DescriptionHow we ultimately gained the American Customary System, the last traditional system in the world, and how Gunter's chain indelibly imprinted its dimensions on the land, on cities, and on our culture from coast to coast is both an exciting human and intellectual drama and one of the great untold stories in American history. Sagely argued and beautifully written, Measuring America offers readers nothing less than the opportunity to see America's history, and our democracy, in a brilliant new light.
DescriptionCan reindeer fly? Why is Santa Claus fat? Could scientists clone the perfect Christmas tree? Was the star of Bethlehem really a comet? Why is Rudolph's nose red? How does Santa manage to deliver presents to an estimated 842 million households in a single night? What could we do to guarantee a white Christmas every year? These are among the questions explored in this irresistibly witty audiobook, which illuminates the cherished rituals, legends, and icons of Christmas from a unique and fascinating perspective: science. The Physics of Christmas is also available in print from Little, Brown and Company.
DescriptionIn 1793, William Smith, the orphan son of a village blacksmith, made a startling discovery that was to turn the science of geology on its head. While surveying the route for a canal near Bath, he noticed that the fossils found in one layer of the rocks he…
DescriptionWhat actually happens when the words, "beam me up, Scottie" are uttered? What "warps" when something travels at warp speed? Internationally renowned theoretical physicist and educator Lawrence M. Krauss provides matter-of-fact scientific explanations of the physics of Star Trek in this highly creative and informative guide for both the devoted Trekkie and the physics novice. Krauss reviews the basic laws of physics, as well as the ideas of leading physicists, including Newton, Hawking, Einstein, Feynman, Kirk, and Janeway.
DescriptionIn Diamond, Matthew Hart embarks on a journey into an obsessive, largely hidden, and utterly fascinating world. The geology of diamonds explains how hard it is to find them. Diamonds are accidents of nature, carbon crystals compressed deep underg…
DescriptionThis is the story of a seventeenth-century scientist-turned-priest who forever changed our understanding of the Earth and created a new field of science. It was a puzzle that stymied history's greatest minds: Why were the fossils of seashells found far…
DescriptionNo number has captured the attention and imagination of people throughout the ages as much as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Pi is infinite and, in The Joy of Pi it proves to be infinitely intriguing. With incisive historica…
DescriptionIf the planet Krypton had a gravitational field strong enough to account for Superman's amazing strength, would it be possible to launch a rocket ship from the planet's surface? Assuming that the Flash could actually travel at the speed of light, would an…
DescriptionIn Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot, eminent neuropsychiatrist and best-selling author Richard Restak, M.D., combines the latest research in neurology and psychology to show us how to get our brain up to speed for managing every aspect of our b…
