Reveals the scientific principles behind familiar objects and activities, rendering the scientific process accessible through explanations of how such activities as shopping, boiling an egg, throwing a boomerang, and sports are connected to key scientific questions. Reprint.

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life

Science & Math

FISHER,LEN

Experiments, Instruments & Measurement

Penguin??Books

Good science and common sense often don't mix. In Weighing the Soul, Len Fisher shows the path to scientific discovery is frequently a bumpy one that follows Schopenhauer's famous maxim - 'All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident.' Fisher tells the fascinating, human stories behind some of the great as well as some of the not-so-great scientific ideas of the past - those that were truly bizarre, peculiar or downright daft, and those that just seemed that way at the time. As he shows, it is often only with hindsight that the two can be told apart, and it is some of those who appeared most wrong - and who were variously ignored, persecuted and imprisoned as a result - that ultimately went on to be proved most right. Len's witty and engaging style takes us from Frankenstein's monster to pacemakers, from The Water Babies to the structure of DNA, from one American doctor's attempts to weigh the human soul through to the necessary (and truly weird) mysteries of modern science. Along the way he illuminates a wide variety of wonderful titbits - such as links between Newton and Polaroid sunglasses, and how Quantum Mechanics gave us CD players - and shows why, like Alice in Wonderland, modern scientists can often end up believing six impossible things before breakfast.

Weighing the Soul

Arcade Publishing

Praised by Entertainment Weekly as the man who put the fizz into physics,” Dr. Len Fisher turns his attention to the science of cooperation in his lively and thought-provoking book. Fisher shows how the modern science of ga

Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life

Humor & Entertainment

Puzzles & Games

Basic Books

One of the greatest discoveries of recent times is that the complex patterns we find in life are often produced when all of the individuals in a group follow the same simple rule. This process of self-organization” reveals itself in the inanimate worlds of crystals and seashells, but as Len Fisher shows, it is also evident in living organisms, from fish to ants to human beings. The coordinated movements of fish in shoals, for example, arise from the simple rule: Follow the fish in front.” Traffic flow arises from simple rules: Keep your distance” and Keep to the right.”
Now, in his new book, Fisher shows how we can manage our complex social lives in an ever more chaotic world. His investigation encompasses topics ranging from swarm intelligence” to the science of parties and the best ways to start a fad. Finally, Fisher sheds light on the beauty and utility of complexity theory. An entertaining journey into the science of everyday life, The Perfect Swarm will delight anyone who wants to understand the complex situations in which we so often find ourselves.

The Perfect Swarm: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life

Politics & Social Sciences

Sociology

The process of "self-organization" reveals itself in the inanimate worlds of crystals and seashells, but, as Len Fisher shows, it is also evident in living organisms, from fish to ants to human beings. Understanding the "swarm intelligence" inherent in groups can help us do everything from throw a better party to start a fad to make our interactions with others more powerful. Humorous and enlightening, The Perfect Swarm demonstrates how complexity arises from nature's simple rules and how we can use their awesome power to untangle the frustrating complexities of life in our ever more chaotic world.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

Why do certain civilizations, societies, and ecosystems collapse? How does the domino effect relate to the credit crunch? When can mathematics help explain marriage? And how on earth do toads predict earthquakes? The future is uncertain. But science can help foretell what lies ahead.
Drawing on ecology and biology, math and physics, Crashes, Crises, and Calamities offers four fundamental tools that scientists and engineers use to forecast the likelihood of sudden change: stability, catastrophe, complexity, and game theories. In accessible prose, Len Fisher demonstrates how we can foresee and manage events that might otherwise catch us by surprise.
At the cutting edge of science, Fisher helps us find ways to act before a full-fledged catastrophe is upon us. Crashes, Crises, and Calamities is a witty and informative exploration of the chaos, complexity, and patterns of our daily lives.

Crashes, Crises, and Calamities: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs

History

Americas

Why do certain civilizations, societies, and ecosystems collapse? How does the domino effect relate to the credit crunch? When can mathematics help explain marriage? And how on earth do toads predict earthquakes? The future is uncertain. But science can help foretell what lies ahead.Drawing on ecology and biology, math and physics, Crashes, Crises, and Calamities offers four fundamental tools that scientists and engineers use to forecast the likelihood of sudden change: stability, catastrophe, complexity, and game theories. In accessible prose, Len Fisher demonstrates how we can foresee and manage events that might otherwise catch us by surprise.At the cutting edge of science, Fisher helps us find ways to act before a full-fledged catastrophe is upon us. Crashes, Crises, and Calamities is a witty and informative exploration of the chaos, complexity, and patterns of our daily lives.

Seeing It Coming: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-warning Signs

Technology

Reveals scientific principles behind familiar objects and activities, rendering the scientific process accessible through explanations of how such activities as shopping, boiling an egg, throwing a boomerang, and sports are connected to key scientific questions. 17,500 first printing.

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science Of Everyday Life

The author of How to Dunk a Doughnut continues his accessible explanations of scientific principles using humorous personal stories, everyday life examples, and offbeat experiments; in a volume that covers such topics as the discovery of electricity, the structure of DNA, and the invention of computers. 15,000 first printing.

Weighing the Soul: Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre

The author of How to Dunk a Doughnut continues his accessible explanations of scientific principles using humorous personal stories, everyday life examples, and offbeat experiments, in a volume that covers such topics as the discovery of electricity, the structure of DNA, and the invention of computers. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

History & Philosophy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by FISHER,LEN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by FISHER,LEN

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by FISHER,LEN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life

Weighing the Soul

Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life

The Perfect Swarm: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life

The Perfect Swarm: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life

Crashes, Crises, and Calamities: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs

Seeing It Coming: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-warning Signs

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science Of Everyday Life

Weighing the Soul: Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre

Weighing the Soul: Scientific Discovery from the Brilliant to the Bizarre