The account of a sequence of key events in the physics of the twentieth century. Events that led to the discoveries of the subatomic particles: the electron, pr... » 

The account of a sequence of key events in the physics of the twentieth century. Events that led to the discoveries of the subatomic particles: the electron, proton, and neutron. At the same time this is an introduction to those fundamentals of classical physics (mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat) that played a role in these discoveries. Physical concepts are introduced where they are needed to understand the historical story, and each new concept builds on the physics that has already been explained. «