Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Bloomsbury USA (2011), Edition: Illustrated, 416 pages
Description
"From the structure of the cosmos to that of the human body, the discoveries of science over the past few hundred years have been remarkable. Sciencia spans the realms of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy, offering an invaluable introduction to each. Curious about quarks, quasars, and the fantastic universe around you? Ever wanted to explore a mathematical proof? Need an introduction to biochemistry? Beautifully illustrated with engravings, woodcuts, and original drawings and diagrams, Sciencia will inspire inquisitive readers of all ages to appreciate the interconnected knowledge of the modern sciences"--P. [4] of cover.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lkernagh
As the title suggests, this is a compendium of six popular scientific titles from the Wooden Books series. Edited by John Martineau, the various scientific topics are presented in snapshot format - one page (the left hand page of the book) containing text touching on a specific topic with
This has its pros and cons. On the pro side, the book is great for quick overviews of various topics of interest. on the cons side, if you want to delve into a topic in greater detail, you will need other resources to do so. As mentioned by Moff Betts in the introduction to Book V - the Human Body:
"So when asked to write a tiny book about the human body, I protested that the topic was too large and complex to fit into such a small space. As it turned out, the book had ideas of its own, but is necessarily dense and in places a fairly simple version of what we now."
One of my favorite quotes from the book, and a great example of the layman's explanatory approach to science is the following quote from the topic on Immunology:
"The shapes that identify cells as yours are mainly MHC proteins, and lymphocytes brandish other proteins which dock with these. If docking falters, the lymphocyte smells a rat, and sends messages that amplify far and wide to bring the white cavalry. To avoid whimsical wars being waged, several white cells agree to arouse each others' martial sides before letting full hostilities commence."
My takeaway from this book and the various 'little' books contained in it is I found parts of it to be a great refresher for stuff I had learned back in my school days, parts of it difficult to grasp - like quantum theory - as being over my head and some parts -like the great detailed run through on the periodic table - absolutely fascinating as I now finally understand the elements of the periodic table in relation to one another! Why couldn't my high school teacher explained it to me this way!
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corresponding charts, diagrams,picture and images to exemplify the topic displayed on the right hand page. Efforts have been made by the various authors to present the scientific topics in layman's terms, and the visuals do help with this.This has its pros and cons. On the pro side, the book is great for quick overviews of various topics of interest. on the cons side, if you want to delve into a topic in greater detail, you will need other resources to do so. As mentioned by Moff Betts in the introduction to Book V - the Human Body:
"So when asked to write a tiny book about the human body, I protested that the topic was too large and complex to fit into such a small space. As it turned out, the book had ideas of its own, but is necessarily dense and in places a fairly simple version of what we now."
One of my favorite quotes from the book, and a great example of the layman's explanatory approach to science is the following quote from the topic on Immunology:
"The shapes that identify cells as yours are mainly MHC proteins, and lymphocytes brandish other proteins which dock with these. If docking falters, the lymphocyte smells a rat, and sends messages that amplify far and wide to bring the white cavalry. To avoid whimsical wars being waged, several white cells agree to arouse each others' martial sides before letting full hostilities commence."
My takeaway from this book and the various 'little' books contained in it is I found parts of it to be a great refresher for stuff I had learned back in my school days, parts of it difficult to grasp - like quantum theory - as being over my head and some parts -like the great detailed run through on the periodic table - absolutely fascinating as I now finally understand the elements of the periodic table in relation to one another! Why couldn't my high school teacher explained it to me this way!
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
416 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
0802778992 / 9780802778994