Not so much with this book.įind reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. VERDICT Isaac Asimov could teach through his writings (see Of Time, Space, and Other Things), and authors such as Mary Roach, whose personal approaches take the form of narratives, can be followed and learned from. This segues into a discussion of the first attempts at mail by rocket, then space rockets generally, which she tries to sum up as “just molecules bumping into things.” The rest of the explanations are similarly reductive, chopped up, even discrete. For example, she discusses the strength of air pressure through writing about Otto von Guericke’s vacuum pump demonstration for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III in 1654. Czerski’s ’splainings aren’t so clear, skipping from point A to point B then to point Z in leaps and bounds. It’s scattered, not centered, and feels disorganized. In back are extensive References and Index sections.ĭamn this book is disappointing because it sounds like it could be so good. Subjects are vaguely linked, but the author really seems to more or less follow a train of thought than rigidly organize her subjects. Simple explanations, but not at all juvenile or patronizing. 'Storm in a Teacup' is an excellent general science book of everyday physics, well written and extremely fun to read! Highly recommend. I knew atoms vibrate, but now I understand more vividly how fast or slow that that vibrating is occurring determines so much more about what form an element takes - solid, liquid, gas, and how it makes stuff, like water, glass, clothes drying out, function. I never thought about snail slime, but now I know more about the physics of slime. She talks about the soda bubbles and centrifugal forces and gravity and electrons and photons and soundwaves which underlie our activities in kitchens and gardens and oceans. I had no idea of how the sound of thunder worked (that rumble after the initial crash). I had no idea of why ducks' feet do not freeze. I had no idea electromagnetic forces were in the bottom of my toaster, for example. Helen Czerski, physicist at University College London's Department of Mechanical Engineering, explains what the physics is behind everyday stuff, like what makes a toaster toast bread or what forces are at work when we stir milk into a serving of tea. Is it worth paying more for a fluorescent light? Should my sunglasses have polarizing lenses? How can I tell a raw egg from a boiled egg without taking off their shells? Why isn’t my ketchup coming out of the bottle? Why does my tea water slosh around when I carry my mug to the other end of the room? Why don’t ducks get cold feet? Well, I never put much thought in about these things nor their physics but now I can amaze my friends with newfound knowledge! I could go on and on about the stuff I learned from Helen, but just do yourself a favor and go buy the book. Chock full of tidbits on how/why stuff works, she breaks down things that I never even thought about and makes science easily understood.Ĭuriosity is human nature and I find myself more curious of everyday experiences and thinking about things in new ways after reading Helen’s book. This is a thoughtful debut by Czerski, a physicist/oceanographer. I can honestly say that you will not see everyday things in the same light again if you read this book and so, if you have any interest in how the world works and the strange, amazing patterns within it, give this a try.Īuthor and PhD Helen Czerski loves physics and wants others to share her enthusiasm. She does not dumb down her writing, but simply makes it accessible, understandable and entirely riveting. You have such titles as, “What goes up must come down,” “Why don’t ducks get cold feet?” and “Spoons, Spirals and Sputnik.” Who can resist? Being a child of the Seventies, when science was not a compulsory subject, my scientific knowledge is less than zero, but I found myself enthused by this book. From these innocuous springboards, she uses these examples to investigate much greater events in science and technology, using these seemingly simple beginnings.Įven the chapter titles in this book are delightful. Each chapter begins with something everyday – something small such as trying to get ketchup from a bottle or stirring a cup of tea. How many times have you heard someone say (possibly one of your children…) that a particular subject at school is not relevant to them personally? In this book, author Helen Czerski attempts to show us how physics affects everyday life.
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