Scan barcode
mathstalio's review
4.0
I am constantly skeptical of science and math books that have an introduction like “I wrote this for the everyday person who doesn’t have a math/science degree! Someone with high school math and science could understand this!” Because all too often...they are not. I know this because I interact with high schoolers daily and I know where their math and science understanding is at.
This one, though, at the very least gets close. I also love the layout of the pages and the minimalist graphics. I love the 3 second, 30 second, 3 minute delvings into each theory or idea. I could see this being used by a high school science teacher as an introduction to certain topics or as review, and it was certainly interesting for me to read. I was already familiar with some theories because I do have a bit of a math science background, but others I had not heard of and felt I understood the explanations, maybe occasionally having to read one twice through.
In short, I was impressed with this one. The science communicators they gathered to write all the summaries should be proud.
This one, though, at the very least gets close. I also love the layout of the pages and the minimalist graphics. I love the 3 second, 30 second, 3 minute delvings into each theory or idea. I could see this being used by a high school science teacher as an introduction to certain topics or as review, and it was certainly interesting for me to read. I was already familiar with some theories because I do have a bit of a math science background, but others I had not heard of and felt I understood the explanations, maybe occasionally having to read one twice through.
In short, I was impressed with this one. The science communicators they gathered to write all the summaries should be proud.
leahopkins's review
informative
fast-paced
4.0
The book is pretty good and easy to understand. Great for people who just want to learn a bit more about science. And I loved the design!
cheyrivera's review
4.0
A friend lent me this book a few days ago, so I put `Demon-Haunted World’ on-hold for a while. Like the cover says, this book contains 50 of the most popular theories in physics, psychology, geology, evolution, astronomy, and biology explained in a small paragraph of just 300 words. It's a very ambitious idea, and so you get a very simplified summary of the theories, but it's a great place to start. And if, like me, you are already familiar with some of them, it will be a fun memory refresher. My favorites were The Theory of Relativity, Out of Africa, Natural Selection, The Origin of Language, Continental Drift, The Big Bang, Dark Matter, Parallel Worlds, and The Fate of the Universe. It's a short book of less than 200 pages, and it's full of pictures, so it's a very quick read. I especially recommend the sections: Human Evolution, Planet Earth, and The Universe.
abomine's review
3.0
I love the idea of this book, and it's a nice little introduction to some famous scientific theories, but it seems to me that some of these theories, particularly the ones involving the wacky world of quantum mechanics, simply cannot be adequately explained in thirty seconds, and the illustrations, while cute, did not add to or expand upon any of the information given.
Nevertheless, this book did it's job pretty well; it has inspired an unscientific person like me to learn more about these theories and pick up more science books that aren't about animals, which certainly counts for something.
And this would also make a pretty interesting coffee table book, sure to spark up some deeper conversations when company's over.
Nevertheless, this book did it's job pretty well; it has inspired an unscientific person like me to learn more about these theories and pick up more science books that aren't about animals, which certainly counts for something.
And this would also make a pretty interesting coffee table book, sure to spark up some deeper conversations when company's over.
More...