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基本説明
With Illustrations by Lee Jamison.
Full Description
Time. Gravity. Night. So much of what surrounds us feels familiar and mundane. But each is a wonder that reveals profound insights into the world around us. C. Renee James's whimsical tour of seven everyday experiences-night, light, stuff, gravity, time, home, and wonder-opens the Universe to fantastical contemplation. Light? Although we need it to see, there's much more to it than meets the eye. Stuff? When it comes down to it, things are almost entirely empty space-99.9% nothing-especially when you get to the atomic level. Home? James's contemplation of our place in the Universe shows that it's not just a place to hang your hat-and that there's really nothing else like it. James introduces each of these seven wonders with a simple question that appears to be easily answered. The questions are deceptive, though-as is James's casual, light-hearted style. Underneath lie such concepts as relativity, matter and antimatter, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Her accessible discussion uses common analogies and entertaining illustrations to provide a bundle of detail on historical discoveries and to provoke serious pondering.
Fun and edifying, Seven Wonders of the Universe That You Probably Took for Granted is an inviting introduction to secret knowledge of our everyday world. This book may be 99.9% nothing, but the thoughts it will inspire are massive.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Nights
1.1. Of Snowballs and Ice-Skaters
1.2. Putting the Brakes On
1.3. Why Is Space Dark? Answer #1: Location, Location, Location
1.4. Why Is Space Dark? Answer #2: Because
1.5. Why Is Space Dark? Answer #3: Actually It Isn't
Small Wonder: Day and Night on Mercury
Small Wonder: Keeping the Night Sky Dark
2. Light
2.1. Codebreaking Basics
2.2. The Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder CD
2.3. More Than Meets the Eye
2.4. Evading the Question
2.5. Making Light of the Universe
Small Wonder: Why Is the Sky Blue? And Why Are Sunsets Red?
Small Wonder: The Early Universe—A Made-for-TV Movie!
3. Stuff
3.1. It's Element-ary
3.2. Element Factories
3.3. In the Beginning . . .
3.4. Making Light of Evil Twins
3.5. The Good Guys Always Win . . . But Why?
Small Wonder: What Are You Really Made Of?
4. Gravity
4.1. A Penny for Your Thoughts?
4.2. Earth, the 6 Trillion Trillion Kilogram Weakling
4.3. Of Apples and Orbits and Confused Astronauts
4.4. But Wait . . . There's More!
4.5. Surprise! Gravity Isn't a Force!
Small Wonder: How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off, Guaranteed!
5. Time
5.1. Got a Second?
5.2. Time in a Bottle—or in a Black Hole
5.3. A One-Way Ticket to Disorder
5.4. Time: The Grand Illusion?
Small Wonder: So What Causes Daylight Saving Time to Happen?
Small Wonder: Why Are There Seven Days in a Week?
Small Wonder: What Would Happen if You Fell into a Black Hole?
6. Home
6.1. Goldilocks and the Three Planets
6.2. Goldilocks and the Three Stars
6.3. Goldilocks in Suburbia, Traffic, and Time
6.4. Why Goldilocks Could Never Have Been a Successful Real Estate Agent
Small Wonder: Looking for a Home Away from Home
Small Wonder: Do Aliens Exist?
Small Wonder: No, Really. Do Aliens Exist?
Small Wonder: Wanted—Alien Hunters
7. Wonder
7.1. Life—The Ultimate Eating Machine
7.2. There's More to Life Than Eating
7.3. It's All in Your Head . . . Maybe
7.4. It's a Wonder-Full Life
Small Wonder: Small Wonders
Afterword
For Further Reading
Index
