Even the most cursory explorations into how scientific discoveries are made reveals that many of these discoveries are tinged with a certain serendipity and circumstances that are not immediately attributable to a wholly reasoned and logical progression of methodical experiments. Presented by the American Institute of Physics, this online multimedia exhibit tells the story of two important 20th...

It is hard to overestimate the importance of Albert Einstein's equation, "Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared." A recent special from NOVA explores many different facets of the lasting and pervasive effects of this revolutionary statement. The website was developed to provide a host of complementary resources to the actual television program, and as such, anyone with even a trace...

Critical Point is a feature of the online version of the magazine Physics World. The article posted here, by philosopher and historian Robert Crease, revisits "the greatest equations ever." He presents the results from his survey of readers in which he asked for a short list of nominations for great equations and "to explain why their nominations belonged on the list and why, if at all, the topic...

Most people have heard of the Manhattan Project, but a great many have probably never heard of Project Matterhorn. Started under the leadership of Lyman Spitzer at Princeton University in 1951, this was the code name given to a controlled thermonuclear research effort. With support from Princeton and the US Atomic Energy Commission, Spitzer began to outline the basic concept for creating the...

The Center for History of Physics presents the Selected Papers of Great American Physicists Web site. Seven physicists are featured: Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Henry, Albert Michelson, Henry Rowland, Josiah Gibbs, Robert Millikan, and Arthur Compton. Each page contains a biography and various documents produced by the scientist, a letter commenting on experiments and observations on electricity in...

Maintained by The Museum of the History of Science, the Oxford Virtual Science Walk Web site explores "some of the most important and interesting historic scientific sites in Oxford, from the time of the founding of the University in the 13th century and the work of Friar Bacon to advancements in modern science such as the development of penicillin." Visitors visit thirteen sites and view an...