Author Biography

James Bobick helped compile The Handy Science Answer Book during his sixteen years as Head of the Science and Technology Department at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and he has been instrumental in every revision since it first published over twenty-five years ago. He previously taught at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Sciences, and with G. Lynn Berard of Carnegie Mellon University he wrote Science and Technology Resources: A Guide for Information Professionals and Researchers. He has master's degrees in both biology and library science. He lives in Pittsburgh.

Table of Contents

About the Author
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1. Overview
2. Mathematics
3. Physics
4. Chemistry
5. Astronomy and Space
6. Geology and Earth Sciences
7. Meteorology and Climatology
8. Biology
9. Genetics
10. Botany
11. Zoology
12. Anatomy and Physiology
13. Ecology
14. Applied Science and Technology
Bibliography
GlossaryIndex

Review

"… an enjoyable way for the scientifically inclined to while away a few hours." – Library Journal

"This update of the 2010 edition offers a plethora of fun facts along with brief scientific explanations. ... informative and entertaining title ..." – Booklist

"Clear, concise and straightforward, with a wide range of information … This newly updated 5th edition continues to be an educational resource that is both informative and enjoyable. The questions are interesting, unusual, frequently asked, or difficult to answer. … answers burning questions, supports homework assignments, provides engaging trivia, and helps satisfy an innate thirst for knowledge."— SirReadALog.org

"… addresses questions in general science, math, physics, chemistry, astronomy and space, geology and earth science, meteorology and climatology, biology, genetics, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology, ecology, and applied science and technology …" – Protoview Book News

Praise for the previous edition ...

"Easily read by students in grades 4-12, this resource invites the curious mind to explore.... What a fun and educational way to explore the wonders of the world of science, the world in which we live."— National Science Teachers Association

"...this science resource will resolve arguments, support homework assignments, provide engaging trivia, and help satisfy readers' curiosity."— SciTech Book News

"...a superior source on essential science data..."— American Reference Books

"A book filled with answers to the frequently asked questions of science and technology, this fourth edition updates the research. The straight-forward writing could be understood by fourth grade and up. The book is organized with an extensive table of contents at the beginning and an even more extensive index at the end."— Children's Literature

"A user-friendly guide explaining scientific concepts in plain English. Recommended."— Christian Library Journal

"Here's a way to answer those burning questions you wonder about, or the ones your teacher asks for homework."— Dallas Morning News

"The eight years since this title's last appearance constitute an era in some sciences, marking high time for a new edition. Recommended."— Library Journal

"Fascinating stuff. Most readers will have hours of fun just picking pages at random."— Pittsburgh Magazine

Long Description

Informative, easy-to-use guide to everyday science questions, concepts and fundamentals celebrates its twenty-fifth year and over one million copies sold! Science is everywhere, and it affects everything! DNA and CRISPR. Artificial sweeteners. Sea level changes caused by melting glaciers. Gravitational waves. Bees in a colony. The human body. Microplastics. The largest active volcano. Designer dog breeds. Molecules. The length of the Grand Canyon. Viruses and retroviruses. The weight of a cloud. Forces, motion, energy, and inertia. It can often seem complex and complicated, but it need not be so difficult to understand. The thoroughly updated and completely revised fifth edition of The Handy Science Answer Book makes science and its impact on the world fun and easy to understand. Clear, concise, and straightforward, this informative primer covers hundreds of intriguing topics, from the basics of math, physics, and chemistry to the discoveries being made about the human body, stars, outer space, rivers, mountains, and our entire planet. It covers plants, animals, computers, planes, trains, and cars. This friendly resource answers more than 1,600 of the most frequently asked, most interesting, and most unusual science questions, including ... When was a symbol for the concept of zero first used? How large is a google? Why do golf balls have dimples? What is a chemical bond? What is a light-year? What was the grand finale of the Cassini mission? How many exoplanets have been discovered? Where is the deepest cave in the United States? How long is the Grand Canyon? What is the difference between weather and climate? What causes a red tide? What is cell cloning and how is it used in scientific research? How did humans evolve? Do pine trees keep their needles forever? What is the most abundant group of organisms? How do insects survive the winter in cold climates? Which animals drink seawater? Why do geese fly in formation? What is FrogWatch? Why do cats' eyes shine in the dark? Which industries release the most toxic chemicals? What causes most wildfires in the United States? Which woman received the Nobel Prize in two different fields (two different years)? What is the difference between science and technology? For anyone wanting to know how the universe, Earth, plants, animals, and human beings work and fit into our world, this informative book also includes a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. It will help anyone's science questions!

Review Quote

"... an enjoyable way for the scientifically inclined to while away a few hours." - Library Journal "This update of the 2010 edition offers a plethora of fun facts along with brief scientific explanations. ... informative and entertaining title ..." - Booklist "Clear, concise and straightforward, with a wide range of information ... This newly updated 5th edition continues to be an educational resource that is both informative and enjoyable. The questions are interesting, unusual, frequently asked, or difficult to answer. ... answers burning questions, supports homework assignments, provides engaging trivia, and helps satisfy an innate thirst for knowledge."-- SirReadALog.org "... addresses questions in general science, math, physics, chemistry, astronomy and space, geology and earth science, meteorology and climatology, biology, genetics, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology, ecology, and applied science and technology ..." - Protoview Book News Praise for the previous edition ... "Easily read by students in grades 4-12, this resource invites the curious mind to explore.... What a fun and educational way to explore the wonders of the world of science, the world in which we live."-- National Science Teachers Association "...this science resource will resolve arguments, support homework assignments, provide engaging trivia, and help satisfy readers' curiosity."-- SciTech Book News "...a superior source on essential science data..."-- American Reference Books "A book filled with answers to the frequently asked questions of science and technology, this fourth edition updates the research. The straight-forward writing could be understood by fourth grade and up. The book is organized with an extensive table of contents at the beginning and an even more extensive index at the end."-- Children's Literature "A user-friendly guide explaining scientific concepts in plain English. Recommended."-- Christian Library Journal "Here's a way to answer those burning questions you wonder about, or the ones your teacher asks for homework."-- Dallas Morning News "The eight years since this title's last appearance constitute an era in some sciences, marking high time for a new edition. Recommended."-- Library Journal "Fascinating stuff. Most readers will have hours of fun just picking pages at random."-- Pittsburgh Magazine

Excerpt from Book

What is science? The field of science involves the observation, description and experimentation of the natural world in an attempt to explain the "whys" and "hows" of our world. It is a way of thinking and an ongoing method of looking at the world. Science is a way of discovering how the world works by using a set of rules devised by scientists. Who were the earliest scientists? Inquisitive individuals have always attempted to explain the physical world. The early Babylonians and Egyptians were aware of natural phenomena and events. Many times, they tried to explain these events in terms of their gods. The early Greeks were among the first people to look for explanations of natural phenomena based on discovery and knowledge. The Greek philosopher Thales (c.624 B.C.E.- c. 547B.C.E.) is often credited as being the first to look for an answer to the question "What is the world is made of?" Although most of the writings of Thales have been lost, we know he proposed water as the single substance from which everything in the world was made. Is there one individual who is considered the most influential scientist in the history and development of Western science? Most experts seem to agree that Isaac Newton (1642-1727) is the most influential figure in the history of Western science. He was considered a great intellectual in his lifetime and the admiration within the scientific community continues today after some three hundred years. Why is Isaac Newton also considered the father of modern science? Isaac Newton (1642-1727) earned his place as the father of modern science by totally changing the way science was viewed in the evolution of human understanding of the universe, especially regarding his concepts and theories of motion, gravity, and mechanics. What other scientists have been particularly influential in the history and development of science through the ages? In addition to Isaac Newton (1642-1727), many scholars regard the following individuals as having played a major role in the history and development of science: 1..Albert Einstein (1879-1952) and twentieth-century physics including the theory of relativity 2. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) and the new science 3. Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and motion of the planets 4. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) and the heliocentric universe 5. Niels Bohr (1885-1962) and the atom 6. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) and the revolution in chemistry 7. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and evolution 8. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) and the germ theory of disease 9. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and psychology of the unconscious What are some of the historical time periods of science? An outline of the historical periods in the development of science include: 1. Antiquity: The period of time in which practical goals such as establishing a reliable calendar or determining how to cure a variety of illnesses existed simultaneously with abstract investigations known as natural philosophy. 2. Medieval Science: There were few major contributions in fields of science during the Medieval years. Exceptions were the emergence of science in the first established universities and the formulation of the scientific method. 3. Renaissance and Early Modern Science: During this time period, Copernicus (1473-1543) formulated a heliocentric model of the solar system unlike the geocentric model of Ptolemy (c.100-c.170). Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), through his laws of planetary motion, improved upon Copernicus'' heliocentric model. A major technological development was the invention of the printing press. 4. Age of Enlightenment: Science during the Enlightenment was dominated by scientific societies and academies, which had largely replaced universities as centers of scientific research and development. Science became increasingly popular among the educated population. This time period saw advances in mathematics and physics; the development of biological taxonomy; a new understanding of gases as well as magnetism and electricity; and the maturation of chemistry as a discipline. 5. Nineteenth Century: The discoveries and achievements of the nineteenth century brought a close to the era of classical science and set the stage for the development of science as we know it today. During this period, there were new discoveries about electricity and magnetism, genetics, and evolution, the age of the earth, the stars and the planets, and the nature of infection and disease. These discoveries revolutionized the way people lived and how they perceived the world around them. 6. Twentieth Century: The twentieth century was a time of extraordinary scientific activity. In the life sciences, scientists discovered the structure and function of DNA and uncovered the process by which genetic traits are passed from one generation to the next. New drugs conquered formerly fatal diseases. In the physical sciences, radioactivity and X-rays were discovered, and the atomic bomb was developed. During this time period, there was a move toward increased specialization in all fields of science. The use of computers in scientific research became common. 7. Twenty-first Century: The expanding horizons of science from the study of subatomic particles to missions deeper into outer space continue to reveal new and exciting cutting-edge information during the early years of the twenty-first century. What is the scientific method? The scientific method is the basis of scientific investigation. A scientist will pose a question and formulate a hypothesis as a potential explanation or answer to the question. The hypothesis will be tested through a series of experiments. The results of the experiments will either prove or disprove the hypothesis. Hypotheses that are consistent with available data are conditionally accepted. What are the steps of the scientific method? Research scientists follow these steps: 1. State a hypothesis. 2. Design an experiment to "prove" the hypothesis. 3. Assemble the materials and set up the experiment. 4. Do the experiment and collect data. 5. Analyze the data using quantitative methods. 6. Draw conclusions. 7. Write up and publish the results. Who is one of the first individuals associated with the scientific method? Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham (c. 966-1039), whose name is usually Latinized to Alhazen or Alhacen, is known as the "father of the science of optics" and was also one of the earliest experimental scientists. Between the tenth and fourteenth centuries, Muslim scholars were responsible for the development of the scientific method. These individuals were the first to use experiments and observation as the basis of science, and many historians regard science as starting during this period. Alhazen is regarded as the architect of the scientific method. His scientific method involved the following steps: 1. Observation of the natural world

Description for Sales People

Previous editions sold a combined 1,000,000 units 1,635 answers to common questions in plain English on all aspects of science More than 500 new questions and answers covering the innumerable discoveries and advancements over the last nine years since the previous edition was written Science made accessible with fascinating questions, and illustrated with dozens of charts and graphs, plus personalities, history and fun facts. Written and aimed at general audiences with no or little prior science knowledge The first, best place to turn for an overview of science basics Ideal as an authoritative reference for nagging questions Ideal as a primer on science Logical organization makes finding information quick and easy Clear and concise answers Numerous black-and-white photographs Thoroughly indexed Authoritative resource Written to appeal to anyone interested in science, science fundamentals, concepts and terms, including students, teachers, and parents Publicity and promotion aimed at the wide array of websites devoted to science, learning or students Back-to-school promotion targeting more mainstream media and websites on a popular topic Promotion targeting magazines and newspapers Promotion targeting local radio looking for knowledgeable guests

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