We Need to Talk About Kelvin
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
A new popular science book that should be bought for its clever title alone! -- The Independent, September 16, 2009
Chown writes with ease about some of the most brain-bending of concepts. -- BBC Focus Magazine, October 2009
An elegant pop-physics pick'n'mix. -- The Guardian, October 17, 2009
Chown makes cutting-edge science clear and meaningful. His new book will literally change the way you see the world. -- Bookhugger, October 2009
For entertainment value, and driving pace, Kelvin never lets the reader down. -- www.popularscience.co.uk, October 2009
Chown writes with ease about some of the most brain-bending of concepts. -- BBC Focus Magazine, October 2009
An elegant pop-physics pick'n'mix. -- The Guardian, October 17, 2009
Chown makes cutting-edge science clear and meaningful. His new book will literally change the way you see the world. -- Bookhugger, October 2009
For entertainment value, and driving pace, Kelvin never lets the reader down. -- www.popularscience.co.uk, October 2009
Book Description
A hugely accessible exploration of the science of the everyday world around us
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Phenomenal Look at Why Ordinary Things Are Truly Extraordinary,
By
This review is from: We Need to Talk About Kelvin: What everyday things tell us about the universe (Hardcover)
It is clear why this outstanding, highly-original book is shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. Marcus Chown has a marvellous gift for rendering cutting-edge science extremely accessible and entertaining. His latest work is a brilliant excursion through everyday life, showing what we might learn about the universe from things we see around us, including our own reflections in window glass, the variety of chemical elements, darkness at night and so forth. From simple phenomena, Chown transports readers on spectacular journeys through the realms of quantum physics, cosmology and other topics in modern science, explaining difficult concepts in a clear, methodical fashion. He weaves each tale with fascinating and humorous anecdotes about pivotal figures such as Fred Hoyle, Wolfgang Pauli and many other scientific luminaries, as well as literary references to Blake, Whitman, Poe and others. Highly recommended!
-Paul Halpern Author, Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very good in parts,
By
This review is from: We Need to Talk About Kelvin: What everyday things tell us about the universe (Hardcover)
There are good explanations of some of strangenesses of the physical world, though as with most books like this you get the idea that it really isn't telling you the real stuff. The real stuff is too complicated if you are not in the swim of modern physics.
I heard the author criticise Feynman because he said "If you think you understand qantum mechanics the you don't understand quantum mechanics." The author said this was not fair because anyone with a bit of application can understand quantum mechanics. The author had missed the whole point of Feynman's assertion. What he meant (I think) is that quantum mechanics is so strange that even those who are deep in its study know that their understanding is limited. What this book CRIES OUT FOR is some diagrams. The author describes things which could easily be drawn, and which would make some parts much clearer.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A science book that held my interest,
By
This review is from: We Need to Talk About Kelvin: What everyday things tell us about the universe (Paperback)
I have really enjoyed reading this book, which is saying something because I don't usually stick it out through popular science titles. No, I'm not an artist but a physics teacher!
Chown weaves a really interesting tale of how the everyday things we see, and take for granted, are a consequence of quantum behaviour. Into this he also threads biographical information about the great scientists who discovered the 'properties' of nature. He uses excellent mind-pictures of how particles interact and what distinguishes them from each other. Finally, I found a book that describes quantum spin in approachable (if not fully detailed) terms. If this book was reprinted with diagrams, especially for some of the wave concepts, it would be unassailable (and worth 5 stars). However, minus diagrams, it sells at a very low price for such a good book. No, I did not drop off to sleep (see 1 star review) and yes I will be buying copies for my pupils.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
