Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Tuesday 19th March 2024 - 21:52:19

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Books > Non-Fiction > Black Bodies and Quantum Cats - Tales of Pure Genius and Mad Science. review

« Tony Christie and Guests reviewTony Christie and GuestsClassic Craft Cases - Candle Making reviewClassic Craft Cases - Candle Making »

Score: 9.8/10  [1 review]
5 out of 5
ProdID: 1308 - Black Bodies and Quantum Cats - Tales of Pure Genius and Mad Science. -  Written by Jennifer Ouellette

Black Bodies and Quantum Cats - Tales of Pure Genius and Mad Science.
Price:
$32.99
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Bookwise Intl

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Bookwise Intl or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
in selected book retailers.

Black Bodies and Quantum Cats - Tales of Pure Genius and Mad Science. product reviews

What do Terry Pratchett, Jackson Pollock, Star Trek, and Velcro have in common?

They are all invoked by science writer Jennifer Ouellette to shed vibrant new light upon some of the most revolutionary scientific developments in the history of mankind. The Addams Family Values illustrate Newton's laws, Back to the Future demonstrates the finer points of special relativity, and Jeannette Winterson's novel Gut Symmetries provides an elegant metaphorical framework for string theory.

Combining anecdote, analogy, and colourful historical details with literature, art, and music, Black Bodies and Quantum Cats is witty and entertaining proof that physics is not arcane or even very scary, but is instead an exciting human endeavour - and a fundamental part of our everyday world.

Check out Bookwise Intl onlineClick here to see all the listings for Bookwise Intl Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account They do not have a Facebook page They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
-none-
Other listings you may be interested in:
Beginners Guide - EnergyBeginners Guide - Energy
Rating: 8.5
Illustrated History of New ZealandIllustrated History of New Zealand
Rating: 8.8
Portrait of the RivieraPortrait of the Riviera
Rating: 5.8
Kushiel's AvatarKushiel's AvatarKlutz - Mix & Match DrawingKlutz - Mix & Match Drawing
Rating: 9.6
The Short Second Life of Bree TannerThe Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Rating: 10.0
She'll Be Coming Round the MountainShe'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
Rating: 9.2
My Book of JokesMy Book of Jokes
Rating: 10.0
The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it was None of His BusinessThe Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it was None of His Business
Rating: 10.0
Dark Lord of DerkholmDark Lord of Derkholm
Rating: 10.0
Geronimo Stilton The Enchanted Charms: The Seventh Adventure of the Kingdom of FantasyGeronimo Stilton The Enchanted Charms: The Seventh Adventure of the Kingdom of Fantasy
Rating: 9.8
Nursery Rhyme RainbowNursery Rhyme Rainbow
Rating: 9.8
Stress LessStress Less
Rating: 9.8
Good OmensGood Omens
Rating: 9.5

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of tucker

Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 14th of March, 2007

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 9.8/10
Value for Money:
Score 9 out of 10
Interesting Facts:
Score 10 out of 10
Accuracy:
Score 10 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 10 out of 10

First impressions: I had to laugh... not only was the cat's expression highly amusing, but the cover shows a quote by David Bodanis: "I found Ouelette's book great fun... and learned a great deal from it too." What made this (strangely) funny for me was that David is the award-winning author of "Electric Universe" which is another book in this style of "high-sci for the average guy" writing, but focuses more closely on the electromagnetic nature of the universe around us. It is also one I have read, and found amazing in it's ability to tell the big stories in little words, such that even the most average Joe Public can feel in touch with what's going on around the cutting edge of science as it stands, as well as having a better grasp of what has gone before, the stuff that makes up the bedrock upon which our technological advancement is built.

In this book, Jennifer Ouellette explores all of the major stepping stones that have given us our current lifestyle, from the discovery of the various bits of the overall electromagnetic spectrum, quantum and chaos theory, why light has a split-personality and acts differently depending on how you look at it, and how we took those principles and built then outwards and upwards and created everything from portable radios to microcircuitry. But this book is more than a story of science, it's the tales of those who made the science and founded the schools of thought that underpin everything in our daily lives. From the ever-famous, such as Einstein and Heisenberg, to those who made critical discoveries but got lost in the dusty shelves of history, such as Edward Lorenz or Charles Townes. Aptly highlighted and exemplified by modern, topical references that show us the principals or parallel ideas in action, often with a wonderful tongue-in-cheek sense of humour that appeals to my intellectual side, without ignoring my "Joe Blog" persona either.

Overall, if you have ever had a desire to understand more about our world and the science that keeps it running, but are put off by all the maths and strange diagrams, this is an excellent book. Not only will you get a reasonably good grasp of the concepts, you might even get a surprise or two at the history of some commonplace objects, and the story of their evolution from "Madness, MADNESS I TELL YOU! Satan's hand is in this!" through to "Oh yeah, it just... does that thing... you know..." This would also be an especially good book to have if you have kids who are weak on science, or lack the passion to explore the sciences.


Random listing from 'Books'...

Score: 8.3
Product reviews for listing 7361: Thea Stilton SE: #5 Treasure of the Sea -  Author: Thea Stilton

Product image for Thea Stilton SE: #5 Treasure of the SeaThea Stilton and the Thea Sisters are needed to help Aquamarina, the magical land of the ocean! The enchanted Music of the Sea has stopped playing, and no one knows why. If it doesn't return soon, the realm will perish!

The mouselets and their friend Will Mystery travel to the underwater world to find the magical music. On their mission, they swim through dangerous waters, encounter strange and fantastical creatures, and even reveal an ancient mystery. It's a mousetastic aquatic adventure!

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?"
unattributed