No Wonder You Wonder! : Great Inventions and Scientific Mysteries

Illustrations by Friedelwolf Wicke This book explores and explains scientific mysteries and principles, leavened with tongue-in-cheek humor and an abundance of illustrations. Chapters are short, but give an understanding of technology and science not available elsewhere. Questions include: • What holds a satellite up while it goes around the Earth? • Why is the sky (made out of clear air!) blue instead of green, or just black as night like the sky that high altitude jumper Felix Baumgartner saw? • How is laser light different from “normal” light? • Did Columbus really discover that the Earth is round? • Which one invention will assuredly survive our civilization? • Why can’t you travel back in time? If you often feel embarrassed because you don’t have a clue about lasers, the difference between volts, amps and watts, or how jet planes really work – but you would like to understand the physical principles of our modern world, whether you’re a teen or a parent – this book is for you! To understand the basics of quantum mechanics, or of protons, neutrons and electrons, you don’t need algebra, calculus, or a lot of equations or technical buzzwords. Too many people have been soured on science by science teachers who have made simple concepts seem complex. This book is the antidote: all it requires is your curiosity. Advance praise for No Wonder You Wonder!: “From beginning to end, and with laugh after laugh, I enjoyed every single word of this remarkable book. Phipps is a hell of a good writer, and the kind of physics teacher that I would have loved as a young student. No Wonder You Wonder can be engrossing for anyone with a bit of curiosity, not just the scientific minded.” – Christophe Bonnal, Chief Engineer, CNES (French Space Agency) “No Wonder You Wonder is a fa ntastic book. Covering topics such as space, matter, and the energy within the universe, this book does an excellent job of clarifying these topics. It's a great read for young scientists and aspiring physicists.” – August R., high school freshman This book explores and explains scientific mysteries and principles, leavened with tongue-in-cheek humor and an abundance of illustrations. Chapters are short, but give an understanding of technology and science not available elsewhere. Questions include: ĺØ What holds a satellite up while it goes around the Earth? ĺØ Why is the sky (made out of clear air!) blue instead of green, or just black as night like the sky that high altitude jumper Felix Baumgartner saw? ĺØ How is laser light different from ĺlnormalĺl light? ĺØ Did Columbus really discover that the Earth is round? ĺØ Which one invention will assuredly survive our civilization? ĺØ Why canĺlt you travel back in time?℗l If you often feel embarrassed because you donĺlt have a clue about lasers, the difference between volts, amps and watts, or how jet planes really work ĺl but you would like to understand the physical principles of our modern world, whether youĺlre a teen or a parent ĺl this book is for you! To understand the basics of quantum mechanics, or of protons, neutrons and electrons, you donĺlt need algebra, calculus, or a lot of equations or technical buzzwords. Too many people have been soured on science by science teachers who have made simple concepts seem complex. This book is the antidote: all it requires is your curiosity.℗l Advance praise for No Wonder You Wonder!:℗l ĺlFrom beginning to end, and with laugh after laugh, I en joyed every single word of this remarkable book. Phipps is a hell of a good writer, and the kind of physics teacher that I would have loved as a young student. No Wonder You Wonder can be engrossing for anyone with a bit of curiosity, not just the scientific minded.ĺl ĺl Christophe Bonnal, Chief Engineer, CNES (French Space Agency)℗l ĺlNo Wonder You Wonder is a fa ntastic book. Covering topics such as space, matter, and the energy within the universe, this book does an excellent job of clarifying these topics. It's a great read for young scientists and aspiring physicists.ĺl ĺl August R., high school freshman Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Front Matter....Pages 1-4 Einstein Said .......Pages 5-7 Numbers....Pages 9-15 Magic Numbers....Pages 17-20 Introduction: Weird Reality....Pages 21-57 The Metric System....Pages 59-67 Exponentials and Instabilities....Pages 69-74 Front Matter....Pages 75-76 Chinese Science and Art....Pages 77-85 Space Geometry from Ancient Greece to Today....Pages 87-95 Rome....Pages 97-104 Islamic Science and Art....Pages 105-112 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 Modern Science....Pages 115-129 Why Is the Day Sky Blue? Why Is the Night Sky Black?....Pages 131-139 Machines....Pages 141-158 Lighter Than Air Flight....Pages 159-164 Electricity....Pages 165-185 Drones and Robotic Flight....Pages 187-189 The Jet Plane: How Metal Birds Fly....Pages 191-209 Rockets....Pages 211-228 Electromagnetic Waves....Pages 229-241 Electronics and Computers....Pages 243-255 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 Biology....Pages 257-263 Optics....Pages 265-281 Lasers....Pages 283-308 Nucleonics....Pages 309-315 Front Matter....Pages 317-317 Religion....Pages 319-321 Everything Else....Pages 323-331