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Kean's anecdotal and fascinating book about the periodic table. You will get some science and history of science. You will learn things. But it's not constructed in a way so that you will be going through in a formal educational structure, and certainly, you will not get the solid foundation that you would in a class. To read and enjoy this, I think it would be helpful if you have at least a bleary memory of high school science, and a healthy interest in science. Some people may find the tone occasionally flippant or the language occasionally offensive, but it is not a problem for me. I very much enjoyed it.
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
better start than periodic tales tbh (still not a chemist shh)
challenging
informative
slow-paced
The concept is 4 stars, but the execution is 2 stars so I've averaged it out overall. A lot of interesting information but poorly organised and with an unclear focus.
Some stories are approached from a personality perspective and others from a science perspective and for simplicity's sake it should really be one or the other. Better yet - it should be chronological because we jump from Marie curie playing glow in the dark in a closet to the latest way to shoot photons at protons (or whatever) within a couple of paragraphs.
Some stories are approached from a personality perspective and others from a science perspective and for simplicity's sake it should really be one or the other. Better yet - it should be chronological because we jump from Marie curie playing glow in the dark in a closet to the latest way to shoot photons at protons (or whatever) within a couple of paragraphs.
Entretenido, informativo y divertido en partes. Lleno de anécdotas interesantes y pequeños trozos de información relacionados a la tabla periódica, asi como algunas explicaciones de conceptos que podrían ayudar a muchos a entender temas que quiza les quedaron borrosos en sus tiempos de escuela. Facil de entender, pero cargado en datos.
Desgraciadamente el libro se siente desorganizado y mucha de la información desconectada. Imagino que sería un fantastico libro para leer en una clase relacionada, racionando la lectura a lo largo del curso y con discusiones o explicaciones. Para una lectura fugaz y solitaria, puede sentirse mas bien pesado.
Desgraciadamente el libro se siente desorganizado y mucha de la información desconectada. Imagino que sería un fantastico libro para leer en una clase relacionada, racionando la lectura a lo largo del curso y con discusiones o explicaciones. Para una lectura fugaz y solitaria, puede sentirse mas bien pesado.
I liked this book more than I thought, as I'm not usually one for non-fiction. I thought the stories were refreshing and engaging, and the science-y explanations were in layman's terms enough that I could more fully understand the references and jokes. I thought it got a little long after all the elements were discovered and their uses throughout history explained, around the chapter on the "Mad Scientists" through the end. But overall, it was an interesting read and I'm glad I stuck with it, dense as it was.
This has been on my TBR for so long, and I'm glad I finally read it! I do think that having a science background, or at least a scientific mindset, would go a long way towards a reader's experience of this. It's meant to be broadly approachable, but there was enough science that I found myself shrugging and saying "sure, I'll take your word for it" more than once. As a lover of microhistories, I definitely liked the fascinating historical facts and the interesting role elements have played more than the actual science.
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
3.5 stars.
it’s really a very interesting read if you’re into chemistry at all or had the periodic table memorized when you were in grade 11, or whatever. most of it is basic and you don’t need an understanding of anything scientific to enjoy it, but then suddenly it starts going into quantum physics and maybe got a bit over this girls head.
it’s also not super well written and i feel like it could have been organized a bit better.
it’s really a very interesting read if you’re into chemistry at all or had the periodic table memorized when you were in grade 11, or whatever. most of it is basic and you don’t need an understanding of anything scientific to enjoy it, but then suddenly it starts going into quantum physics and maybe got a bit over this girls head.
it’s also not super well written and i feel like it could have been organized a bit better.
My favorite kind of book. Some history. Some science. Some trivia. Some big big concepts.