Brian Cathcart

The Fly in the Cathedral

'Splitting the Atom' was a turning point in the progress of physics, and indeed of the world in general. The Fly in the Cathedral tells the story of the work leading up to the success of John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton in 1932.

Splitting the atom in fact refers to splitting the tiny atomic nucleus - the fly within the much bigger cathedral of the atom. In this mostly biographical book Brian Cathcart tells us about the life of not just Cockcroft and Walton, but also of the other scientists involved in the attempt to discover the secrets of the atomic nucleus, and in particular of Ernest Rutherford, who played a significant part in the discovery of the nucleus in 1909. Thus we hear about the rivalry between different research groups, the false starts, and the theory which suggested that an impractical ten million volts would be needed. But then it was seen that if protons were used as the bullets, just 300,000 volts might suffice. This still needed quite an effort to finance and build the equipment, but eventually led to success. Cathcart goes on to show how this was the end of one era and the beginning of a new one - that of Big Science. It's a fascinating book, written by a non-scientist, and so is well worth reading whether or not you have any previous knowledge of physics.

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ISBN: 0374530262
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Published: 2005 Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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ISBN: 0374530262
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Published: 2005 Farrar Straus Giroux

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Paperback 320 pages
ISBN: 0374530262
Salesrank: 198080
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Published: 2006 Farrar Straus Giroux

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Product Description
"Cathcart tells this exhilarating story with both verve and precision" --The Sunday Telegraph Re-creating the frustrations, excitements, and obsessions of 1932, the "miracle year" of British physics, Brian Cathcart reveals in rich detail the astonishing story behind the splitting of the atom. The most celebrated scientific experiment of its time, it would lead to one of mankind's most devastating inventions--the atomic bomb. All matter is made mostly of empty space. Each of the billions of atoms that comprise it is hollow, its true mass concentrated in a tiny nucleus that, if the atom were a cathedral, would be no bigger than a fly. Discovering its existence three quarters of a century ago was Lord Rutherford's greatest scientific achievement, but even he caught only a glimpse. Almost at the point of despair, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, two young researchers in a grubby basement room at the famous Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, grappled with the challenge. Racing against their American and German counterparts-a colorful cast of Nobel Prize winners--they would change everything. With paper-and-pencil calculations, a handmade apparatus, the odd lump of plasticine, and some revolutionary physics, Cockroft and Walton raised the curtain on the atomic age. The Fly in the Cathedral is a riveting and erudite narrative inspired by the dreams that lead the last true gentlemen scientists to the very essence of the universe: the heart of matter.

Product Description

"Cathcart tells this exhilarating story with both verve and precision" --The Sunday Telegraph

Re-creating the frustrations, excitements, and obsessions of 1932, the "miracle year" of British physics, Brian Cathcart reveals in rich detail the astonishing story behind the splitting of the atom. The most celebrated scientific experiment of its time, it would lead to one of mankind's most devastating inventions--the atomic bomb.

All matter is made mostly of empty space. Each of the billions of atoms that comprise it is hollow, its true mass concentrated in a tiny nucleus that, if the atom were a cathedral, would be no bigger than a fly. Discovering its existence three quarters of a century ago was Lord Rutherford's greatest scientific achievement, but even he caught only a glimpse. Almost at the point of despair, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, two young researchers in a grubby basement room at the famous Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, grappled with the challenge. Racing against their American and German counterparts-a colorful cast of Nobel Prize winners--they would change everything. With paper-and-pencil calculations, a handmade apparatus, the odd lump of plasticine, and some revolutionary physics, Cockroft and Walton raised the curtain on the atomic age.

The Fly in the Cathedral is a riveting and erudite narrative inspired by the dreams that lead the last true gentlemen scientists to the very essence of the universe: the heart of matter.

nothing special ***
Noticing that I make an occasional foray into popular science writing, a physicist friend of mine thrust this book on me, claiming I wouldn't be able to put it down. Not the case. Although for him the book was supremely interesting and matchlessly well-wrought, I found it a passable but unexceptional bit of science narrative. The subject matter concerns the efforts and discoveries of a pioneering group of atomic physicists working at Cambridge in the 1920's. Although certainly not technical, the material, I feel, requires a fairly solid grounding in elementary physics and chemistry to follow the "action," not to mention appreciate the magnitude of the breakthroughs the author recounts. The author assures us he has taken pains to insure this is not the case, but I differ.

nothing special ***

Noticing that I make an occasional foray into popular science writing, a physicist friend of mine thrust this book on me, claiming I wouldn't be able to put it down.

Not the case. Although for him the book was supremely interesting and matchlessly well-wrought, I found it a passable but unexceptional bit of science narrative.

The subject matter concerns the efforts and discoveries of a pioneering group of atomic physicists working at Cambridge in the 1920's.

Although certainly not technical, the material, I feel, requires a fairly solid grounding in elementary physics and chemistry to follow the "action," not to mention appreciate the magnitude of the breakthroughs the author recounts.

The author assures us he has taken pains to insure this is not the case, but I differ.

Splitting the Atom *****
In my school days, I had come across the names of Rutherford, J.J.Thomson and Chadwick but not the two protagonists of this book - John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton. Cockcroft and Walton were the first physicists who successfully 'split' or disintegrated the nucleus. What is interesting about this book is that it manages to provide us with a feel of the excitement and challenges experienced by physicists at the Cavendish Lab during the 1920s-1930s. Most general history of physics tend to focus on ideas and theories but not the nitty gritty aspects of building apparatus and conducting experiments. Instead of taking the former route, this book emphasizes on the importance of empirical physics and its interactions with theoretical physics. At the center of this story is how Cockcroft and Walton raced to build a particle accelerator that is used to bombard the Nucleas. But machines are not the central element of the book. The author devotes a great deal of space to building a human aspect of the story. Aside from Cockcroft and Walton, we are are fed with vignettes of Rutherford (who provided crucial leadership at Cavendish) as well as others like Chadwick, Gamow, and the Bohr brothers. A particularly interesting aspect of the book is the competition between the different groups of scientists in different countries (UK, USA, France) working on the same problem. This is more intense given the winner-take-all nature of breakthrough discoveries in term of academic (and public) fame. This book should be of great interest to readers who enjoy reading about the general history of physics. Lack of knowledge or memory of physics would not be an obstacle to the enjoyment of this very readable book. Highly recommended.

Splitting the Atom *****

In my school days, I had come across the names of Rutherford, J.J.Thomson and Chadwick but not the two protagonists of this book - John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton. Cockcroft and Walton were the first physicists who successfully 'split' or disintegrated the nucleus.

What is interesting about this book is that it manages to provide us with a feel of the excitement and challenges experienced by physicists at the Cavendish Lab during the 1920s-1930s. Most general history of physics tend to focus on ideas and theories but not the nitty gritty aspects of building apparatus and conducting experiments. Instead of taking the former route, this book emphasizes on the importance of empirical physics and its interactions with theoretical physics. At the center of this story is how Cockcroft and Walton raced to build a particle accelerator that is used to bombard the Nucleas.

But machines are not the central element of the book. The author devotes a great deal of space to building a human aspect of the story. Aside from Cockcroft and Walton, we are are fed with vignettes of Rutherford (who provided crucial leadership at Cavendish) as well as others like Chadwick, Gamow, and the Bohr brothers.

A particularly interesting aspect of the book is the competition between the different groups of scientists in different countries (UK, USA, France) working on the same problem. This is more intense given the winner-take-all nature of breakthrough discoveries in term of academic (and public) fame.

This book should be of great interest to readers who enjoy reading about the general history of physics. Lack of knowledge or memory of physics would not be an obstacle to the enjoyment of this very readable book. Highly recommended.

Peering Into Atom *****
Thumbs up for Brian Cathcart. Well done. What a good find and thank you University of Chicago Bookstore! Though it would greatly help to grasp the significance of the events described in the book if the reader had a scientific background, it is a great read regardless. Even more remarkable is the fact that the author does not claim any formal technical training or background. It took me one weekend to go cover to cover. Basically the scientific research in the glorious Cavendish Labs during 20s and early 30s is described, work which led to the complete understanding of the classic picture of the atom. It was a time when British science was at its peak. Incredible amount of detail of the personal lives of the scientists and their apparatus, construction and engineering methods, the social and moral norms that guided the group and society at the time have been presented. The research is impeccable. Reader gets a chance to peer over the shoulders of the scientists, one can almost hear the pumps rattling, corona crackling and scintillation counters glowing in the poorly lit labs. Engineering detail is superb. This was also the time of international brotherhood in physics. They were one big family, ignorant of politics and other boundries. An innocence lost with the WWII. Some of the personalities lived on till 80s. What an adventure! Starting in strictly Victorian era settings, discovering electron and other subatomic particles and then they got to witness the comupter and information age.

Peering Into Atom *****

Thumbs up for Brian Cathcart. Well done. What a good find and thank you University of Chicago Bookstore!

Though it would greatly help to grasp the significance of the events described in the book if the reader had a scientific background, it is a great read regardless. Even more remarkable is the fact that the author does not claim any formal technical training or background. It took me one weekend to go cover to cover.

Basically the scientific research in the glorious Cavendish Labs during 20s and early 30s is described, work which led to the complete understanding of the classic picture of the atom. It was a time when British science was at its peak. Incredible amount of detail of the personal lives of the scientists and their apparatus, construction and engineering methods, the social and moral norms that guided the group and society at the time have been presented. The research is impeccable.

Reader gets a chance to peer over the shoulders of the scientists, one can almost hear the pumps rattling, corona crackling and scintillation counters glowing in the poorly lit labs. Engineering detail is superb.

This was also the time of international brotherhood in physics. They were one big family, ignorant of politics and other boundries. An innocence lost with the WWII.

Some of the personalities lived on till 80s. What an adventure! Starting in strictly Victorian era settings, discovering electron and other subatomic particles and then they got to witness the comupter and information age.

very engaging story *****
I enjoyed this book very much and finished it in two days (it's quite rare for me to do this as I'm not a fast reader). I felt as though I was watching over the shoulders of Cockcroft and Walton as they built the first accelerator while working at the Cavendish under Rutherford. I think that Brian Cathcart is an excellent author and I hope that he decides to write a few more books about the history of science. This is definitely one of my favorites in this category. I think modern day experimental physicists must look at this period in the development of their subject with longing. Cockcroft and Walton built their own accelerator on a minimal budget. Nowadays it takes billions of dollars and the cooperation of hundreds of people and organizations from many countries to build a new accelerator. All that a current physicist can hope for is his/her slice of time to run some experiments.

very engaging story *****

I enjoyed this book very much and finished it in two days (it's quite rare for me to do this as I'm not a fast reader). I felt as though I was watching over the shoulders of Cockcroft and Walton as they built the first accelerator while working at the Cavendish under Rutherford. I think that Brian Cathcart is an excellent author and I hope that he decides to write a few more books about the history of science. This is definitely one of my favorites in this category. I think modern day experimental physicists must look at this period in the development of their subject with longing. Cockcroft and Walton built their own accelerator on a minimal budget. Nowadays it takes billions of dollars and the cooperation of hundreds of people and organizations from many countries to build a new accelerator. All that a current physicist can hope for is his/her slice of time to run some experiments.

A tour of atomic physics in the 1920's *****
The universe is full of empty space. By that I don't mean intergalactic space, but space all around us. Most of everything is simply empty, even so-called solids. The scale of the emptiness within atoms has been likened to a fly within (the space of) a cathedral, and hence the title of the book. After the title, there follows a well-written detective story of which we know the answer. The reader knows the answer, because it is written on the jacket, and, yes, EVERYBODY knows the answer as we have come across the topic before. The story is well told, nevertheless. There is a web of personalities involved, with many interconnectins between the multinational characters. From the people, two distinct points emerge. Firstly, there is the public reaction of what had been achieved in the Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge in the 1920's and early 1930's. The subject matter captured the public imagination, although much of the initial coverage was sensationalist. This was not helped because the one `tame journalist' was not available when the story broke. Headlines about `splitting the atom' were run, and although the author veers away from such terms (as in effect, this had been achieved as early as 1909), the book itself has `won the race to split the atom' as part of its sub-title! Secondly, it very discovery of splitting the nucleus was a very chancy event. The Cavendish laboratory between the wars was not what we would recognise now as `a research establishment'. Everything stopped for tea at 16:00, and there was no work done with equiptment after 18:00. How and why didn't the Americans (with their four centres of research) achieve the desired result first? Many people (if not all concerned) believed that much larger voltages of electricity were required to accelerate particles to `crash' into the nucleus. The final breakthrough was achieved by accident, with a variety of equiptment built up over a number of years, and the operators had to perform gymnastic contortions to avoid electrocution. The equiptment was truly worthy of William Heath Robinson. Brian Cathcard manages to weave an intriguing story, covering a time of intense activity in the nacient science of particle physics. Like many stories of its kind, it raises plenty of questions. It is hard to look at the events of over 70 years ago without realising what has come out of this research. To his credit, the author does not dwell unduly on this. He does quite rightly mention that a number of the people involved did play a part in the development of the atomic bomb. My most endearing memory is of those engaged in research at the Cavendish. I can picture them at work in my mind's eye. A volume that achieves that deserves high praise. Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)

A tour of atomic physics in the 1920's *****

The universe is full of empty space. By that I don't mean intergalactic space, but space all around us. Most of everything is simply empty, even so-called solids. The scale of the emptiness within atoms has been likened to a fly within (the space of) a cathedral, and hence the title of the book.

After the title, there follows a well-written detective story of which we know the answer. The reader knows the answer, because it is written on the jacket, and, yes, EVERYBODY knows the answer as we have come across the topic before. The story is well told, nevertheless. There is a web of personalities involved, with many interconnectins between the multinational characters. From the people, two distinct points emerge.

Firstly, there is the public reaction of what had been achieved in the Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge in the 1920's and early 1930's. The subject matter captured the public imagination, although much of the initial coverage was sensationalist. This was not helped because the one `tame journalist' was not available when the story broke. Headlines about `splitting the atom' were run, and although the author veers away from such terms (as in effect, this had been achieved as early as 1909), the book itself has `won the race to split the atom' as part of its sub-title!

Secondly, it very discovery of splitting the nucleus was a very chancy event. The Cavendish laboratory between the wars was not what we would recognise now as `a research establishment'. Everything stopped for tea at 16:00, and there was no work done with equiptment after 18:00. How and why didn't the Americans (with their four centres of research) achieve the desired result first? Many people (if not all concerned) believed that much larger voltages of electricity were required to accelerate particles to `crash' into the nucleus.

The final breakthrough was achieved by accident, with a variety of equiptment built up over a number of years, and the operators had to perform gymnastic contortions to avoid electrocution. The equiptment was truly worthy of William Heath Robinson.

Brian Cathcard manages to weave an intriguing story, covering a time of intense activity in the nacient science of particle physics. Like many stories of its kind, it raises plenty of questions. It is hard to look at the events of over 70 years ago without realising what has come out of this research. To his credit, the author does not dwell unduly on this. He does quite rightly mention that a number of the people involved did play a part in the development of the atomic bomb.

My most endearing memory is of those engaged in research at the Cavendish. I can picture them at work in my mind's eye. A volume that achieves that deserves high praise.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)

The race to split the atom: ***
Brian Cathcart, the author of this book, explains during his introductions that he is a 'non-scientist' writing upon the records and historical accounts of how the nuclei in the atom became split, the great onset of nuclear physics. Mr. Cathcart's research, as is shown by the lengthy bibliography, is a very good detailed account not only in how the disintegration process came about but also an intricate lesson in atomic physics itself. Brian certainly links the science with world events that followed and, in taking forward the work of Chadwick, Cockcroft and Walton illustrates the advances of science that made the process of 'fission' with uranium and plutonium identifiable. The novel concentrates on the years prior to 1932. Professor Lord Rutherford, director of the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, authorised through curiosity experimental trials to proceed on the hunches of Walton and Cockcroft who, later themselves, received the Nobel Prize for research into atomic nuclear theory. Painstakingly patient, the two scientists enter a race against time in being the first to announce the breakthrough. The announcement, on being first to transmute atomic nuclei, was made by Lord Rutherford, unusually at the Royal Society before official publication within the officially recognised scientific journals. Rutherford had no choice given the rapid advance of scientists elsewhere working on similar projects. Brian Cathcart gives a detailed and exploratory analysis of scientific trial and error, the developments in advancing artificially accelerated particles and the well documented practices at the Cavendish, the Cambridge Institute that has fathered major breakthroughs in scientific research. A book that should be an essential component for any budding scientist eager to understand the evolution of nuclear physics and, a guide for anyone interested in tracing nuclear theory to date, the author also shows how the work of Cockcroft and Walton reconciles to the theory of Einstein. The splitting of the atom equates to the energy released under Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Einstein himself having visited the Cavendish in meeting with the two men. The last words of the book summarily sum up the whole book in a virtual nutshell. Expounding the words of Lord Rutherford to a journalist from the Daily Herald, the professor ends: "We are rather like children, who must take a watch to pieces to see how it works." www.markatscotland.blogspot.com

The race to split the atom: ***

Brian Cathcart, the author of this book, explains during his introductions that he is a 'non-scientist' writing upon the records and historical accounts of how the nuclei in the atom became split, the great onset of nuclear physics. Mr. Cathcart's research, as is shown by the lengthy bibliography, is a very good detailed account not only in how the disintegration process came about but also an intricate lesson in atomic physics itself. Brian certainly links the science with world events that followed and, in taking forward the work of Chadwick, Cockcroft and Walton illustrates the advances of science that made the process of 'fission' with uranium and plutonium identifiable.

The novel concentrates on the years prior to 1932. Professor Lord Rutherford, director of the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, authorised through curiosity experimental trials to proceed on the hunches of Walton and Cockcroft who, later themselves, received the Nobel Prize for research into atomic nuclear theory. Painstakingly patient, the two scientists enter a race against time in being the first to announce the breakthrough. The announcement, on being first to transmute atomic nuclei, was made by Lord Rutherford, unusually at the Royal Society before official publication within the officially recognised scientific journals. Rutherford had no choice given the rapid advance of scientists elsewhere working on similar projects. Brian Cathcart gives a detailed and exploratory analysis of scientific trial and error, the developments in advancing artificially accelerated particles and the well documented practices at the Cavendish, the Cambridge Institute that has fathered major breakthroughs in scientific research.

A book that should be an essential component for any budding scientist eager to understand the evolution of nuclear physics and, a guide for anyone interested in tracing nuclear theory to date, the author also shows how the work of Cockcroft and Walton reconciles to the theory of Einstein. The splitting of the atom equates to the energy released under Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Einstein himself having visited the Cavendish in meeting with the two men.

The last words of the book summarily sum up the whole book in a virtual nutshell. Expounding the words of Lord Rutherford to a journalist from the Daily Herald, the professor ends: "We are rather like children, who must take a watch to pieces to see how it works."

www.markatscotland.blogspot.com

Splitting the Atom: Experimental Physics in 1930 *****
This is a delightful book and a good read. The experimental work of Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft and the working conditions in the Cavendish laboratory are clearly explained. The personalities of the main actors, including Ernest Rutherford and James Chadwick are sympathetically drawn. Also the growing competition from research in the USA is well depicted.

Splitting the Atom: Experimental Physics in 1930 *****

This is a delightful book and a good read. The experimental work of Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft and the working conditions in the Cavendish laboratory are clearly explained. The personalities of the main actors, including Ernest Rutherford and James Chadwick are sympathetically drawn. Also the growing competition from research in the USA is well depicted.

You don't need to be interested in flies or cathedrals. ****
This is a really good tale for everyone: from scientists interested in the progress of atomic physics at the start of the last century, to anyone simply wanting in a good human story relating to a time now past. The science is there if you want it and is explained helpfully without annoying the specialist. Find out how the strands of science come together and coalesce at just the right moment: how the gentlemanly relaxed Brits get there almost by accident, while competing Americans puff and find they are shooting for the wrong goal. If your normal reading is Stephen Hawking you will surely like this. And so will you, equally, if you read Agatha Christie or Delia Smith.

You don't need to be interested in flies or cathedrals. ****

This is a really good tale for everyone: from scientists interested in the progress of atomic physics at the start of the last century, to anyone simply wanting in a good human story relating to a time now past. The science is there if you want it and is explained helpfully without annoying the specialist. Find out how the strands of science come together and coalesce at just the right moment: how the gentlemanly relaxed Brits get there almost by accident, while competing Americans puff and find they are shooting for the wrong goal. If your normal reading is Stephen Hawking you will surely like this. And so will you, equally, if you read Agatha Christie or Delia Smith.

The Fly in the Cathedral *****
This the delightful account of how two young scientists (working at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge University under the tutelage of the famous Lord Rutherford) won the race on how the atom could be split using artifical means. Ernest Walton - a your Irish physicist straight off the boat from Trinity College Dublin was teamed with John Cockcroft a slightly older veteran of the First World War and together they did the job ahead of their rivals in Europe and the USA. Walton had manualacy as well as an intellect while Cockcroft had connections in industry as well as his keen scientific and mathematical ability. They were able to "beg, borrow & steal" a miscellany of equipment and then get it to do the job at voltages far lower than anyone else ever imagined. This should be required reading for anybody involved in scientific research today so that they can hone their inginuity as Walton & Cockcroft did in the early 1930s. This fundamental research was the beginning of the atomic age of science. Walton returned to Dublin after his days in the limelight at Cavandish and taught countless students the "fun" of physics while quietly promoting peaceful uses of atomic energy. Cockcroft went on to become the head of the British Atomic Research Station at Harwell. Walton and Cockcroft were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 1951 for being the first to split the atam. This book is written by a non-scientist who works hard to explain complex scientific issues in layman's language and succeeds in entrapping the reader with this tale of science, discovery, rivalry, perseverence snd practical inginuity.

The Fly in the Cathedral *****

This the delightful account of how two young scientists (working at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge University under the tutelage of the famous Lord Rutherford) won the race on how the atom could be split using artifical means. Ernest Walton - a your Irish physicist straight off the boat from Trinity College Dublin was teamed with John Cockcroft a slightly older veteran of the First World War and together they did the job ahead of their rivals in Europe and the USA. Walton had manualacy as well as an intellect while Cockcroft had connections in industry as well as his keen scientific and mathematical ability. They were able to "beg, borrow & steal" a miscellany of equipment and then get it to do the job at voltages far lower than anyone else ever imagined.

This should be required reading for anybody involved in scientific research today so that they can hone their inginuity as Walton & Cockcroft did in the early 1930s. This fundamental research was the beginning of the atomic age of science. Walton returned to Dublin after his days in the limelight at Cavandish and taught countless students the "fun" of physics while quietly promoting peaceful uses of atomic energy. Cockcroft went on to become the head of the British Atomic Research Station at Harwell. Walton and Cockcroft were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 1951 for being the first to split the atam.

This book is written by a non-scientist who works hard to explain complex scientific issues in layman's language and succeeds in entrapping the reader with this tale of science, discovery, rivalry, perseverence snd practical inginuity.