author : N. David Mermin

A collection of delightful essays on how science actually works, and how to write well, amongst other things.

The essays are gathered under the following headings: • Reflections of the pursuit of physics • The quantum theory • Relativity • Mathematical musings

Contents

• N. David Mermin.

E pluribus boojum: The physicist as neologist. Physics Today, April. 1981

How Mermin got the word "boojum" into the scientific literature, with the help of the despised 3rd edition of Webster's dictionary.

• N. David Mermin.

Commencement address. St. Johns College, Santa Fe, May 18. 1986

• N. David Mermin.

"One of the great physicists ... and great characters". Physics Today, June. 1981

• N. David Mermin.

My life with Landau. 1988

• N. David Mermin.

What's wrong with this Lagrangean?. Physics Today, April. 1988

On a consistent misspelling in Phys. Rev. Let., and why did nobody notice?

• N. David Mermin.

What's wrong with this library?. Physics Today, August. 1988

• N. David Mermin.

What's wrong with this prose?. Physics Today, May. 1989

• N. David Mermin.

What's wrong with these equations?. Physics Today, October. 1989

On how to punctuate mathematics.

• N. David Mermin.

What's wrong with these prizes?. Physics Today, January. 1989

• N. David Mermin.

Quantum mysteries for anyone. Journal of Philosophy, 78. 1981

• N. David Mermin.

Can you help your team tonight by watching on TV?. In Philosophical Consequences of Quantum. Theory: Reflections on Bell's Theorem. 1989

• N. David Mermin.

Spooky actions at a distance: mysteries of the quantum theory. In The Great Ideas Today. 1988

• N. David Mermin.

A bolt from the blue: the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox. In Niels Bohr, A Centenary Volume. 1985

• N. David Mermin.

The philosophical writings of Niels Bohr. Physics Today, February. 1989

• N. David Mermin.

The great quantum muddle. Philosophy of Science, 50. 1983

• N. David Mermin.

What's wrong with this pillow?. Physics Today, April. 1989

• N. David Mermin.

Cruel Nature: A relativistic tragicomedy. In Space and Time in Special Relativity. 1968

• N. David Mermin.

The amazing many colored Relativity Engine. Am. J. Phys, 56. 1988

• N. David Mermin.

Relativistic addition of velocities directly from the constancy of the velocity of light. Am. J. Phys, 51. 1983

• N. David Mermin.

Relativity without light. Am. J. Phys, 52. 1984

• N. David Mermin, M. J. Feigenbaum.

E = mc². Am. J. Phys, 56. 1988

• N. David Mermin.

Logarithms!. Am. J. Phys, 46. 1978

• N. David Mermin.

Stirling's formula!. Am. J. Phys, 52. 1984

• N. David Mermin.

Pi in the sky. Am. J. Phys, 55. 1987

• N. David Mermin.

Variational principles in dynamics and quantum theory. Physics Today, July. 1970

On deriving the quantum teleportation circuit from a classical specification, by a process of refinement.