Bonus Content
Science in 100 Key Breakthroughs
Starting with the origins of counting more than 35,000 years ago, Science in 100 Key Breakthroughs encapsulates the history of Western science. For each breakthrough, Paul Parsons defines it, identifies the key players, and summarizes its importance and historical development.
Among the key discoveries you’ll study:
• Curvature of the Earth. In 240 BC, by measuring noontime shadows at Syene and Alexandria in Egypt, and knowing the distance between the two cities, the Greek scholar Eratosthenes was able to infer the circumference of a curved Earth that was close to its actual value.
• Algebra. In AD 820, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi of Persia published a book with systematic techniques for solving algebraic equations involving unknown quantities and their squares, denoted by x and x2, setting the stage for the future development of modern math.
• Linnean taxonomy. Carl Linnaeus’s 1735 book Systema Naturae suggested a hierarchical classification scheme for living things—kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species—that made it easier for naturalists to ponder the relationships among related organisms.
• Wave/particle duality. Among the most exotic consequences of the quantum revolution of the early 20th century was the finding that light is both a wave and a particle, depending on the apparatus via which it is measured—a result now accepted as verified physical fact.
• The double helix. Francis Crick and James Watson ushered in the era of molecular biology in 1953 with their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule. Understanding the double helix laid the groundwork for the Human Genome Project and further studies of the gene.
Accompanied by 200 photographs and illustrations that complement Parsons’s text, Science in 100 Key Breakthroughs celebrates the true extent of our knowledge of the world around us.
Softcover : 416 pages
Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd. ( September 01, 2011 )
Item #: 13-416575
ISBN: 9781554078080
Product Dimensions: 8.75 x 8.75 inches
Product Weight: 45.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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