Chris Woodford

The Gadget Book follows on from How Cool Stuff Works, taking the reader on an eye-opening journey through the engine of a hydrogen-fuelled car, into the virtual world of Second Life, and up the earthquake-proofed structure of the world’s tallest office building. This book shows and explains – in a brilliantly visual and easy-to-understand way – exactly how the technology that shapes our world works.Cleverly employed photographic techniques – including X-rays, SEMs, thermal images, cross-sections, and exploded views – get straight to the heart of the key principles behind each appliance, invention, or system. These images strip back the objects to their inner essentials, dissecting them for the reader to study, understand, and marvel at.Learn about the science behind every machine and gadget, and find out when and how things were invented – from mobile phones and games consoles to smart cards and space planes.

Using the modern home as a springboard, Atoms Under the Floorboards presents the fascinating and surprising scientific explanations behind a variety of common (and often entertainingly mundane) household phenomena, from gurgling drains and squeaky floorboards to rubbery custard and shiny shoes. Atoms Under the Floorboards won The American Institute of Physics 2016 Science Writing Award for Books and was named a Physics World Top 10 Book in 2015.

Greek philosophers first hypothesized that matter was composed of atoms, but the theory would not resurface again until the late 17th century. The idea that that atoms joined to form structures called molecules first appeared in the 19th century and helped explain why gases, liquids, and solids behave differently from one another. In the 20th century subatomic particles were discovered-electrons, protons, and neutrons-and atomic structure was finally understood. These breakthroughs led to the development of quantum theory and quantum mechanics. This book details the inspiring and heroic discovery, delving deeply into intriguing stories, reviewing major scientific landmarks, and introducing readers to the vivid men and women who helped discover and map the microscopic universe that is the atom.

Taking the reader on an eye-opening journey through the circuitry of a microchip,round the innards of an electric guitar, and into the human bloodstream withnanorobots, How Cool Stuff Works shows and explains – in a brilliantly visual andeasy-to-understand way – exactly how the technology that shapes our world works.Cleverly employed photographic techniques get straight to the heart of the keyprinciples behind each appliance, invention, or system. X-rays reveal thecomponents of mobile phones, SEMs take an ultra-close look at the structure ofa safety match, thermal images expose the secrets of microwave ovens, explodedviews take apart quartz watches, and cross-sections uncover the internal parts ofdigital cameras. These images strip back the objects to their inner essentials,dissecting them for the reader to study, understand, and marvel.Learn about the science behind every machine and gadget, and find out whenand how things were invented – from the radio and refrigerator to therapid rise of digital technology.

"This compact and concise book brings science to your fingertips. More than 2000 bulleted facts are accompanied by hundreds of illustrations, diagrams and photographs. An extensive index allows for easy navigation of facts"--Back cover.

Discusses how communication has changed from the first written language and the use of paper through advances using the spoken word and moving images to the development and widespread use of computers.

Dark, funny, and filled with suspense, Temperature: Dead and Rising by new author Adam Santo is a wildly creepy fantasy-and a corpse of a good time. When Sally Mertill is driving a carload of her friends back to Green Mountain Falls after visiting Pike's Peak they'll careen off the side of the mountain. With no guardrails it's not surprising there are no survivors. And yet within two days a not altogether bad fellow named Bocnic Drewings will call upon the metal drawer where her body awaits autopsy, open it, and lead her on the adventure of a lifetime-well, that's if she'd have survived the accident. The powers that be have chosen Sally to become undead and she's the only other person time eternal who's been given the power to raise the dead-and control them. When leaders of rival undead clans find out, they either want to control or destroy her, which makes Sally staying undead a bit of a challenge.

Reviews the history of power and energy inventions, from the dawn of civilization to the present, including the first machines, steam and electric engines, and the incandescent light bulb.