Download or read book Galileo s Finger written by Peter Atkins and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2004-05-27 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Any literate person should be familiar with the central ideas of modern science. In his sparkling new book, Peter Atkins introduces his choice of the ten great ideas of science. With wit, charm, patience, and astonishing insights, he leads the reader through the emergence of the concepts, and then presents them in a strikingly effective manner. At the same time, he works into his engaging narrative an illustration of the scientific method and shows how simple ideas can have enormous consequences. His choice of the ten great ideas are: * Evolution occurs by natural selection, in which the early attempts at explaining the origin of species is followed by an account of the modern approach and some of its unsolved problems. * Inheritance is encoded in DNA, in which the story of the emergence of an understanding of inheritance is followed through to the mapping of the human genome. * Energy is conserved, in which we see how the central concept of energy gradually dawned on scientists as they mastered the motion of particles and the concept of heat. * All change is the consequence of the purposeless collapse of energy and matter into disorder, in which the extraordinarily simple concept of entropy is used to account for events in the world. * Matter is atomic, in which we see how the concept of atoms emerged and how the different personalities of the elements arise from the structures of their atoms. * Symmetry limits, guides, and drives, in which we see how concepts related to beauty can be extended to understand the nature of fundamental particles and the forces that act between them. * Waves behave like particles and particles behave like waves, in which we see how old familiar ideas gave way to the extraordinary insights of quantum theory and transformed our perception of matter. * The universe is expanding, in which we see how a combination of astronomy and a knowledge of elementary particles accounts for the origin of the universe and its long term future. * Spacetime is curved by matter, in which we see the emergence of the theories of special and general relativity and come to understand the nature of space and time. * If arithmetic is consistent, then it is incomplete, in which we learn the origin of numbers and arithmetic, see how the philosophy of mathematics lets us understand the nature of this most cerebral of subjects, and are brought to the limits of its power. C. P. Snow once said 'not knowing the second law of thermodynamics is like never having read a work by Shakespeare'. This is an extraordinary, exciting book that not only will make you literate in science but give you deep enjoyment on the way.
Download or read book The Science Book written by DK and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-02-02 with total page 735 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in Paperback! Take science to a whole new level. Created in partnership with Prentice Hall, the Big Idea Science Book is a comprehensive guide to key topics in science falling into four major strands (Living Things, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics), with a unique difference — a website component with 200 specially created digital assets that provide the opportunity for hands-on, interactive learning.
Download or read book The Book of Big Science Ideas written by Freya Hardy and published by . This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 83 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautifully illustrated celebration of science from the clever people who bring you AQUILA magazine. Ideas are important. They change things. A single idea can start a war, save billions of lives, even rearrange whole planetary systems, or simply make a person giggle until they pee a little bit. They can be totally wrong but widely believed, or undoubtedly right and completely ignored. What's more, they're free, and anyone can have one-including you! The Book of Big Science Ideas looks at 15 brilliant science ideas and more than 50 ingenious thinkers who have helped shape our understanding of the world - whether they were right or wrong! Thinkers include, Wang Zhenyi, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, James Joule, Rosalind Franklin, Charles Darwin, Aristotle, Edith Clarke, Isaac Newton, Grace Hopper, Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace and many, many more! From established ideas like atoms, electricity and the solar system, and ideas that are still evolving such as gravity, energy and classification, right up to recent discoveries like AI and genetics - this jam-packed book takes a fresh approach to science.
Download or read book What Is Life written by Sir Paul Nurse and published by . This book was released on 2020-11 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life is all around us, abundant and diverse. It is truly a marvel. But what does it actually mean to be alive, and how do we decide what is living and what is not? After a lifetime of studying life, Nobel Prize-winner Sir Paul Nurse, one of the world's leading scientists, has taken on the challenge of defining it. Written with great personality and charm, his accessible guide takes readers on a journey to discover biology's five great building blocks, demonstrates how biology has changed and is changing the world, and reveals where research is headed next. To survive all the challenges that face the human race today - population growth, pandemics, food shortages, climate change - it is vital that we first understand what life is. Never before has the question 'What is life?' been answered with such insight, clarity, and humanity, and never at a time more urgent than now. 'Paul Nurse is about as distinguished a scientist as there could be. He is also a great communicator. This book explains, in a way that is both clear and elegant, how the processes of life unfold, and does as much as science can to answer the question posed by the title. It's also profoundly important, at a time when the world is connected so closely that any new illness can sweep from nation to nation with immense speed, that all of us - including politicians - should be as well-informed as possible. This book provides the sort of clarity and understanding that could save many thousands of lives. I learned a great deal, and I enjoyed the process enormously.' -Sir Philip Pullman 'A nearly perfect guide to the wonder and complexity of existence.' -Bill Bryson 'Nurse provides a concise, lucid response to an age-old question. His writing is not just informed by long experience, but also wise, visionary, and personal. I read the book in one sitting, and felt exhilarated by the end, as though I'd run for miles - from the author's own garden into the interior of the cell, back in time to humankind's most distant ancestors, and through the laboratory of a dedicated scientist at work on what he most loves to do.' -Dava Sobel
Download or read book Great Ideas in Computer Science second edition written by Alan W. Biermann and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1997-03-06 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Great Ideas in Computer Science: A Gentle Introduction, Alan Biermann presents the "great ideas" of computer science that together comprise the heart of the field. He condenses a great deal of complex material into a manageable, accessible form. His treatment of programming, for example, presents only a few features of Pascal and restricts all programs to those constructions. Yet most of the important lessons in programming can be taught within these limitations. The student's knowledge of programming then provides the basis for understanding ideas in compilation, operating systems, complexity theory, noncomputability, and other topics. Whenever possible, the author uses common words instead of the specialized vocabulary that might confuse readers. Readers of the book will learn to write a variety of programs in Pascal, design switching circuits, study a variety of Von Neumann and parallel architectures, hand simulate a computer, examine the mechanisms of an operating system, classify various computations as tractable or intractable, learn about noncomputability, and explore many of the important issues in artificial intelligence. This second edition has new chapters on simulation, operating systems, and networks. In addition, the author has upgraded many of the original chapters based on student and instructor comments, with a view toward greater simplicity and readability.
Download or read book The Biggest Ideas in the Universe written by Sean Carroll and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-09-20 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Most appealing... technical accuracy and lightness of tone... Impeccable.”—Wall Street Journal “A porthole into another world.”—Scientific American “Brings science dissemination to a new level.”—Science The most trusted explainer of the most mind-boggling concepts pulls back the veil of mystery that has too long cloaked the most valuable building blocks of modern science. Sean Carroll, with his genius for making complex notions entertaining, presents in his uniquely lucid voice the fundamental ideas informing the modern physics of reality. Physics offers deep insights into the workings of the universe but those insights come in the form of equations that often look like gobbledygook. Sean Carroll shows that they are really like meaningful poems that can help us fly over sierras to discover a miraculous multidimensional landscape alive with radiant giants, warped space-time, and bewilderingly powerful forces. High school calculus is itself a centuries-old marvel as worthy of our gaze as the Mona Lisa. And it may come as a surprise the extent to which all our most cutting-edge ideas about black holes are built on the math calculus enables. No one else could so smoothly guide readers toward grasping the very equation Einstein used to describe his theory of general relativity. In the tradition of the legendary Richard Feynman lectures presented sixty years ago, this book is an inspiring, dazzling introduction to a way of seeing that will resonate across cultural and generational boundaries for many years to come.
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 Powerful Ideas of Science and How to Teach Them written by Jasper Green and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-07-19 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bullet dropped and a bullet fired from a gun will reach the ground at the same time. Plants get the majority of their mass from the air around them, not the soil beneath them. A smartphone is made from more elements than you. Every day, science teachers get the opportunity to blow students’ minds with counter-intuitive, crazy ideas like these. But getting students to understand and remember the science that explains these observations is complex. To help, this book explores how to plan and teach science lessons so that students and teachers are thinking about the right things – that is, the scientific ideas themselves. It introduces you to 13 powerful ideas of science that have the ability to transform how young people see themselves and the world around them. Each chapter tells the story of one powerful idea and how to teach it alongside examples and non-examples from biology, chemistry and physics to show what great science teaching might look like and why. Drawing on evidence about how students learn from cognitive science and research from science education, the book takes you on a journey of how to plan and teach science lessons so students acquire scientific ideas in meaningful ways. Emphasising the important relationship between curriculum, pedagogy and the subject itself, this exciting book will help you teach in a way that captivates and motivates students, allowing them to share in the delight and wonder of the explanatory power of science.
Download or read book 100 Most Important Science Ideas written by Mark Henderson and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 100 Most Important Science Ideas presents a selection of 100 key concepts in science in a series of concise and accessible essays that are understandable to the layperson. The authors explain the answers to the most exciting and important scientific questions, which have had a profound influence on our way of life. Helpful diagrams, everyday examples and enlightening quotations highlight the straightforward text. All the big ideas that readers would expect to find are present, and each is discussed over two to four pages. The authors use concrete applications to describe many of the abstract ideas, and some entries have a timeline along the bottom showing when the idea originated and its development. Examples are: What can DNA reveal about the history of human evolution? Why does the moon orbit the Earth while the Earth orbits the sun? How will genetic medicine revolutionize healthcare? How did chaos theory become so ordered? 100 Most Important Science Ideas also includes brief biographies of iconic scientists and entertaining anecdotes from the world of scientific discovery. It is an indispensable overview of science for anyone who wants to understand the world around them.
Download or read book Ideas on the Nature of Science written by David Cayley and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interviews broadcast on the How to think about science segment of the CBC radio show Ideas.
Download or read book The Five Biggest Ideas in Science written by Charles M. Wynn and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents five basic scientific hypotheses: the atomic model, the periodic law, the big bang theory, plate techtonics, and evolution.
Download or read book The Great Ideas of Clinical Science written by Scott O. Lilienfeld and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The idea that there is a fundamental rift between researchers and practitioners should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the current literature, trends, and general feelings in the field of clinical psychology. Central to this scientist-practitioner gap is an underlying disagreement over the nature of knowledge - namely that while some individuals point to research studies as the foundation of truth, others argue that clinical experience offers a more adequate understanding of the causes, assessment, and treatment of mental illness. The Great Ideas of Clinical Science is an ambitious attempt to dig beneath these fundamental differences, and reintroduce the reader to unifying principles often overlooked by students and professionals alike. The editors have identified 17 such universals, and have pulled together a group of the most prolific minds in the field to present the philosophical, methodological, and conceptual ideas that define the state of the field. Each chapter focuses on practical as well as conceptual points, offering valuable insight to practicing clinicians, researchers, and teachers of any level of experience. Written for student, practitioner, researcher, and educated layperson, this integrative volume aims to facilitate communication among all mental health professionals and to narrow the scientist-practitioner gap.
Download or read book Milestones of Science written by Curt Suplee and published by National Geographic Society. This book was released on 2000 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicles three thousand years of scientific inquiry, covering such eras as the Classical Era, the Middle Ages, the Revolution, the Age of Reason, and the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Download or read book The Art of Science written by Richard Hamblyn and published by Picador. This book was released on 2011-12-01 with total page 644 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What these extracts are, first and foremost, are stories of discovery. The Art of Science is not necessarily a book about great scientific theories, complicated equations, or grand old men (or women) in their laboratories; instead, it's about the places we draw our inspiration from; it's about daily routines and sudden flashes of insight; about dedication, and - sometimes - desperation; and the small moments, questions, quests, clashes, doubts and delights that make us human. From Galileo to Lewis Carroll, from Humphry Davy to Charles Darwin, from Marie Curie to Stephen Jay Gould, from rust to snowflakes, from the first use of the word "scientist" to the first computer, from why the sea is salty to Newtonian physics for women, The Art of Science is a book about people, rather than scientists per se, and as such, it's a book about politics, passion and poetry. Above all, it's a book about the good that science can - and does - do.
Download or read book Social Physics written by Alex Pentland and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A landmark tour of the new science of "idea flow" outlines revolutionary insights into the mysteries of collective intelligence and social influence, explaining the virtually unlimited data sets of today's digital technologies and the considerable accuracy of information from social networks.
Download or read book 25 Big Ideas in Science written by Robert Matthews and published by ONEWorld Publications. This book was released on 2005-09-15 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "From the Big Bang to the Theory of Everything via the Selfish Gene and GM crops, Robert Matthews unveils twenty-five of the most revolutionary ideas in 21st century science. He describes the astonishing insights they give into the workings of nature - and the human story behind their discovery. The result is an essential guide to the cutting edge of science and what it reveals about the universe and our place within it."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Janice VanCleave s Great Science Project Ideas from Real Kids written by Janice VanCleave and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2006-10-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There's plenty for you to choose from in this collection of forty terrific science project ideas from real kids, chosen by well-known children's science writer Janice VanCleave. Developing your own science project requires planning, research, and lots of hard work. This book saves you time and effort by showing you how to develop your project from start to finish and offering useful design and presentation techniques. Projects are in an easy-to-follow format, use easy-to-find materials, and include dozens illustrations and diagrams that show you what kinds of charts and graphs to include in your science project and how to set up your project display. You’ll also find clear scientific explanations, tips for developing your own unique science project, and 100 additional ideas for science projects in all science categories.
