s also a great choice for high schoolers and teen students all the way to experts in these fields.
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