Winner of the IgNobel Prize in physics and the 2004 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, Len Fisher showed just how much fun science can be in his enthusiastically praised debut, How to Dunk a Doughnut. In this new work, he reveals that science sometimes takes a path through the ridiculous and the bizarre to discover that Nature often simply does not follow common sense.
One experiment, involving a bed, platform scales, and a dying man, seemed to prove that the soul weighed the same as a slice of bread. But other, no less fanciful experiments and ideas led to the fundamentals of our understanding of movement, heat, light, and energy, and such things as the discovery of electricity, and the structure of DNA; improved engines; and the invention of computers. As in his previous book, Fisher uses personal stories and examples from everyday life, as well as humor, to make the science accessible. He touches on topics from lightning to corsets and from alchemy to Frankenstein and water babies, but he may not claim the last word on the weight of the soul!
eBook - ePub
Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre
The Doctor Who Weighed the Soul, and Other True Tales
- 256 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre
The Doctor Who Weighed the Soul, and Other True Tales
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Table of contents
- Front Cover
- Halfftitle
- Front Matter
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Halftitle
- 1 Weighing the Soul
- 2 Making a Move
- 3 A Salute to Newton
- 4 The Course of Lightning through a Corset
- 5 Fool’s Gold?
- 6 Frankenstein Lives
- 7 What Is Life?
- 8 Conclusion: Necessary Mysteries
- Appendix: A Brief Catalogue of Necessary Mysteries
- Notes
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Yes, you can access Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre by Len Fisher in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Science Research & Methodology. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.