Download or read book The Nature of Ball Lightning written by Stanley Singer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1837 a comprehensive discussion of lightning appeared in the Annual of the French Bureau des Longitudes with a section on ball lightning which provided for the first time a readily available source in the scientific literature of the basic properties of this curious natural phenomenon. The author, Francois Arago, was the dominant influence in the French Academy of Sciences in the nineteenth century, having become a member of that august body at the age of twenty-three. His attention alone doubtless served at that time to establish the validity of scientific interest in the problem. In addition his discussion covered some of the major questions associated with ball lightning in a nota bly clear-sighted, effective style. Later reconsideration of the same questions often provided no significant improvement over Arago's discussion. There followed a dauntless band of varying but always small number who attempted to account for an apparently simple natural occurrence, a ball of fire usually seen in thunderstorms, with the best knowledge that advancing science could provide. All attempts to deal with this phenomenon were in variably frustrated. The characteristics of ball lightning could be readily cataloged, but they firmly resisted both experimental reproduction and theo retical explanation. One may say that to this day there is no explanation accepted by a large number of scientists. Several investigators of great ability and considerable accomplishment in different fields of science, including Faraday, Kelvin, and Arrhenius, took note of the problem.

Download or read book Ball Lightning written by Herbert Boerner and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-07-03 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ball lightning is an enigma. These luminous objects that appear occasionally during thunderstorms and can reach several meters in diameter have been a mystery to science for about 200 years. Despite several thousands of reported observations, their nature is still unknown. In this book, well documented cases of ball lightning are described and used to unravel some aspects of this mysterious form of atmospheric electricity. Throughout the book, the author discusses the various facets of the problem in an accessible but rigorous style, delivering a readable and informative text that will captivate the curious reader. He finally reaches the surprising conclusion that the solution to this puzzle may have been hidden in plain sight for many years. A foreword by Earle Williams, leading lightning researcher at MIT, introduces the book.

Download or read book Ball Lightning written by Mark Stenhoff and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-12-16 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Down comes a deluge of sonorous hail, Or prone-descending rain. Wide-rent, the clouds Pour a whole flood, and yet, its flame unquenched, Th’unconquerable lightning struggles through. Ragged and fierce, or in red whirling balls, And fires the mountains with redoubled rage. Black from the stroke, above, the smould’ring pine Stands a sad shattered trunk; and, stretched below, A lifeless group the blasted cattle lie. James Thompson, “The Seasons” (1727) have been investigating ball lightning for more than two decades. I published a ball lightning report in Nature in 1976 that received worldwide publicity and I consequently many people wrote to me with accounts of their own experiences. Within a very short time, I had accumulated about 200 firsthand accounts, and the file has continued to grow steadily since then. Several things impressed me. Few of those who wrote to me had any detailed foreknowledge of ball lightning at the time of their observation. Nonetheless, once reports of other phenomena such as St. Elmo’s fire had been eliminated, the remaining descriptions were remarkably consistent. Furthermore, nearly all who contacted me were keen to have an explanation of what they had seen and seemed entirely sincere.

Download or read book Ball Lightning written by Cixin Liu and published by Tor Books. This book was released on 2018-08-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of the Three-Body Trilogy, Cixin Liu's Ball Lightning is the story of what happens when the beauty of scientific inquiry runs up against the drive to harness new discoveries with no consideration of their possible consequences. When Chen’s parents are incinerated before his eyes by a blast of ball lightning, he devotes his life to cracking the secret of this mysterious natural phenomenon. His search takes him to stormy mountaintops, an experimental military weapons lab, and an old Soviet science station. The more he learns, the more he comes to realize that ball lightning is just the tip of an entirely new frontier. While Chen’s quest for answers gives purpose to his lonely life, it also pits him against soldiers and scientists with motives of their own: a beautiful army major with an obsession with dangerous weaponry, and a physicist who has no place for ethical considerations in his single-minded pursuit of knowledge. "Wildly imaginative."—Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy Tor books by Cixin Liu The Remembrance of Earth's Past #1 The Three-Body Problem #2 The Dark Forest #3 Death's End At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book Patterns in Nature written by Philip Ball and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed science writer “curates a visually striking, riotously colorful photographic display…of physical patterns in the natural world” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Though at first glance the natural world may appear overwhelming in its diversity and complexity, there are regularities running through it, from the hexagons of a honeycomb to the spirals of a seashell and the branching veins of a leaf. Revealing the order at the foundation of the seemingly chaotic natural world, Patterns in Nature explores not only the math and science but also the beauty and artistry behind nature’s awe-inspiring designs. Unlike the patterns we create, natural patterns are formed spontaneously from the forces that act in the physical world. Very often the same types of pattern and form—such as spirals, stripes, branches, and fractals—recur in places that seem to have nothing in common, as when the markings of a zebra mimic the ripples in windblown sand. But many of these patterns can be described using the same mathematical and physical principles, giving a surprising unity to the kaleidoscope of the natural world. Richly illustrated with 250 color photographs and anchored by accessible and insightful chapters by esteemed science writer Philip Ball, Patterns in Nature reveals the organization at work in vast and ancient forests, powerful rivers, massing clouds, and coastlines carved out by the sea. By exploring similarities such as the branches of a tree and those of a river network, this spectacular visual tour conveys the wonder, beauty, and richness of natural pattern formation.

Download or read book Science of Ball Lightning written by Y H Ohtsuki and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1989-08-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first proceedings held on scientific research on the ball lightning (fire ball). Eyewitness accounts of bars lightnings were presented and analysed by experts from USA, Germany, USSR, Hungary and Japan. The theoretical model on the ball lightning, and experimental research from various instruments were discussed. Contents:Ball Lightning — The Continuing Challenge (J D Barry & S Singer)Hungarian Ball Lightning Observations in 1987 (G Egely)Nature of Ball Lightning in Japan (Y H Ohtsuki & H Ofuruton)Phenomenological and Psychological Analysis of 150 Austrian Ball Lightning Reports (A G Keul & K Schwarzenbacher)Physical Problems and Physical Properties of Ball Lightning (G Egely)Statistical Analysis of the Ball Lightning Properties (A I Grigorjev et al)A Fluid-Dynamical Model for Ball Lightning and Bead Lightning (K E Nickel)The Lifetime of Hill's Vortex (K E Nickel)Electrical and Radiative Properties in Ball Lightning (B M Smirnov)The Candle Flame as A Model of Ball Lightning (B M Smirnov)A Model for Ball Lightning (H Yamamoto)The High-Temperature Physio-Chemical Processes in the Lightning Storm Atmosphere (G P Gladyshev)New Approach to Ball Lightning (P H Handel)A Calculation of Electric Field of Ball Lightning (T Neda et al)The Physical Explanation to the UFO over Xinjiang, Northern West China (Y Zou)Electric Reconnection, Critical Ionization Velocity, Ponderomotive Force and Their Applications to Triggered and Ball Lightning (H Kikuchi)The PLASMAKTM Configuration and Ball Lightning (P M Koloc)Experimental Research on Ball Lightning (H Ofuruton & Y H Ohtsuki)Performance of High-Voltage Test Facility Designed for Investigation of Ball Lightning (G C Dijkhuis & J Pijpelink) Readership: Applied physicists, geophysicists, chemists and electromagnetic engineers.

Download or read book The Lightning Discharge written by Martin A. Uman and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Absorbing monograph by expert sets forth most of known properties of lightning: cloud and lightning charges, stepped leader, return stroke, dart leader, lightning on other planets, thunder, more. 144 illustrations.

Download or read book Lightning written by Martin A. Uman and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2012-05-24 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised, updated edition of classic work on the physics of lightning covers phenomena, terminology, measurement, photography, spectroscopy, thunder, and more, including reviews of recent research. 140 figures and tables.

Download or read book Sandstorm written by James Rollins and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More heart-stopping action and suspense from the bestselling author of Amazonia and Subterranean. . . . “Rollins writes with intelligence, clarity, and a refreshing sense of humor.”—Kirkus Reviews In his five previous thrillers, James Rollins, the king of speculative adventure writing, has taken readers on mind-expanding journeys spanning from the top of the world to deep within the earth’s surface. In this latest voyage of imagination combining hard science with explosive page-turning excitement—his most breathtaking yet—he explores the mysterious sands of the Arabian peninsula. Twenty years ago, a wealthy British financier disappeared near Ubar, the fabled lost city buried beneath the sands of Oman. Now, an expedition of scientists, led by the financier’s daughter, is finally setting off for the legendary metropolist to unlock the desert’s secrets. What they find, however, is more beautiful than they ever dreamed—and far deadlier. Within Ubar is a powerful energy source that could fuel the entire earth above—if it can be harnessed. But before they can resurface, the explorers become trapped. For the same life-giving force that can save the world is about to set off a giant, sweeping storm awesome enough to annihilate everything in its wake . . .

Download or read book All about Lightning written by Martin A. Uman and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1986-01-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Answers questions about Franklin's experiment, lightning rods, safety considerations, property damage, ball lightning, thunder, and thunderstorms

Download or read book Ball Lightning Characteristics written by Warren D. Rayle and published by . This book was released on 1966 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The World of Circulating Light Where Ball Lightnings Live written by Vladimir Torchigin and published by . This book was released on 2022-10-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book describes a completely new world, the existence of which no one had even suspected before. Therefore, this world could not be studied either theoretically or experimentally. The study of the nature of ball lightning made it possible to discover this world. Pyotr Kapitsa, a Russian scientist, Nobel Prize winner, studying the phenomenon of ball lightning, was forced to admit at the end of his life that this bright nut was too strong for his teeth. At the same time, he suggested that ball lightning is a phenomenon from another world unknown to him. Indeed, he was partly right. He was wrong that ball lightning was related to plasma, but he was right that ball lightning belonged to another world unknown to him. The book describes the features of this world and the properties of its inhabitants. The most known among them is ball lightning. This world we called the world of circulating light. This book is not science fiction. The book is based on over eight dozen articles published since 2003 in leading international physics and optics journals. Although scientists have not been able to unravel the nature of ball lightning for many centuries, it turned out that the explanation is so simple that it is accessible to schoolchildren. Such an explanation can be given without a single formula, recalling only the well-known physical laws from the school curriculum.

Download or read book What Holds Us to Earth written by Jennifer Boothroyd and published by Lerner Publications ™. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A ball drops to the ground. Leaves fall from a tree. Gravity is at work all around you. But what exactly is gravity? And how does it affect different objects? Read this book to find out! Learn all about matter, energy, and forces in the Exploring Physical Science series—part of the Lightning Bolt BooksTM collection. With high-energy designs, exciting photos, and fun text, Lightning Bolt BooksTM bring nonfiction topics to life!

Download or read book Lightning written by Vladimir A. Rakov and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-01-08 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lightning: Physics and Effects is the first book that covers essentially all aspects of lightning, including lightning physics, lightning protection and the interaction of lightning with a variety of objects and systems as well as with the environment. It is written in a style that will be accessible to the technical non-expert and is addressed to anyone interested in lightning and its effects. This will include physicists, engineers working in the power, communications, computer and aviation industries, meteorologists, atmospheric chemists, foresters, ecologists, physicians working in the area of electrical trauma and architects. This comprehensive reference volume contains over 300 illustrations, 70 tables containing quantitative information and a bibliography of more than 6000 references.

Download or read book The Three Body Problem written by Cixin Liu and published by Tor Books. This book was released on 2014-11-11 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inspiration for the Netflix series 3 Body Problem! WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL Over 1 million copies sold in North America “A mind-bending epic.”—The New York Times • “War of the Worlds for the 21st century.”—The Wall Street Journal • “Fascinating.”—TIME • “Extraordinary.”—The New Yorker • “Wildly imaginative.”—Barack Obama • “Provocative.”—Slate • “A breakthrough book.”—George R. R. Martin • “Impossible to put down.”—GQ • “Absolutely mind-unfolding.”—NPR • “You should be reading Liu Cixin.”—The Washington Post The Three-Body Problem is the first novel in the groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning series from China's most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu. Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision. The Three-Body Problem Series The Three-Body Problem The Dark Forest Death's End Other Books by Cixin Liu Ball Lightning Supernova Era To Hold Up the Sky The Wandering Earth A View from the Stars At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book Atomic Processes in Basic and Applied Physics written by Viacheslav Shevelko and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-05-31 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is a comprehensive edition which considers the interactions of atoms, ions and molecules with charged particles, photons and laser fields and reflects the present understanding of atomic processes such as electron capture, target and projectile ionisation, photoabsorption and others occurring in most of laboratory and astrophysical plasma sources including many-photon and many-electron processes. The material consists of selected papers written by leading scientists in various fields.

Download or read book The Lightning of Possible Storms written by Jonathan Ball and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2021 Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction Aleya's world starts to unravel after a café customer leaves behind a collection of short stories. Surprised and disturbed to discover that it has been dedicated to her, Aleya delves into the strange book... A mad scientist seeks to steal his son's dreams. A struggling writer, skilled only at destruction, finds himself courted by Hollywood. A woman seeks to escape her body and live inside her dreams. Citizens panic when a new city block manifests out of nowhere. The personification of capitalism strives to impress his cutthroat boss. The more Aleya reads, the deeper she sinks into the mysterious writer's work, and the less real the world around her seems. Soon, she's overwhelmed as a new, more terrifying existence takes hold. The Lightning of Possible Storms blends humour and horror, doom and daylight, offering myriad possible storms. Praise for Jonathan Ball: "Cheerfully horrifying, and full of the unexpected, The Lightning of Possible Storms is an entertaining Borgesian foray into the existential dread of writing itself." --Saleema Nawaz, author of Songs for the End of the World "This collection is so beautifully written and expertly composed--it is rich, layered, and complex. In every story, characters are forced to confront their secret, subterranean selves, their suppressed longings and anxieties, and the stories will linger with you long after you've finished them, much like the last strains of a beloved song. Witty, sad, sardonic, each story is its own masterpiece. This collection confirms Jonathan Ball as one of Canada's very best writers." --Suzette Mayr, author of Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall