Description
Book SynopsisTable of Contents1 Science: A Way of Knowing: How do you know what you know? 1
2 The Ordered Universe: Why do planets appear to wander slowly across the sky? 30
3 Energy: Why must animals eat to stay alive? 63
4 Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why is it easier to make an omelet from an egg than to make an egg from an omelet? 92
5 Electricity and Magnetism: What is lightning? 119
6 Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What is color? 151
7 Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a human ever travel faster than the speed of light, at "warp speed"? 185
8 The Atom: Why are there so many different materials in the world? 209
9 Quantum Mechanics: How can the electron behave like both a particle and a wave? 234
10 Atoms in Combination: The Chemical Bond: How does blood clot? 254
11 Materials and Their Properties: How have computers gotten so much faster? 289
12 The Nucleus of the Atom: How do scientists determine the age of the oldest human fossils? 316
13 The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How can antimatter be used to probe the human brain? 346
14 The Stars: How much longer can the Sun sustain life on Earth? 369
15 Cosmology: Will the universe end? 396
16 Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the only planet with life? 422
17 Plate Tectonics: Can we predict destructive earthquakes? 458
18 Earth's Many Cycles: Will we ever run out of fresh water? 487
19 Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are human activities affecting the global environment? 520
20 Strategies of Life: What is life? 547
21 The Living Cell: What is the smallest living thing? 576
22 Molecules of Life: What constitutes a healthy diet? 600
23 Classical and Modern Genetics: Why do offspring resemble their parents? 627
24 The New Science of Life: How did scientists develop a vaccine for COVID 19? 653
25 Evolution: How did life emerge on the ancient Earth? 685
Index I-1
Additional appendices available online only
