Download or read book Nine Crazy Ideas in Science written by Robert Ehrlich and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AIDS is not caused by HIV. Coal and oil are not fossil fuels. Radiation exposure is good for you. Distributing more guns reduces crime. These ideas make headlines, but most educated people scoff at them. Yet some of science's most important concepts-from gravity to evolution-have surfaced from the pool of crazy ideas. In fact, a good part of science is distinguishing between useful crazy ideas and those that are just plain nutty. In this book, a well-known physicist with an affinity for odd ideas applies his open mind to nine controversial propositions on topical subjects. Some, it turns out, are considerably lower on the cuckoo scale than others. Robert Ehrlich evaluates, for the general reader or student, nine seemingly far-out propositions culled from physics, biology, and social science. In the process, he demonstrates in easy-to-understand terms how to weigh an argument, judge someone's use of statistics, identify underlying assumptions, and ferret out secret agendas. His conclusions are sometimes surprising. For instance, he finds that while HIV does cause AIDS and the universe almost certainly started with a big bang, our solar system could have two suns, faster-than-light particles might exist, and time travel can't be ruled out as mere science fiction. Anyone interested in unorthodox ideas will get a kick out of this book. And, as a fun way of learning how to think like a scientist, it has enormous educational value. Of course, only time will tell whether any of these nine ideas will be the next continental drift--the now orthodox account of the Earth's geology that was for years just a crazy idea.
Download or read book Eight Preposterous Propositions written by Robert Ehrlich and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Placebo cures. Global warming. Extraterrestrial life. Psychokinesis. In a time when scientific claims can sound as strange as science fiction--and can have a profound effect on individual life or public policy--assessing the merits of a far-out, supposedly scientific idea can be as difficult as it is urgent. Into the breach between helpless gullibility and unyielding skepticism steps physicist Robert Ehrlich, with an indispensable guide to making sense of "scientific" claims. A series of case studies of some of the most controversial (and for the judging public, deeply vexing) topics in the natural and social sciences, Ehrlich's book serves as a primer for evaluating the evidence for the sort of strange-sounding ideas that can shape our lives. A much-anticipated follow-up to his popular Nine Crazy Ideas in Science, this book takes up issues close to readers' everyday reality--issues such as global warming, the dangers of cholesterol, and the effectiveness of placebos--as well as questions that resonate through (and beyond) civic life: Is intelligent design a scientific alternative to evolution? Is homosexuality primarily innate? Are people getting smarter or dumber? In each case, Ehrlich shows readers how to use the tools of science to judge the accuracy of strange ideas and the trustworthiness of ubiquitous "experts." As entertaining as it is instructive, his book will make the work of living wisely a bit easier and more reliable for scientists and nonscientists alike.
Download or read book They Got It Wrong Science written by Graeme Donald and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-03-21 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in our scientific history. It exposes the theories that were once widely regarded as facts but have since been proven to be complete science fiction. From such seemingly crazy ideas as the body being composed of only four things—black and yellow bile, blood, and phlegm—to the discovery of dinosaur bones being accepted as the bones of giants killed in the great flood from Biblical times. They Got It Wrong: Science tells the fascinating story behind 50 erroneous scientific theories and gives incredible perspective on how the way we view the workings of the world has evolved throughout history.
Download or read book What Science is and how it Works written by Gregory Neil Derry and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does a scientist go about solving problems? How do scientific discoveries happen? Why are cold fusion and parapsychology different from mainstream science? What is a scientific worldview? In this lively and wide-ranging book, Gregory Derry talks about these and other questions as he introduces the reader to the process of scientific thinking. From the discovery of X rays and semiconductors to the argument for continental drift to the invention of the smallpox vaccine, scientific work has proceeded through honest observation, critical reasoning, and sometimes just plain luck. Derry starts out with historical examples, leading readers through the events, experiments, blind alleys, and thoughts of scientists in the midst of discovery and invention. Readers at all levels will come away with an enriched appreciation of how science operates and how it connects with our daily lives. An especially valuable feature of this book is the actual demonstration of scientific reasoning. Derry shows how scientists use a small number of powerful yet simple methods--symmetry, scaling, linearity, and feedback, for example--to construct realistic models that describe a number of diverse real-life problems, such as drug uptake in the body, the inner workings of atoms, and the laws of heredity. Science involves a particular way of thinking about the world, and Derry shows the reader that a scientific viewpoint can benefit most personal philosophies and fields of study. With an eye to both the power and limits of science, he explores the relationships between science and topics such as religion, ethics, and philosophy. By tackling the subject of science from all angles, including the nuts and bolts of the trade as well as its place in the overall scheme of life, the book provides a perfect place to start thinking like a scientist.
Download or read book Yale Scientific written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Unnatural Nature of Science written by Lewis Wolpert and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wolpert draws on the entire history of science, from Thales of Miletus to Watson and Crick, from the study of eugenics to the discovery of the double helix. The result is a scientist's view of the culture of science, authoritative, informed, and mercifully accessible to those who find cohabiting with this culture a puzzling experience.
Download or read book New Scientist written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 836 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Turning the World Inside Out and 174 Other Simple Physics Demonstrations written by Robert Ehrlich and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1990-02-07 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PRESENTS A COLLECTION OF PHYSICS DEMONSTRATIONS THAT ILLUSTRATE KEY CONCEPTS USING EASILY ACCESSIBLE MATERIALS, WITH INFORMATION PROVIDING A THEORETICAL BACKGROUND FOR EACH DEMONSTRATION.
Download or read book Why Toast Lands Jelly side Down written by Robert Ehrlich and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1997-04-06 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the long-awaited sequel to TURNING THE WORLD INSIDE OUT AND 175 OTHER SIMPLE PHYSICS DEMONSTRATIONS, Robert Ehrlich provides a new collection of more than 100 physics demonstrations and experiments which continue to prove that physics can be "made simple". The professional, the professor, the student, or even the lay person with even the slightest interest in physics will find Ehrlich's book fascinating. Illus.
Download or read book The Big Ideas in Science written by Jon Evans and published by Teach Yourself. This book was released on 2020-01-23 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the simple expedient of asking questions and conducting experiments to answer them, science has transformed our understanding of the world. It has made us who we are, and revealed a universe that is older, bigger and stranger than we could ever have imagined. The Big Ideas in Science is an accessible and easy-to-use introduction to the scientific world, what it has achieved over the past few hundred years and what it promises for the future. Covering everything from the Big Bang to global warming, it provides everything you need to know in one book. You will learn what science has discovered about matter, space, energy, life, weather and information, and how we have transformed these discoveries into our modern technologies. You will witness the birth of the solar system, follow ocean currents for thousands of miles, ride on beams of light and, ultimately, gain a deeper understanding of issues as complex as global warming, and as controversial as synthetic life. ABOUT THE SERIES The Complete Introduction series from Teach Yourself is the ultimate one-stop guide for anyone wanting a comprehensive and accessible entry point into subjects as diverse as philosophy, mathematics, psychology, economics and practical electronics. Loved by students and perfect for general readers who simply want to learn more about the world around them, these books are your first choice for discovering something new.
Download or read book The Year s Best Science Fiction written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 696 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Student Writer written by Barbara Fine Clouse and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book American Journal of Physics written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Scientific American written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Publishers Weekly written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Book Review Digest written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 1628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nature written by Sir Norman Lockyer and published by . This book was released on 1869 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
