Book Reviews

Russian-English Translator’s Dictionary. A Guide to Scientific and Technical Usage. By M. Zimmerman and C. Vedneeva. Pp. 735. Wiley. 1992. Hardback f65.00 ISBN 0 417 93316 3.

This is the third edition of a dictionary origi- nally published in 1967. It is a compilation of terms and phrases drawn from a wide variety of disciplines, and while it cannot be expected to be comprehensive, includes useful modem ter- minology.

There are strong indications of its original aim as a dictionary for translators whose mother tongue is Russian. The Russian headwords and phrases are generally accompanied by an illus- trative sentence or sentences in English, with the corresponding word or phrase emboldened. The examples often cover more than one discipline, which is an extremely useful feature. It must be said, however, that for many translators with English as their mother tongue, Russian-lan- guage examples of usage would frequently be of more assistance.

The preface advises users that if they fail to find the Russian combination they need, they should ‘think of possible synonyms’. This may be difficult when English is the translator’s mother tongue, although not if he or she is working from a pre-existing text. Luckily, ex- tensive cross-references and synonyms are in- cluded, which help to assess nuances of usage.

This dictionary cannot take the place of spe- cialized dictionaries covering restricted fields, but it is an extremely useful general work for anyone working with Russian originals.

S. Dunlop

Genius: Richard Feynman and Modern Physics. By James Gleick. Pp. 530. Little Brown. 1992.

Richard Feynman was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant physicists of his time; he was also idiosyncratic, iconoclastic, and charismatic. In his later years, he became surrounded by some- thing close to a web of mythology - spun largely by himself - as a safe-cracker, bongo player and womaniser. But as James Gleick’s masterly biography reveals, the web served to shield a more sensitive, even troubled soul.

Gleick’s story of Feynman is carefully crafted from interviews with those who were close to him at home or work, together with insights from Feynman’s own correspondence. It is the story of a mind that wanted to see into things, to see what lay behind or beyond them. It led Feynman to disdain much of society’s veneer, and thereby alienate people. However, more im- portantly, it made him a remarkable theoretical physicist, with a knack of seeing straight to the heart of physical problems in a way that many envied.

Endeavour, NewSaries, Volume 17, No. 1,1933. 0160-9327/93 %.00 + 0.00.

From his work on the Manhattan Project, through quantum electrodynamics and the Nobel prize, to the enquiry into the disaster that struck the space shuttle Challenger, the book covers each stage in Feynman’s career in sci- ence. Was Feynman a genius? Read the book and judge for yourself.

Christine Sutton

Invitation to Mathematics. By Konrad Jacobs. Pp. 247. Princeton University Press. 1992. Paperback f 18.00, US $29.95 ISBN 0 69102528 2. In assembling the material for this book the au- thor has addressed the question of what the inter- ested nonmathematician should know about mathematics; he sets out to include specimens of mathematical reasoning, describes a selection of topics from diverse areas of mathematics, giving some views of current themes, while emphasiz- ing its structure, methods, and applicability, to- gether with a smattering of historical anecdotes. In a book of this size it is an ambitious pro- gramme and the result is a Cook’s tour of some highlights of the subject, both classical and mod- em. There are six chapters on geometry, algebra, mathematical induction, topology, dynamics, and one on optimization, game theory and eco- nomics. Included among the features are the Platonic solids, the M6bius strip, the Cantor dis- continuum, the Peano curve, the Reidemeister knot table, the plane ornaments, Alexander’s homed sphere and Antoine’s necklace.

Inevitably, the treatment is often sketchy, but excellent references are provided for readers in- spired to follow up any topic in greater depth. To appreciate fully all the arguments presented requires some hard work, but much can be gained from a more superficial reading. Anyone with a lively mathematical curiosity and knowl- edge up to GCSE level will gain pleasure from within its pages.

D.A. Towers

Practical Surface Analysis, Second edi- tion. Volume 2 - Ion and Neutral Spectroscopy. Edited by D. Briggs and M. P. Seah. Pp. 738. Wiley. Hardback f90.00 ISBN 047193446 1. (Both volumes are now available as a set priced f 160.)

This first edition of this two volume work was such a success that now, nine years after the first edition appeared, a second edition is fully justi- fied. There have been greater developments in ion and neutral spectroscopy than in Auger and XPS spectroscopy (the subjects of volume one) in that period, and this edition of volume two is almost completely new. The opening chapter by the editors (which is identical to chapter one of volume one) gives an overview of the two books, with a working definition of surface analysis as analysis of the elemental composi- tion of the outermost atom layer of a solid. The remaining chapters are by experts in each of the

topics. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) dominates, and there is a splendid chap- ter devoted to instrumentation for SIMS, fol- lowed by chapters on various ramifications and applications of this technique. Sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) gets a look in in one and a half chapters, and there are useful appen- dices on standards and yield data, and other ref- erence material.

This new volume continues the excellent tra- dition which the authors have set in letting au- thoritative writers in the field give detailed accounts of the instrumentation, the principles (including relevant mathematical formulations), their own and others’ experience, with an honest appraisal of the limitations and drawbacks and a realistic assessment of future developments. No one in the field will want to be without it. Of course the editors have not been able to confine themselves to their self-imposed brief. The first application chapter is about sputter depth profi- ing (not the outermost layer, at least when you start), and there is plenty about structure too (for example, obtaining simultaneous chemical and structural analyses by using one atom in the tar- get to shadow another) and even an appendix on imaging the directions of molecular bonds. But what does that matter? When someone is ready to study the structural and electronic properties of a surface he will need other techniques and other books. But as far as elemental analysis goes, this one will take him a long way.

Andrew Briggs

The Sun in Time. Edited by C. P. Sonett, M.S. Giampapa and M. S. Matthews. University of Arizona Press. Paperback US $60 ISBN 0 8165 1297 3. Solar Interior and Atmosphere. Edited by A. N. Cox, W.C. Livingston and MS. Matthews. University ofArizona Press. Paperback US $65 ISBN 0 8165 1229 9.

The Sun is the only star that permits us data of high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution. This resolution, coupled with the large radiative flux, allows a detailed study of the various at- mospheric layers and individual structures not possible for other stars. According to both ground-based and satellite observations we now know that chromospheric, coronal, and wind ac- tivity is a widely spread phenomenon among main sequence stars which may be revealed by several different phenomena: (i) short-lived and impulsive-like events, such as flares; (ii) quasi- periodic photometric variations; (iii) surface in- homogeneities, such as spots and plages, or (iv) simply the appearance of various emission lines.

The above two books were an effort to bring together the various parts of solar physics, the books themselves resulting from scientific meet- ings dedicated towards this task. When I ini- tially received the books for review, my first reaction was to send them back in view of the amount of work involved. However, I soon overcame my initial shock after a quick look

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