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Isaac Newton, The Asshole Who Reinvented the Universe: The Asshole Who Reinvented The Universe
By Brian Taylor, Florian Freistetter. 2018
A blunt and humorous profile of Isaac Newton focusing on his disagreeable personality and showing that his offputting qualities were…
key to his scientific breakthroughs.Isaac Newton may have been the most important scientist in history, but he was a very difficult man. Put more bluntly, he was an asshole, an SOB, or whatever epithet best describes an abrasive egomaniac. In this colorful profile of the great man--warts and all--astronomer Florian Freistetter shows why this damning assessment is inescapable.Newton's hatred of fellow scientist Robert Hooke knew no bounds and he was strident in expressing it. He stole the work of colleague John Flamsteed, ruining his career without a second thought. He carried on a venomous battle with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz over the invention of calculus, vilifying him anonymously while the German scientist was alive and continuing the attacks after he died. All evidence indicates that Newton was conniving, sneaky, resentful, secretive, and antisocial. Compounding the mystery of his strange character is that he was also a religious fanatic, a mystery-monger who spent years studying the Bible and predicted the apocalypse.While documenting all of these unusual traits, the author makes a convincing case that Newton would have never revolutionized physics if he hadn't been just such an obnoxious person. This is a fascinating character study of an astounding genius and--if truth be told--an almighty asshole as well.Nevertheless, We Persisted: 48 Voices of Defiance, Strength, and Courage
By Amy Klobuchar. 2018
A powerful collection of essays from actors, activists, athletes, politicians, musicians, writers, and teens, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, actress Alia…
Shawkat, actor Maulik Pancholy, poet Azure Antoinette, teen activist Gavin Grimm, and many, many more, each writing about a time in their youth when they were held back because of their race, gender, or sexual identity--but persisted. "Aren't you a terrorist?" "There are no roles for people who look like you." "That's a sin." "No girls allowed." They've heard it all. Actress Alia Shawkat reflects on all the parts she was told she was too "ethnic" to play. Former NFL player Wade Davis recalls his bullying of gay classmates in an attempt to hide his own sexuality. Teen Gavin Grimm shares the story that led to the infamous "bathroom bill," and how he's fighting it. Holocaust survivor Fanny Starr tells of her harrowing time in Aushwitz, where she watched her family disappear, one by one. What made them rise up through the hate? What made them overcome the obstacles of their childhood to achieve extraordinary success? How did they break out of society's limited view of who they are and find their way to the beautiful and hard-won lives they live today? With a foreword by Minnesota senator and up-and-coming Democratic party leader Amy Klobuchar, these essays share deeply personal stories of resilience, faith, love, and, yes, persistence.Photomechanical Materials, Composites, and Systems: Wireless Transduction of Light into Work
By Timothy J White. 2017
An exhaustive review of the history, current state, and future opportunities for harnessing light to accomplish useful work in materials,…
this book describes the chemistry, physics, and mechanics of light-controlled systems.• Describes photomechanical materials and mechanisms, along with key applications• Exceptional collection of leading authors, internationally recognized for their work in this growing area• Covers the full scope of photomechanical materials: polymers, crystals, ceramics, and nanocomposites• Deals with an interdisciplinary coupling of mechanics, materials, chemistry, and physics• Emphasizes application opportunities in creating adaptive surface features, shape memory devices, and actuators; while assessing future prospects for utility in optics and photonics and soft roboticsGuidance and Control Technology of Spacecraft on Elliptical Orbit (Navigation: Science and Technology)
By Fucheng Liu, Shan Lu, Yue Sun. 2019
This book introduces readers to the navigation guidance and control technologies involved in single-spacecraft double-spacecraft and multiple-spacecraft…
tasks in elliptical orbits It comprehensively covers the key technologies of guidance navigation and control GNC system design for spacecraft in elliptical orbits including the orbit design formation configuration design and maintenance autonomous navigation technology and relative navigation technology as well as autonomous rendezvous technology The methods that this book introduces are very close to actual practical engineering applications and presented in an accessible style The book can serve as reference teaching material for senior undergraduates and postgraduates with space navigation related majors while also providing essential information and guidance for research personnel and engineering technical personnel engaged in the development of GNC systems for spacecraftMirror Mirror: A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection
By Mark Pendergrast. 2003
As our first technology for contemplation of the self, the mirror is arguably as important an invention as the wheel…
and perhaps even more universal. Mirror Mirror is the fascinating story of the mirror's invention, refinement, and use in an astonishing range of human activities-from the bloodthirsty smoking gods of the Toltecs, to the fantastic mirrored rooms wealthy Romans created for their orgies, to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light. From Archimedes to Isaac Newton to Max Factor to David Hockney, this is the fascinating tale of one of the most remarkable inventions in human history and its effects on myth, religion, science, manners, and the arts.Erich Hückel (1896-1980)
By Andreas Karachalios. 2009
This study, the first comprehensive account of Erich Hückel's career, examines his scientific work as well as his importance for…
the emergence of quantum chemistry as an independent discipline in Germany during the 1930s. Hückel began his career by studying quantum physics in Göttingen, but his background in chemistry led him to take up pioneering research on the physics of chemical bonding. Drawing on a variety of sources, Andreas Karachalios offers a probing account of fast-breaking developments in quantum theory that paved the way for Hückel's research. In Göttingen and later in Leipzig, Hückel interacted with leading figures not only in quantum physics and physical chemistry but also with others in nearby fields, including organic chemistry and mathematics. During his later career in Marburg, Hückel clashed with Linus Pauling over the properties of the benzine molecule. In order to appreciate this controversy, Karachalios gives a brief account of the mathematical formalism of spin invariants, with both Hückel and Pauling used in their analyses, though with different interpretations. This serves not only to clarify their differences but also to illustrate the importance of the quantum-mechanical theory of resonance for chemistry at this time.Can You Hear Me Now?
By Annie O'Sullivan. 2012
First published as only parts of her life, this book brings together the full life story of the woman known…
as Annie O'Sullivan. Horribly abused at the hand of her father, it is a collection of essays that graphically recount memories of her life as a confused child and young adult as she careened through life without compass, to ultimately, and against all odds, prosper. Culminating in the event that brought a degree of closure to her torture, O'Sullivan brings the reader on an intimate life journey through the eyes of this child’s misunderstanding, will to persevere and desire to seek goodness despite her circumstances.Terrifying, infuriating and uplifting, this book touches not only survivors; but parents, childcare workers and teachers; reminding us of the true vulnerability of children and our collective responsibility to protect them.Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman
By Richard P. Feynman. 1939
A Nobel Prize-winning physicist, a loving husband and father, an enthusiastic teacher, a surprisingly accomplished bongo player, and a genius…
of the highest caliber---Richard P. Feynman was all these and more. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track--collecting over forty years' worth of Feynman's letters--offers an unprecedented look at the writer and thinker whose scientific mind and lust for life made him a legend in his own time. Containing missives to and from such scientific luminaries as Victor Weisskopf, Stephen Wolfram, James Watson, and Edward Teller, as well as a remarkable selection of letters to and from fans, students, family, and people from around the world eager for Feynman's advice and counsel, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track not only illuminates the personal relationships that underwrote the key developments in modern science, but also forms the most intimate look at Feynman yet available. Feynman was a man many felt close to but few really knew, and this collection reveals the full wisdom and private passion of a personality that captivated everyone it touched. Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track is an eloquent testimony to the virtue of approaching the world with an inquiring eye; it demonstrates the full extent of the Feynman legacy like never before. Edited and with additional commentary by his daughter Michelle, it's a must-read for Feynman fans everywhere, and for anyone seeking to better understand one of the towering figures--and defining personalities--of the twentieth century.How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics, and the War on Sex
By Christina Page. 2006
With a new preface by the author. In the tradition of Backlash and The Morning After, and in a political…
climate where Roe v. Wade is in serious jeopardy, a young activist reveals that the Pro-Life Movement’s real agenda is a war on contraception, family planning, and sexual freedom.A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics From the Bottom Down
By Laughlin, Robert B.. 2005
In this age of superstring theories and Big Bang cosmology, we're used to thinking of the unknown as impossibly distant…
from our everyday lives. But in A Different Universe, Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin argues that the scientific frontier is right under our fingers. Instead of looking for ultimate theories, Laughlin considers the world of emergent properties-meaning the properties, such as the hardness and shape of a crystal, that result from the organization of large numbers of atoms. Laughlin shows us how the most fundamental laws of physics are in fact emergent. A Different Universe is a truly mind-bending book that shows us why everything we think about fundamental physical laws needs to change.Superconductivity: Discoveries and Discoverers
By Kristian Fossheim. 2012
This book is about the work of 10 great scientists; who they were and are, their personal background and how…
they achieved their outstanding results and took their prominent place in science history. We follow one of physics and science history's most enigmatic phenomena, superconductivity, through 100 years, from its discovery in 1911 to the present, not as a history book in the usual sense, but through close ups of the leading characters and their role in that story, the Nobel laureates, who were still among us in the years 2001-2004 when the main round of interviews was carried out. Since then two of them already passed away. For each one of the 10 laureates, the author tells their story by direct quotation from interviews in their own words. Each chapter treats one laureate. The author first gives a brief account of the laureates' scientific background and main contribution. Then each laureate tells his own story in his own words. This book is unique in its approach to science history.Mathematical Aspects of Subsonic and Transonic Gas Dynamics
By Lipman Bers. 2016
This concise volume by a prominent mathematician offers an important survey of mathematical aspects of the theory of compressible fluids.…
The treatment is geared toward advanced undergraduates and graduate students in physics, applied mathematics, and engineering. Focusing on two-dimensional steady potential flows, the text eschews detailed proofs in favor of clear indications of the main ideas and descriptions of new mathematical concepts and methods that arose in connection with these chapters in fluid dynamics.Starting with a general discussion of the differential equations of a compressible gas flow, the book advances to the mathematical background of subsonic flow theory. Subsequent chapters explore the behavior of a flow at infinity and methods for the determination of flows around profiles, flows in channels and with a free boundary, the mathematical background of transonic gas dynamics, and some problems in transonic flow. An extensive bibliography of 400 papers concludes the text.Gauge Field Theories: 100 Years After General Relativity
By Gunter Scharf. 2016
One of the main problems of theoretical physics concerns the unification of gravity with quantum theory. This monograph examines unification…
by means of the appropriate formulation of quantum gauge invariance. Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students of physics, the treatment requires a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics.Opening chapters introduce the free quantum fields and prepare the field for the gauge structure, describing the inductive construction of the time-ordered products by causal perturbation theory. The analysis of causal gauge invariance follows, with considerations of massless and massive spin-1 gauge fields. Succeeding chapters explore the construction of spin-2 gauge theories, concluding with an examination of nongeometric general relativity that offers an innovate approach to gravity and cosmology.Down and Out Today: Notes from the Gutter
By Matthew Small. 2015
'Enlightening and startling... The world needs more writers like Matthew Small.' Charlie Carroll'Brings into sharp relief the realities of poverty...…
inspiring and uplifting.' Tracy Shildrick'A fascinating insight into what it feels like to live on the streets of the UK and India today.' Joanna Mack Poverty stretches across all of humanity and by travelling East, Small encounters the raw faces of poverty in India’s slums; he works in a leprosy community, and joins the Sisters of Mercy on the smoggy and exhilarating streets in Calcutta. He then returns to the UK, to Bath, to see what the passing of three months means to those who are scarred by one of the most unglamorous of all humanities’ ills, being poor.Small engages with different community members who are living with poverty, to answer these long standing questions: What’s keeping them down? What’s pushing them out? And how can we move forward?Introduction to Fluid Dynamics
By Edward B. Mcleod Jr.. 1978
Concise, unified, and logical, this introduction to the study of the basic principles of fluid dynamics emphasizes the statement of…
problems in mathematical language. In addition to its value as a reference for professional engineers, this volume is suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students of mathematics and engineering. Some familiarity with the algebra of vector fields is assumed, and a useful appendix provides a succinct review of vector algebra.An introductory chapter covers fundamental notions from the continuum hypothesis to steady-state flow. Succeeding chapters explore conservation of mass, forces acting on a fluid in equilibrium, dynamic equations of motion, irrotational motion, integration of Euler's equation in special cases, and flows representable by harmonic functions. Additional topics include two dimensional flows, rectilinear vortices, general vortex motion, flows with a free boundary, and compressible fluids.RU486: Misconceptions, Myths and Morals
By Lynette Dumble, Janice Raymond, Renate Klein. 2013
A classic text for health activists and feminists interested in the complexities of how drugs are developed, marketed, and sold…
to women around the world, this book reviews the unusual history of the French abortion pill RU-486. Critical of the positive claims made for RU-486, it argues that its promotion is filled with myths and misconceptions. Scrutinizing the science and politics behind RU-486, this account examines how the pill benefits the medical profession, drug companies, and government health economies and offers no advantage to women. Topics include the safety and effectiveness of RU-486, whether or not RU-486 privatizes and de-medicalizes abortion, and the dangerous effects of prostaglandins. This updated edition includes a new introduction.The Element in the Room: Science-y Stuff Staring You In The Face
By Helen Arney, Steve Mould. 2017
'They make science fun and understandable which is a great combo.' Sandi Toksvig 'These nerds are the real deal.' Ben…
Goldacre, author of BAD SCIENCE Why is it impossible to spin your right foot clockwise while you draw a 6 with your right hand? Can you extract DNA from a strawberry daiquiri? Would you make love like a praying mantis? Should you book a holiday on Earth 2.0? The Element in the Room will take you on a rib-tickling, experiment-fuelled adventure to explain everyday science that is staring you in the face. If you are sci-curious, pi-curious or just the-end-is-nigh-curious then this is the book for you.Steve Mould and Helen Arney are two thirds of science comedy phenomenon Festival of the Spoken Nerd. As a trio they have appeared on QI, created their own experimental* comedy show 'Domestic Science' for Radio 4, toured their stand-up science shows to over 50,000 nerds (and non-nerds) and accumulated millions of views on YouTube.'Made me go Hydrogen Argon, Hydrogen Argon, Hydrogen Argon.' Rufus Hound'MIND BLOWN.' Tim Harford'Science was never such hilarious explosive fun.' Richard Herring'This book is 37% better than mine. But it took 100% more nerds to write it.' Matt Parker (the other third of Spoken Nerd)Shocking and gritty, this work contains firsthand accounts of terror and abuse from prostituted children--and the law enforcement officers and…
community activists working to save them. While detailing the necessity for substantive legal and cultural change on the national level in regard to prostitution, pimps, and children's rights, this book also provides encouraging stories of new, pioneering law enforcement initiatives and child-recovery strategies reaping positive results in urban areas inundated with children victimized by sexual exploitation and violence, such as Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New York City, Phoenix, and Dallas. This updated paperback edition includes a new, four-page afterword by the author, with updates on new laws and initiatives and follow-ups on some of the young women discussed in the book. A call to awareness and action for parents, legislators, and educators, this examination exposes this country's dirty secret.A call to action to protect the human rights of women and girls, this exposé reveals how interest groups deny…
the seriousness of rape to further their political agendas. Through firsthand interviews with victims; medical and judicial records; social media; and statistics from police, the FBI, and government agencies, this analysis explains the tactics used by these groups. The personal stories of young rape victims demonstrate how assaults on their credibility, buttressed by claims of low prevalence, prevent many from holding their rapists accountable, enabling them to rape others with impunity. A resources section is also included for those seeking help, advice, or hoping to become involved in the struggle.Science in History: Death in Beijing
By Daniel Asen. 2016
In this innovative and engaging history of homicide investigation in Republican Beijing, Daniel Asen explores the transformation of ideas about…
death in China in the first half of the twentieth century. In this period, those who died violently or under suspicious circumstances constituted a particularly important population of the dead, subject to new claims by police, legal and medical professionals, and a newspaper industry intent on covering urban fatality in sensational detail. Asen examines the process through which imperial China's old tradition of forensic science came to serve the needs of a changing state and society under these dramatically new circumstances. This is a story of the unexpected outcomes and contingencies of modernity, presenting new perspectives on China's transition from empire to modern nation state, competing visions of science and expertise, and the ways in which the meanings of death and dead bodies changed amid China's modern transformation.