Universal Foam : The Story of Bubbles from Cappuccino to the Cosmos
Universal Foam : The Story of Bubbles from Cappuccino to the Cosmos

Universal Foam : The Story of Bubbles from Cappuccino to the Cosmos

Science & Math

PERKOWITZ, SIDNEY

Chemistry

Vintage

This is the first book to explain, illustrate, and compare the most widely used methods in optics: photoluminescence, infrared spectroscopy, and Raman scattering. Written with non-experts in mind, the book develops the background needed to understand the why and how of each technique, but does not require special knowledge of semiconductors or optics. Each method is illustrated with numerous case studies. Practical information drawn from the authors experience is given to help establish optical facilities, including commercial sources for equipment, and experimental details. For industrial scientists with specific problems in semiconducting materials; for academic scientists who wish to apply their spectroscopic methods to characterization problems; and for students in solid state physics, materials science and engineering, and semiconductor electronics and photonics, this book provides a unique overview, bringing together these valuable techniques in a coherent wayfor the first time. Discusses and compares infrared, Raman, and photoluminescence methodsEnables readers to choose the best method for a given problemIllustrates applications to help non-experts and industrial users, with answers to selected common problemsPresents fundamentals with examples from the semiconductor literature without excessive abstract discussionFeatures equipment lists and discussion of techniques to help establish characterization laboratories

Optical Characterization of Semiconductors: Infrared, Raman, and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (Volume 14) (Techniques of Physics, Volume 14)

Physics

Academic Press

Physics, the fundamental science of matter and energy, encompasses all levels of nature from the subatomic to the cosmic, and underlies much of the technology around us. Understanding the physics of our universe is an essential aspect of humanity's quest to understand our environment and our place within it. Doing physics enables us to explore the interaction between environment and human society, and can help us to work towards the future sustainability of the planet. This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of how this pervasive science came to be and how it works: who funds it, how physicists are trained and how they think, and how physics supports the technology we all use. Sidney Perkowitz presents the theories and outcomes of pure and applied physics from ideas of the Greek natural philosophers to modern quantum mechanics, cosmology, digital electronics and energy production. Considering its most consequential experiments, including recent results in elementary particles, gravitational waves and materials science, he also discusses outside the lab, the effects of physics on society, culture, and humanity's vision of its place in the universe. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Physics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Oxford University Press

Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World

Whether depicting humans battling aliens or a brave geologist saving lives as a volcano erupts, science-fiction films are an exciting visual and sensuous introduction to the workings of science and technology. These films explore a range of complex topics in vivid and accessible ways, from space travel and laser technology to genetic engineering, global warming, and the consequences of nuclear weaponry. Though actual scientific lab work might not be as exciting, science fiction is an engaging yet powerful way for a wide audience to explore some of the most pressing issues and ideas of our time. In this book, a scientist and dedicated film enthusiast discusses the portrayal of science in more than one hundred films, including science fiction, scientific biographies, and documentaries. Beginning with early films like Voyage to the Moon and Metropolis and concluding with more recent offerings like The Matrix, War of the Worlds, A Beautiful Mind, and An Inconvenient Truth, Sidney Perkowitz questions how much faith we can put into Hollywood's depiction of scientists and their work; how accurately these films capture scientific fact and theory; whether cataclysms like our collision with a comet can actually happen; and to what extent these films influence public opinion about science and the future. Movies, especially science-fiction films, temporarily remove viewers from the world as they know it and show them the world as it might be, providing special perspective on human nature and society. Yet "Hollywood science" can be erroneous, distorting fact for dramatic effect and stereotyping scientists as remote and nerdy, evil, or noble, doing little to improve the relationship between science and society. Bringing together history, scientific theory, and humorous observation, Hollywood Science features dozens of film stills and a list of the all-time best and worst science-fiction movies. Just as this genre appeals to all types of viewers, this book will resonate with anyone who has been inspired by science-fiction films and would like to learn how fantasy compares to fact.

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Columbia University Press

In Empire of Light, Sidney Perkowitz combines the expertise of a physicist with the vision of an art connoisseur and the skill of an accomplished writer to offer a unique view of the most fundamental feature of the universe: light. Empire of Light discusses the nature of light, how the eye sees, and how our understanding of these phenomena have emerged over the ages, including the role of light in the development of quantum physics. The author examines the making of electrical light and its integration into commerce, telecommunications, entertainment, medicine, warfare, and every other aspect of our daily lives. And he presents the role of light in the search for the beginning and the end of the universe, as astronomers with their instruments penetrate ever deeper into the sky. Visible light spans the spectrum between infrared and ultraviolet, but this book reaches across many other spectra as well--from the cave paintings at Lascaux to Mark Rothko's stark blocks of color in today's art museums, from Plato's speculation that the eye sends out rays to Ramon y Cajal's discovery that vision actually works in the opposite way, from Tycho Brahe's elegant antetelescope measurements of planet positions to the Hubble telescope's exquisite sensitivity to light from billions of light years away. What are the biological and neurological processes of perceiving visible light? How does a person typically scan a scene? Do you see red or blue the same way I do? What are our physiological reactions and emotional responses to light? Perkowitz explores these and many other fascinating questions, drawing together the experiences, achievements, and perspectives of a diverse cast of characters, including Galileo, Einstein, Newton, Van Gogh, and Edison. Empire of Light is written so that lay readers will readily grasp the scientific principles and science professionals will readily appreciate the human experience. It will impart new wonder to the daily experience of light in our world. Sidney Perkowitz is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Physics at Emory University. His work has appeared in national publications such as The Sciences, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The American Prospect, and Technology Review. Table of Contents

Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Compass Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

A Joseph Henry Press book

Professionals & Academics

Joseph Henry Press

Robots, androids, and bionic people pervade popular culture, from classics like Frankenstein and R.U.R. to modern tales such as The Six Million Dollar Man, The Terminator, and A.I. Our fascination is obvious â€" and the technology is quickly moving from books and films to real life. In a lab at MIT, scientists and technicians have created an artificial being named COG. To watch COG interact with the environment â€" to recognize that this machine has actual body language â€" is to experience a hair-raising, gut-level reaction. Because just as we connect to artificial people in fiction, the merest hint of human-like action or appearance invariably engages us. Digital People examines the ways in which technology is inexorably driving us to a new and different level of humanity. As scientists draw on nanotechnology, molecular biology, artificial intelligence, and materials science, they are learning how to create beings that move, think, and look like people. Others are routinely using sophisticated surgical techniques to implant computer chips and drug-dispensing devices into our bodies, designing fully functional man-made body parts, and linking human brains with computers to make people healthier, smarter, and stronger. In short, we are going beyond what was once only science fiction to create bionic people with fully integrated artificial components â€" and it will not be long before we reach the ultimate goal of constructing a completely synthetic human-like being. It seems quintessentially human to look beyond our natural limitations. Science has long been the lens through which we squint to discern our future. Although we are rightfully fearful about manipulating the boundaries between animate and inanimate, the benefits are too great to ignore. This thoughtful and provocative book shows us just where technology is taking us, in directions both wonderful and terrible, to ponder what it means to be human. Table of Contents <ul>
<li>Front Matter</li>
<li>1 Introduction: Androids All Around Us</li>
<li>PART I: ARTIFICIAL BEINGS 2 The Virtual History of Artificial Beings</li>
<li>3 The Real History of Artificial Beings</li>
<li>4 We Have Always Been Bionic</li>
<li>PART II: HOW FAR ALONG ARE WE? 5 Mind-Body Problems</li>
<li>6 Limbs, Movement, and Expression</li>
<li>7 The Five Senses, and Beyond</li>
<li>8 Thinking, Emotion, and Self-Awareness</li>
<li>9 Frankenstein's Creature or Commander Data?</li>
<li>Suggested Reading</li>
<li>Filmography</li>
<li>Acknowledgments</li>
<li>Index</li>
</ul>

Digital People: From Bionic Humans to Androids

Computers & Technology

Computer Science

Physicist Sidney Perkowitz, whom the Washington Post calls "a gloriously lucid science writer," exposes the full dimensions of foam in our lives, from cappuccino to the cosmos. Foam affects the taste of beer, makes shaving easier, insulates take-out coffee cups and NASA space shuttles, controls bleeding in trauma victims, aids in drilling for oil, and captures dust particles from comets. The foam of ocean whitecaps affects Earth's climate, and astronomers believe the billions of galaxies that make up the universe rest on surfaces of immense bubbles within a gargantuan foam. From the cultural uses of foam to the cutting edge of foam research in cosmology and quantum mechanics, Perkowitz's investigations will delight readers of Henry Petroski, James Gleick and Michio Kaku.

Universal Foam: Exploring the Science of Nature's Most Mysterious Substance

Anchor

Connects the ordinary properties of foam to its deeper scientific meanings as well as the doors it opens to human culture in food, art, and practical applications.

Universal Foam: From Cappuccino to the Cosmos

Perkowitz, S.

Walker Co

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

Books by PERKOWITZ, SIDNEY

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

Universal Foam : The Story of Bubbles from Cappuccino to the Cosmos

Optical Characterization of Semiconductors: Infrared, Raman, and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (Volume 14) (Techniques of Physics, Volume 14)

Physics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World

Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World

Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Compass Series)

Digital People: From Bionic Humans to Androids

Digital People: From Bionic Humans to Androids

Universal Foam: Exploring the Science of Nature's Most Mysterious Substance

Universal Foam: From Cappuccino to the Cosmos