Life's Devices
eBook - ePub

Life's Devices

The Physical World of Animals and Plants

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Life's Devices

The Physical World of Animals and Plants

About this book

An entertaining and informative book that explores how living things contend with nonbiological reality

Life on Earth is subject to the pull of gravity, the properties of air and water, and the behavior of diffusing molecules, yet such physical factors are constraints that drive evolution and offer untold opportunities to creatures of all sizes. In this lively introduction to the science of biomechanics, Steven Vogel invites you to wonder about the design of the plants and animals around us. You will learn why a fish swims more rapidly than a duck can paddle, why healthy trees more commonly uproot than break, how sharks manage with such flimsy skeletons, and why a mouse can easily survive a fall onto any surface from any height. With an illuminating foreword by Rob Dunn, this Princeton Science Library edition of Life’s Devices includes examples from every major group of animals and plants along with illustrative problems and suggestions for experiments that require only common household materials.

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Yes, you can access Life's Devices by Steven Vogel in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Biology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword to the Princeton Science Library edition by Rob Dunn
  7. Preface
  8. 1: Constraints and opportunities
  9. 2: A variety of variables
  10. 3: Size and shape
  11. 4: Dimensions, gradients, and summations
  12. 5: Gases and liquids
  13. 6: Viscosity and flow
  14. 7: Pressure and flow
  15. 8: Diffusion versus convection
  16. 9: A matter of materials
  17. 10: Arranging structures
  18. 11: Insinuations about curves
  19. 12: Systems of support
  20. 13: The mechanics of motility
  21. 14: Staying put and getting away
  22. 15: Energy and afterthoughts
  23. Appendix 1: Notes on numbers
  24. Appendix 2: Problems and demonstrations
  25. List of symbols
  26. References and index of citations
  27. Subject index