Getting a Bang out of Gamow

GW Magazine ^ | Spring 2000 | Eamon Harper, an associate professor of physics at GW and a specialist in theoretical nuclear and pa

[chariotdriver]

Getting a Bang Out of Gamow
By Professor Eamon Harper
In August 1934 there appeared on the GW campus a 6-foot-3-inch, 30-year-old, flaxen-haired, Ukrainian émigré scientist. His startlingly blue eyes twinkled myopically behind lenses that resembled the bottoms of cider bottles. He conversed with a cosmopolitan circle of friends in a variety of European languages, with a fractured but poetic delivery that was animated and usually high-pitched. His name: George Gamow [pronounced GAM-off].

The young Ukrainian had a straightforward, no-nonsense way of doing theoretical physics. His approach was strongly intuitive and he lost little time on florid mathematical formalism. That outlook commended itself to the redoubtable Rutherford, who was, to put it mildly, skeptical of the value, if not of all theoretical speculation, certainly of many theoretical scientists.

Gamow's abrupt and precipitous plunge into the theory of genetic coding in 1953 surprised even his closest friends by its daring originality. In mid-1953, having read the famous paper by Francis Crick and James Watson describing the double helical structure of DNA, Gamow sent Crick a letter, in which he outlined a mathematical code connecting the structure of DNA with the existence of 20 amino acids. The latter are the building blocks of the proteins that form the most important constituent of all biological organisms. (Photo: Gamow explaining a point of interest to members of the Junior Academy of Scientists (GW Lisner Auditorium, 1952))

No mathematical regularity of the kind Gamow contemplated has been discerned between the structure of the DNA and that of the amino acid sequence in proteins.

good friend Edward Teller described as follows:

"Gamow was fantastic in his ideas. He was right, he was wrong. More often wrong than right. Always interesting; ... and when his idea was not wrong it was not only right, it was new."

[chariotdriver]

"Gamow was fantastic in his ideas. He was right, he was wrong. More often wrong than right. Always interesting; ... and when his idea was not wrong it was not only right, it was new."

[chariotdriver]

Few could have predicted that he would achieve worldwide renown as an astrophysicist and as the chief proponent of a bizarre theory of cosmic evolution called the "big bang,"

[xJones]

Gamov was a a real character. His co-authored paper which introduced the Alpher -Bethe -Gamow theory will always remain a classic.:)

[chariotdriver]

a fractured but poetic delivery that was animated and usually high-pitched

I wonder if that is where part of Peter Sellers composite character Dr. Strangleove came from?

[Steely Tom]

As I read the "Timeline for the Hot Big Bang Theory," the universe expanded to a radius of 1 meter in the first 10E-35 second. Speed of light is 1 meter in 3E-9 second.

What am I missing? (steely)

[ken21]

gamow liked the young coeds and used to be seen driving around campus on a sunny day in his convertible, his arm around the coed.

[xJones]

I wonder if that is where part of Peter Sellers composite character Dr. Strangleove came from?

You could sit up all night arguing about that, but the best argument I've read is that Dr. Strangelove was a composite of a few scientists with Edward Teller being the leading characture.

[chariotdriver]

Well based upon your observation, it would look as the theory has some gaps.

[chariotdriver]

And therein lies the true goal of the bigbang theory ;)

[ken21]

!!!

[chariotdriver]

Was that poor taste classless? Perhaps

[b_sharp]

Thanks for the ping.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

His co-authored paper which introduced the Alpher -Bethe -Gamow theory will always remain a classic.:)

If memory serves, one of the three was actually added just to make the name nifty.

[chariotdriver]

We need the Gamow's the Darwin's and all the rest, even if the results are somewhat flawed and incomplete on the surface.

somewhat flawed and incomplete on the surface
Describes Creation and BigBang-Evolution to me. Faith takes this $up to the creation side.

[xJones]

If memory serves, one of the three was actually added just to make the name nifty.

That's right, Hans Bethe (pronounced "beta") had his name gratuitously thrown in for the joke.:)

[Smartaleck]

Even those who are afraid of math should check out his books

* One Two Three . . . Infinity : Facts and Speculations of Science
* And Mr Tompkins in Paperback : Comprising 'Mr Tompkins in Wonderland' and 'Mr Tompkins Explores the Atom'

Gamow was absolutely brilliant at taking seeming complex abstract ideas and explaining them in the most easy to understand concepts.