- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Random House Books (3 July 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847945236
- ISBN-13: 978-1847945235
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 807,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Daily Mail, 20 June 2008
'Understanding is the first step to taking charge, and this book makes doing so seem a breeze.'
Book Description
Why do sparks fly when you put metal in the microwave?
Why does it hurt so much when you get chilli pepper juice in your eyes?
Why can cheese keep for weeks but milk go off while your back is turned?
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Scores of books deal with the science of everyday life, so finding an original angle becomes increasingly dificult. Peter Bentley has found one by introducing a protagonist who stumbles through the day, falling, breaking things, and so on. Every mishap leads to a scientific cause.
In the process the reader learns why it is important not to get stressed when a finger is stuck in a plastic bottle, how a pizza tray may ignite in a microwave and what to do with chewing gum in one's hair. Mr. Bentley covers a wide range of subjects, from chemistry and physiology to computers science and engineering. All subjects are dealt with in a way that is both funny and informative.
There are two downsides. First, 39 short chapters with the same structure (something goes wrong and the scientific background is sketched) may wear out the reader after some time. Secondly, mr. Bentley's style of writing is fine for popular science, but falls short for the fictional paragraphs that kick off each chapter.
In the process the reader learns why it is important not to get stressed when a finger is stuck in a plastic bottle, how a pizza tray may ignite in a microwave and what to do with chewing gum in one's hair. Mr. Bentley covers a wide range of subjects, from chemistry and physiology to computers science and engineering. All subjects are dealt with in a way that is both funny and informative.
There are two downsides. First, 39 short chapters with the same structure (something goes wrong and the scientific background is sketched) may wear out the reader after some time. Secondly, mr. Bentley's style of writing is fine for popular science, but falls short for the fictional paragraphs that kick off each chapter.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
You are waiting for a bus. Or you are sitting in your car waiting to pick up your children from school. You want to make good use of your time, but this is not the time for serious reading, because you could be interrupted at any time. You need a book that you can enjoy for anything from a few minutes to half an hour before you are interrupted. This is an ideal book for such occasions.
This book is packed with scientific knowledge. You may not actively seek knowledge in some of the topics introduced in this book, but once you've been told, you might find them interesting. For example, I never knew that chewing gum first appeared at least 9,000 years old (in the chapter "Coming Unstuck"). I also find the chapter "Ripping Yarn" interesting: I never paid much attention to the differences in weaving methods, but now I do. I look at them with my attention on the fiction that they create, which (I now know) was the main motivation behind weaving.
Each chapter is the result of hours, possibly days of research. It's a joy to be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of diligent research by the author. I find some of the research quite thorough. Not everyone will enjoy every chapter. The style of this book may not please everyone, but personally I find this an enjoyable book to read.
This book is packed with scientific knowledge. You may not actively seek knowledge in some of the topics introduced in this book, but once you've been told, you might find them interesting. For example, I never knew that chewing gum first appeared at least 9,000 years old (in the chapter "Coming Unstuck"). I also find the chapter "Ripping Yarn" interesting: I never paid much attention to the differences in weaving methods, but now I do. I look at them with my attention on the fiction that they create, which (I now know) was the main motivation behind weaving.
Each chapter is the result of hours, possibly days of research. It's a joy to be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of diligent research by the author. I find some of the research quite thorough. Not everyone will enjoy every chapter. The style of this book may not please everyone, but personally I find this an enjoyable book to read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The undercover scientist by Peter Bentley is an interesting book and Bentley should be commended for writing it. Overall there are many who will find it fascinating and if it furthers a developing curiosity in science he will have done us all a service.
There are a few quibbles however. The narrative structure in which each chapter starts with a mishap described in the second person present tense to be followed by an account of the underlying science behind the misfortune is rendered a little clunkily. As a result, the structure becomes a little tiresome midway into the book. The science description is a few notches down from the finest science writers such as Dawkins, Ridley et al and not nearly as engaging as Bill Bryson's a short history of nearly everything.
In the main Bentley borrows heavily from familiar science analogies, similies and metaphors to sketch technicalities which means his descriptions lack freshness but they do serve as an introduction to more detailed treatment of the material. This is the kind of book that should be in every school library; it is short enough to be read as a homework exercise and light enough to serve as an appetiser.
There are a few quibbles however. The narrative structure in which each chapter starts with a mishap described in the second person present tense to be followed by an account of the underlying science behind the misfortune is rendered a little clunkily. As a result, the structure becomes a little tiresome midway into the book. The science description is a few notches down from the finest science writers such as Dawkins, Ridley et al and not nearly as engaging as Bill Bryson's a short history of nearly everything.
In the main Bentley borrows heavily from familiar science analogies, similies and metaphors to sketch technicalities which means his descriptions lack freshness but they do serve as an introduction to more detailed treatment of the material. This is the kind of book that should be in every school library; it is short enough to be read as a homework exercise and light enough to serve as an appetiser.
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