Forces in molecules , pp. 340-3 in Physical Review Vol. 56, No. 4, August 15, 1939. FEYNMAN'S UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

FEYNMAN, Richard P.

Verlag: Lancaster, PA & New York, NY: American Institute of Physics, 1939

Beschreibung

First edition, journal issue in original printed wrappers, of Feynman's senior undergraduate thesis at MIT, a fundamental discovery "that has played an important role in theoretical chemistry and condensed matter physics" (Selected Papers, p. 1), published when he was just twenty-one. This is a remarkable paper, documenting the first steps in original research of one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. "Feynman was one of the most creative and influential physicists of the twentieth century. A veteran of the Manhattan Project of World War II and a 1965 Nobel laureate in physics, he made lasting contributions across many domains, from electrodynamics and quantum theory to nuclear and particle physics, solid-state physics, and gravitation" (DSB). Feynman showed in this paper that "the force on an atom's nucleus is no more or less than the electrical force from the surrounding field of charged electrons - the electrostatic force. Once the distribution of charge has been calculated quantum mechanically, then from that point forward quantum mechanics disappears from the picture. The problem becomes classical; the nuclei can be treated as static points of mass and charge. Feynman's approach applies to all chemical bonds. If two nuclei act as though strongly attracted to each other, as the hydrogen nuclei do when they bond to form a water molecule, it is because the nuclei are each drawn toward the electrical charge concentrated quantum mechanically between them" (Gleick, Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman). His discovery, now known as Feynman's theorem or the Feynman-Hellmann theorem, has endured as an efficient approach to the calculation of forces in molecules. "The importance of the forces on the atomic nuclei for molecular geometry, the theory of chemical binding, and for crystal structure is evident" (Selected Papers, p. 1). Large 8vo, pp. 291-385. Original printed wrappers (rust stains from staples, spine worn with two small patches of loss). Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers ABE-1475162517252

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Forces in molecules , pp. 340-3 in Physical ...

Verlag: Lancaster, PA & New York, NY: American Institute of Physics

Erscheinungsdatum: 1939

Einband: Soft cover

Zustand: Good

Auflage: 1st Edition