Atoms Under the Floorboards: The Surprising Science Hidden in Your Home

Description

WINNER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS BOOK AWARD 2016 Science - the hidden power behind your home. It's rock-solid science that holds your house up in a hurricane, floods it with light at night and keeps it toasty on a crisp winter's morning. Surprisingly simple scientific ideas can also explain all those strange, baffling and sometimes downright irritating things you chance upon as you move around your home each day. From the dust on your bookshelf to the rips in your jeans, Atoms Under the Floorboards takes you on a whistle-stop tour of the home, revealing the scientific answers to niggling questions like ... Why can't you cook your dinner with a smartphone? Why can falling from a ladder hurt like a crocodile bite? Why does your laptop get hot when its only moving part is the cooling fan? Why can you see through windows but not through walls? What's the connection between a bike wheel, a suspension bridge and a wedding dress? Clearly explained throughout, and packed with facts, figures and fun, Atoms under the Floorboards answers all these questions and hundreds more - the perfect way to discover some seriously surprising science from the sofa.

Chris Woodford has been a professional science and technology writer for 25 years. After graduating from Cambridge University with a degree in natural sciences, he has gone on to write, co-write and edit a number of science education books, including the best-selling Cool Stuff series. He runs www.explainthatstuff.com, dedicated to explaining the science behind familiar, everyday things.

Atoms under the Floorboards provides elegant answers to questions so obvious you've never thought of them ...there is plenty here to interest those curious about the scientific underpinnings of the modern world. * Wall Street Journal * An exploration of the amazing science behind the aspects of daily life that usually go unquestioned ... For anyone wanting a fresh perspective and some detailed insight into even the most seemingly mundane of objects, it's a must-read. * Chemistry World * Phenomenal ... a fun, light-hearted science book. -- Brian Clegg Atoms Under the Floorboards is so well written that one can happily read it from cover to cover.... [readers] will be captivated not only by the answers to questions about our daily lives, but by the imaginative subject matter Woodford has selected. * NSTA Recommends * The author's engaging narrative simplifies even the most complex of scientific phenomena to the point that anyone, from the person who hasn't been in a science class since high school to the PhD scientist, will be able to gain knowledge and enjoyment out of this book. * Library Journal *