Product Description

We ask question after question of an indifferent universe that would just as soon remain mute; and slowly, patiently, one sentence at a time, we write our own version of the book of nature. It is called science, from the Latin word for knowledge, and it is a book everybody should read. With simplicity and elegance, Knowing interprets the book of nature for curious readers of all sorts--but especially for those hoping to appreciate the beauty of physics without getting lost in the mathematics. Indeed, there is a world of scientific understanding in the pages of this gracefully written and inviting book, where hundreds of little diagrams substitute for the equations that physicists otherwise need to tell their tale. Readers will discover the way things work: how big things (like Earth or Moon) come from small things (like quarks and electrons), how tiny particles push and pull, and how the world hangs in the balance. We learn how an "unbiased" observer and a fixed speed of light, nothing else, conjure up E=mc2 and four-dimensional space-time. We see how Newton's clockwork universe of unwavering determination differs (but not in every respect) from Heisenberg's quantum universe of hazy uncertainty. And we see how a world of chaos throws a wrench into everybody's mechanical ideal. From tiny atoms to vast galaxies, the universe is ours to explore and to know: its particles, its interactions, its laws, its unending surprises. Heavily illustrated with explanatory drawings and diagrams--perhaps no other science book for general readers uses diagrams so extensively--Knowing takes us to the edge of modern science, allowing us to peer in further than we would have dreamed possible.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #427410 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 432 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In the preface to his new book, science writer Munowitz (Principles of Chemistry) declares that "one should not have to become a professional mathematician or physicist simply to appreciate what is arguably the greatest joy there is: the joy of knowing (just a little bit) how everything is put together." To that end, his "ruthlessly abridged" overview of the landscape of science offers "no formulas to memorize" but still manages to cover everything from basic Newtonian physics to advanced thermodynamics and quantum physics. Munowitz's skills as a writer and teacher are clear throughout, particularly when he tackles the thornier aspects of modern physics, but this is still far from an easy read (Munowitz's elaboration of general relativity is one of the clearest in print, but it's still tough going). At the same time, readers with a grounding in modern physics may find that the author's reworking of a science textbook by expanding on and recontextualizing the "standards"—much like a concert by a really good cover band—leaves them looking at familiar concepts in a refreshing new light. B&w illus. (Oct.)
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Review

"There is nothing more fundamental to everything in the entire universe than theoretical physics, and no subject more difficult to explain to the non-specialist. In addressing it in the well-titled Knowing, Munowitz has written one of the clearest and most inviting books of science exposition I have ever encountered."--Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of On Human Nature and The Ants
"All those who are eager to understand how the world works but have been frustrated and discouraged by the forbidding mathematical language of physical science will welcome this fascinating, lucid, and satisfying account of what we know (and don't know) about this most profound of human endeavors. Munowitz has written 'physics without tears.'" --Christian de Duve, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology and Medicine

About the Author

Michael Munowitz is a full-time science writer. A graduate of Yale University, he earned a Ph.D. in chemical physics from Harvard University and has held postdoctoral appointments at the University of Leiden and the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author most recently of Principles of Chemistry, described by one reviewer as "the best-written general chemistry book I have ever read." He lives in Naperville, Illinois.

Customer Reviews

Definitely worth a read
This is an excellent book whether you have some basic science or whether (like me) you studied science some years back without fully understanding some of it (i.e. knowing the how, not the why; the effect, not the cause).

It is written in a very unusual, but very useful style for a science book, but some of the analogies are great in helping you connect the various dots in everything from classical to quantum physics and current developments.

As always you come away with more quesions that answered, but at least now you can understand why those questions exist.

E = mc Hammer
This is an excellent book. As stated in the book, the information is savagely abridged, but it allows Munowitz to touch on an abundant amount of info. It is also very easy to understand. I admit some of the illustrations could have been a bit different, but overall this is a marvelous book. Especially considering what a quick read it is, and how much info you pull from it.

Wish Munowitz would do more
I enjoyed the clarity of this book so much that I bought his Principles of Chemistry and, indeed, Principles also proves his expertise in both the subject of science and his writing ability. If you're interested in the topic of Knowing and you tend to read books in this area, I'd recommend that you read this one, too, even if you get it from the library (as I did). Anyone who might be put to sleep reading this either is way out in front of the rest of us on the topic or he really doesn't have any interest in the topic. Other than those two categories, I really believe it's worth the read.