Why Things Are the Way They Are Contributor(s): Chandrasekhar, B. S. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0521456606 ISBN-13: 9780521456609 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $63.64 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 1997 Annotation: In a completely nontechnical style, the author explains how materials result from the way they are composed of atoms and why they have the properties they do. The book is intended for general readers and uses mainly words, pictures, and analogies, with a minimum of simple mathematics. The author translates the technical jargon of physics into a language that can be understood by anyone. Illustrated with diagrams and photos. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Science | Physics - Condensed Matter |
Dewey: 530.41 |
LCCN: 96052937 |
Physical Information: 0.48" H x 6.83" W x 9.64" (1.23 lbs) 268 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: This fascinating book explains why the materials we can see and touch behave as they do. In a completely nontechnical style, using only basic arithmetic, the author explains how the properties of materials result from the way they are composed of atoms and why it is they have the properties they do: for example, why copper and rubies are colored, why metals conduct heat better than glass, why magnets attract an iron nail but not a brass pin, and how superconductors are able to conduct electricity without resistance. The book is intended for general readers, and uses mainly words, pictures and analogies, with only a minimum of very simple mathematics. The author explains how it is possible to understand the basic properties of matter, and translates the technical jargon of physics into a language that can be understood by anyone with an interest in science who wants to know why the world around us behaves in the way that it does. |