The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments by George Johnson - ISBN: 9780099464587
Paperback
Ten beautiful experiments that reshaped reality, forever changing our world.

The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments

  • Paperback

    208 pages

  • Release Date

    1 July 2009

Summary

George Johnson tells the stories of ten beautiful experiments which changed the world. From Galileo singing to mark time as he measured the pull of gravity and Newton carefully inserting a needle behind his own eye, to Joule packing a thermometer on his honeymoon to take the temperature of waterfalls and Michelson recovering from a dark depression to discover that light moves at the same speed in every direction - these ten dedicated men employed diamonds, dogs, frogs and even their own bodie…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780099464587
ISBN-10:0099464586
Author:George Johnson
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Imprint:Vintage
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:208
Release Date:1 July 2009
Weight:183g
Dimensions:198mm x 129mm x 15mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Entertaining, finely crafted… there is a feast of fine science writing in this gem of a book

Entertaining, finely crafted… there is a feast of fine science writing in this gem of a book * Sunday Telegraph *
Johnson’s essays balance human interest and scientific wonder in equal measure, making for a delicious succession of vignettes * Guardian *
Johnson’s lively book… finds beauty throughout science - even among dead frogs and drooling dogs * Scotsman *
Johnson manages to convey the heart-stopping wonder of discovery * Radio 4, Today programme *
In describing these beautifully simple works of genius, Johnson reveals as much about the corporatist nature of modern science as he does about early research * Scotland on Sunday *
Johnson has a good feel for detail … and an easy touch with larger concepts … Johnson’s lively book nicely evokes the lost world of the tabletop experiment . * New York Times Book Review *
Delightful, succinct, elegant. * Roger Penrose *
Johnson’s mix of the personal, the erudite and crystalline prose is – like the pull of gravity (see beautiful experiment number 1) – an irresistible force. * Scientific American *
As a science journalist, Mr. Johnson is a seasoned translator of technical jargon. He also has a sharp eye for human plot, both in and out of the laboratory … a certain spirit of wonder breathes through Mr. Johnson’s chapters. * New York Sun *
A delightful read that will stimulate the scientist inside everyone * Bluesci *

About The Author

George Johnson

George Johnson is a science-writer for the New York Times and has also had work published in Scientific America, Time, Slate and Wired and in the collections The Best American Scientific Writing.

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