Essays by Isaac Asimov about physics

Copyright © 1995 by Edward Seiler and Richard Hatcher. All rights reserved.

Just Right

Subject: square-cube law of size
First Published In: Mar-69, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Incredible Shrinking People

Subject: miniaturization
First Published In: Apr-69, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Where All the Sky is Sunshine

Subject: /power generation on the Moon
First Published In: Sep-83, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

E Pluribus Unum

Subject: /action at a distance
First Published In: Apr-84, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Are Scientists Stupid?

Subject: people who believe they have ideas that scientists haven't considered
First Published In: Oct-90, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Collection(s):

Dial Versus Digital

Subject: losing the meaning of "clockwise" in a digital world
First Published In: 29-Oct-85, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

The Slow Breakdown

Original Title: Moon Base May Unify Grand Theories (V12)
Subject: detecting the decay of protons on the Moon
First Published In: 9-Oct-87, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Squashed Sand

Original Title: Theory Has Impact on Dinosaur Doom (V8)
Subject: evidence for impact theory of extinction
First Published In: 14-Apr-89, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Tritium - Why It's Critical

Subject: the need for tritium and the lack of a supply of it
First Published In: 1987-1989, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The White Dwarf Clock

Subject: determining the age of universe by three methods
First Published In: 1987-1989, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Oldest Protein?

Subject: dinosaur bone protein is 150 million years old
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Ostrich Eggs and Humankind

Subject: a dating method that uses protein in egg shells
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Quark Globs

Subject: high density quark stars may throw off bits of themselves
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Nothing Happens

Subject: in an oscillating universe, averaged over all time, nothing happens
First Published In: Jan-81, SciQuest
Collection(s):

Axioms for Everybody

Subject: the role of axioms as tools for scientific understanding
First Published In: Aug-57, Science Fiction Quarterly
Collection(s):

The Unrare Earths

Subject:
First Published In: Sep-57, Three More Novels of the Future by H. G. Wells
Collection(s):

The Unartificial Elements

Subject:
First Published In: Jul-59, Astounding
Collection(s):

The Secret of the Squid

Original Title: Spacecraft, Like Squid, Maneuver by 'Squirts'
Subject: jets and rockets
First Published In: 17-Jul-69, New York Times
Collection(s):

Space

Subject: size and distance, near and far
First Published In: Apr-71, Electronic Age (RCA)
Collection(s):

It's About Time

Subject: the discovery of nature's rhythms
First Published In: Oct-71, The Construction Man
Collection(s):

What is the Universe Made Of?

Original Title: What's the Universe Made Of?
Subject: particles and forces included in theories of the universe's composition
First Published In: Apr-80, Science Digest
Collection(s):

Einstein's Vision

Original Title: Albert Einstein
Subject: Einstein's contributions to science
First Published In: 19-May-73, TV Guide
Collection(s):

The One-Man Revolution

Subject: Einstein's important contributions to physics
First Published In: 1979, Hearst Corporation
Collection(s):

Balancing the Books

Subject: conservation laws
First Published In: Jul-66, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Something For Nothing

Subject: /conservation of momentum; rockets
First Published In: Sep-91, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Unchanging Amount

Subject: /conservation of energy
First Published In: Oct-Nov-91, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Changing Day

Subject: leap year adjustments
First Published In: Feb-81, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Forget It!

Subject: old measurement systems
First Published In: Mar-64, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Pre-fixing It Up

Subject: metric system
First Published In: Nov-62, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

How Many inches in a Mile

Subject: an argument for the metric system
First Published In: Winter-71, Saturday Evening Post
Collection(s):

To Tell a Chemist

Subject: Avogadro's number
First Published In: May-65, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Two at a Time

Subject: perturbations
First Published In: Jul-69, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Mass

Subject: mass and the fabric of space
First Published In: Oct-71, Journey to the Center of the Earth (Material accompanying recording)
Collection(s):

The Man Who Massed the Earth

Subject: mass of the Earth
First Published In: Sep-69, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Catching Up With Newton

Subject: escape velocities/gravitational attraction
First Published In: Dec-58, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Of Capture and Escape

Subject: escape velocity
First Published In: May-59, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Opposite!

Subject: /prediction and discovery of antiparticles
First Published In: Jan-87, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Taming Antimatter

Original Title: Scientists at Work Taming Antimatter (V26)
Subject: maintaining antimatter existence
First Published In: 26-Dec-86, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

All the Mass

Subject: particle/antiparticle source of energy
First Published In: Aug-82, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Thinking Up Names

Subject: elements named after geographic locations
First Published In: Oct-80, SciQuest
Collection(s):

A Pinch of Life

Subject: elements of the body
First Published In: 5-Mar-57, Science World
Collection(s):

The Ocean Mine

Subject: elements in the ocean
First Published In: 19-Mar-57, Science World
Collection(s):

The Clock Paradox

Subject: meson lifetimes show that time dilation near light speed is real
First Published In: Nov-57, Science Fiction Quarterly
Collection(s):

Let Einstein Be!

Subject: /explaining relativity
First Published In: Dec-81, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Time-Travel: One Way

Subject: relativity and the twin paradox
First Published In: Summer-64, North American Review
Collection(s):

Time

Subject: time measure and relativity
First Published In: Jul-71, Electronic Age (RCA)
Collection(s):

The Victorious General

Subject: /testing general relativity
First Published In: Jul-84, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Einstein Is Right Again

Subject: proving that the principle of equivalence holds for antimatter
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Ultimate Speed Limit

Subject: the special theory of relativity and high-speed travel
First Published In: 8-Jul-72, Saturday Review of Science
Collection(s):

Einstein's Theory of Relativity

Original Title: Relativity in a Nutshell
Subject: tests of relativity's bizarre predictions continue to prove them correct
First Published In: May-79, The UNESCO Courier
Collection(s):

Why Do They Hate Relativity?

Subject: review of two books that explain relativity
First Published In: Sep-81, Science Digest
Collection(s):

A Piece of the Action

Subject: Planck's constant
First Published In: Apr-64, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Certainty of Uncertainty

Subject: uncertainty principle
First Published In: Apr-65, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Behind the Teacher's Back

Subject: uncertainty principle
First Published In: Aug-65, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Odds and Evens

Subject: conservation of parity
First Published In: Oct-71, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Left Hand of the Electron

Subject: conservation of parity
First Published In: Nov-71, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Toward Zero

Subject: absolute zero
First Published In: Oct-78, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

As Cold as Can Be

Subject: lowering temperature near absolute zero
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Exclusion Principle

Subject: lack of violations proves the exclusion principle
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Rigid Vacuum

Subject: luminiferous ether
First Published In: Apr-63, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Light that Failed

Subject: Michelson-Morley experiment
First Published In: Jun-63, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

First and Rearmost

Subject: gravitation
First Published In: Oct-64, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

On Throwing a Ball

Subject: gravitation
First Published In: Aug-69, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Two Masses

Subject: /inertial-gravitational equivalence
First Published In: Jun-84, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Fifth Force

Subject: differences in inertia and gravitation
First Published In: 1-Feb-88, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

The Weakest Waves

Subject: detecting gravitational waves
First Published In: 11-Jun-85, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Now Hear This!

Subject: echo location
First Published In: Dec-60, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Height of Up

Subject: temperature extremes/temperature measurement
First Published In: Oct-59, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Order! Order!

Subject: entropy
First Published In: Feb-61, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Backward in Time

Subject: the second law of thermodynamics precludes time travel
First Published In: 22-Jul-86, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

You Can't Even Break Even

Original Title: In the Game of Energy and Thermodynamics, You Can't Even Break Even
Subject: energy and the second law of thermodynamics
First Published In: 1971, Smithsonian
Collection(s):

The Modern Demonology

Subject: Maxwell's demon
First Published In: Jan-62, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Faster than Light

Subject: the physics that make superluminal travel impossible
First Published In: Nov-84, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Collection(s):

Faster than Light

Subject: unlikely possibilities of faster-than-light travel
First Published In: Dec-77, Starlog
Collection(s):

Playing the Game

Subject: Doppler-Fizeau effect
First Published In: May-70, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

C for Celeritas

Subject: speed of light
First Published In: Nov-59, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Impossible, That's All

Subject: speed of light
First Published In: Feb-67, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Figure of the Fastest

Subject: speed of light
First Published In: Nov-73, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Seeing Double

Subject: light polarization
First Published In: Dec-71, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Four Hundred Octaves

Subject: /electromagnetic spectrum
First Published In: Jun-82, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Read Out Your Good Book In Verse

Subject: /visible light spectrum
First Published In: May-82, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Bridge of the Gods

Subject: light spectra
First Published In: Mar-75, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Cool Light

Subject: luminescence, fluorescence, and the light of fireflies
First Published In: ? V14 No 1, Polaroid Close-Up
Collection(s):

The Radiation That Wasn't

Subject: /Blondlot's supposed discovery of N-rays
First Published In: Mar-88, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Counting the Eons

Subject: /radioactivity dating
First Published In: Nov-80, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Our Ancient Ancestors

Original Title: The Long and Short of Man's History (V30)
Subject: dating early hominids to 5 million years ago
First Published In: 23-Oct-87, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Oldest Rocks

Subject: uranium breakdown sets the age of the oldest rocks at 4 billion years
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Warming the Perfect Current

Subject: advances in and the potential of superconductivity
First Published In: 15-Sep-87, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Suddenly, Thallium Plays a Role

Original Title: Superconductivity and the 'Green Twig' (V6)
Subject: recipe for superconductivity
First Published In: 17-Jun-88, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Raising the Temperature

Subject: easier superconductivity
First Published In: 1987-1989, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Unforgiving Minute

Subject: /measurement of time
First Published In: Jan-89, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Light Fantastic

Subject: lasers
First Published In: Aug-62, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Let There Be a New Light

Subject: light, lasers, and holograms
First Published In: 1967, The Tyrannasaurus Prescription (collection #37)
Collection(s):

The Subatomic Monster

Subject: /energy and the magnetic monopole
First Published In: Feb-84, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Iron, Cold Iron

Subject: /iron and magnetism
First Published In: Apr-88, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

At Closest Range

Subject: tissue radioactivity
First Published In: May-74, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Atom Smasher Supreme

Subject: larger particle accelerators
First Published In: 1987-1989, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Atoms That Vanish

Subject: radioactivity
First Published In: 1957, The Tyrannasaurus Prescription (collection #37)
Collection(s):

The Ultimate Split of the Second

Subject: ultrashort time periods/subatomic particle lifetimes
First Published In: Aug-59, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Breaking the Bond

Subject: measuring ultrashort events
First Published In: 1987-1989, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Birth of the Bomb

Original Title: The Manhattan Project
Subject: the Manhattan project
First Published In: 6-May-72, TV Guide
Collection(s):

The Finger of God

Subject: /the race to get the A-bomb
First Published In: Feb-80, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Evens Have It

Subject: nuclear structure
First Published In: Aug-61, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Meaning of the New Physics

Subject: a brief history of discoveries in nuclear physics
First Published In: Jan-62, Science Digest
Collection(s):

The Weighting Game

Subject: atomic weights
First Published In: Apr-62, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Bug-Eyed Vonster

Subject: particle accelerators
First Published In: Jun-60, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Hotter Than Hot

Subject: accelerating larger particles
First Published In: 30-Apr-85, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

As Easy as Two Plus Three

Subject: hydrogen fusion
First Published In: Jul-74, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Hot, Cold, and Con Fusion

Subject: /errors in science
First Published In: Jan-90, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Hot Fusion Heats Up as Hot News Topic

Original Title: Hot Fusion Heats Up as Hot News Topic (V9)
Subject: fusion achieved by colliding deuterium compounds may hold promise
First Published In: 6-Oct-89, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Stages of Fusion

Original Title: Energy: Future
Subject: power from fusion
First Published In: Jul-74, Argosy
Collection(s):

In 40 Years, Hydrogen Fusion Will Solve Energy Problems

Subject: fusion may provide the answer to our energy problems by the year 2020
First Published In: Sep-79, Science Digest
Collection(s):

Cold, Cold Fusion

Original Title: Nuclear Fusion at Room Temperature
Subject: fusion at low temperature
First Published In: 3-Apr-87, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Cold Fusion: Science Fiction or Reality

Original Title: Cold Fusion: Science Fiction or Reality (V10,11)
Subject: cold fusion, like Martian canals, N-rays, and polywater, seems dubious
First Published In: 9-Jun-89, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Getting Down to Basics

Subject: /delving inside atoms
First Published In: Sep-80, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Elusive Quark

Original Title: Most Basic Particles of the Universe (V27)
Subject: delving into the atom
First Published In: 12-Feb-88, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

How Many Particles?

Original Title: Fundamental Particles of Universe (V9)
Subject: a list of fundamental particles
First Published In: 15-Sep-89, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Usefully Small (w/Janet)

Subject: atoms, photons, neutrinos, and quarks
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

Quarks and the Last Particle

Subject: elementary particles and the top quark
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Finding of the Quark

Subject: firing electrons into a proton to see quarks inside
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

'X' Stands For Unknown

Subject: /X rays, gamma rays, cosmic rays
First Published In: Aug-82, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Out of the Everywhere

Subject: /cosmic rays, neutrinos, and muons
First Published In: Nov-88, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Into the Here

Subject: /properties of cosmic rays
First Published In: Dec-88, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Land of Mu

Subject: mesons
First Published In: Oct-65, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Two Nothings

Subject: types of neutrinos
First Published In: 1987-1989, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

And After Many a Summer Dies a Proton

Subject: /proton decay
First Published In: Sep-81, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Luxon Wall

Subject: tachyons
First Published In: Dec-69, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Not Quite Zero

Subject: string theories of subatomic particles
First Published In: 13-May-86, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Two at a Time

Subject: breakdown of selenium-82 by double-beta decay
First Published In: 1988, The Tyrannasaurus Prescription (collection #37)
Collection(s):

The Uneternal Atoms

Subject: natural radioactivity
First Published In: Mar-74, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

A Particular Matter

Subject: natural radioactivity
First Published In: Apr-74, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Consequences of Pie

Subject: /nuclear details of radioisotopes
First Published In: Aug-86, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Enemy Within

Subject: /carbon-14 dating
First Published In: Sep-86, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Older Than We Thought

Subject: revising ice age time by carbon 14 dating
First Published In: 1990-1992, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Explosions Within Us

Subject: carbon-14 dating
First Published In: 1957, The Tyrannasaurus Prescription (collection #37)
Collection(s):

The Whenabouts of Radioactivity

Subject:
First Published In: Dec-57, Astounding
Collection(s):

The Hydrosphere

Subject: Earth's water
First Published In: Jun-73, Motor Boating and Sailing
Collection(s):

Fresh Water

Subject: needs for and sources of fresh water
First Published In: Jul-73, Motor Boating and Sailing
Collection(s):

Backward! Turn Backward!

Subject: rerouting rivers for fresh water
First Published In: Feb-82, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

On the Rise

Subject: carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
First Published In: 14-May-85, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Thin Air

Subject: upper atmosphere/atmospheric properties
First Published In: Dec-59, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

Our Evolving Atmosphere

Subject: the atmosphere of the Earth and planets
First Published In: 1966, World Book Science Annual (Science Year)
Collection(s):

The Gift of the Plants

Subject: stages of development in Earth's atmosphere
First Published In: Jan-77, Horticulture
Collection(s):

No More Ice Ages?

Subject: greenhouse effect/causes of ice ages
First Published In: Jan-59, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Collection(s):

The Big Swing

Subject: carbon dioxide and ice ages
First Published In: Sep-75, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Hold That Ice!

Subject: controlling global ice levels
First Published In: Oct-75, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

The Middle Sea

Subject: thawing the arctic ocean ice
First Published In: May-78, American Way (American Airlines)
Collection(s):

Wetter and Warmer

Original Title: The Year of the Greenhouse Effect (V4)
Subject: clear evidence of the greenhouse effect
First Published In: 26-Dec-88, Los Angeles Times
Collection(s):

The Villain in the Atmosphere

Original Title: Are We Drowning Our Tomorrows?
Subject: the greenhouse effect and global warming crisis
First Published In: 6-Jul-86, Newsday
Collection(s):

A Drop of Water

Subject: water's presence, makeup, uses, and importance to man
First Published In: Spring 76, HTH Poolife
Collection(s):

Guide to Essays
Authors:
Edward Seiler
ejseiler@earthlink.net

Richard Hatcher (hatch888@airmail.net)