Includes bibliographical references and index.

Entering the new century -- American physics comes of age -- Surviving the depression -- The physicists war -- Taming the endless frontier -- The new physics -- Sputnik : action and reaction -- Revising the partnership.

As the twentieth century drew to a close, computers, the Internet, and nanotechnology were central to modern American life. Yet the advances in physics underlying these applications are poorly understood and widely underappreciated by U.S. citizens today. In this concise overview, David C. Cassidy sharpens our perspective on modern physics by viewing this foundational science through the lens of America's engagement with the political events of a tumultuous century. --from publisher description

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