Archimedes Books

Cliff Pickover's newest book is both significant and unique. The blend of factual data and biographically interesting stories of the scientists lends itself to being appealing to a wide variety of readers. No other book that I'm aware of covers both a wide range of scientific laws in addition to covering the back story behind how those laws were developed. Michael Guillen's Five Equations That Changed the World is similar in both interest and in target audience, but the Pickover book is covers many more laws and people. Jennifer Bothamley's Dictionary of Theories, in contrast, has a much wider scope (and including non-scientific theories), but the special interest of the back story is absent, again distinguishing the Pickover book as distinctly different.

Archimedes to Hawking can be enjoyed by everyone with a curious mind: why DO we name some physical laws after people and some not? how did these geniuses live, and what prompted them to do the work in their fields? how did they stumble upon a brilliant concept, and what struggles did they go through to prove it? All written with Cliff's unique and entertaining style.

In all, it's a brilliant book that I would recommend to anyone. I plan on recommending that my science teachers have their students buy the book for summer reading for our high school science courses.

This is Dr. Pickover's first scientific book since his A Beginner's Guide to Immortality and The Mobius Strip writings of 2006. After over a year of pursuing science fiction, the author has provided us with a work that was worth waiting for. This is his best yet.

Archimedes to Hawking is no dry listing of scientific laws. Yes, it does have the important laws of science and the runners-up which Pickover generously calls the "Great Contenders." The reason that the book runs to five hundred pages is that Pickover describes the lives and works of the lawgivers. These are not just people who showed up. Their biographies show that they worked at it. "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration."

Although the illustrations appear to be more for decoration than explanation, some are quite stunning. I particularly liked Bode's Virgo and Hooke's Flea, even if they have nothing to do with the laws named for those two. More illustrations like those would have been nice.

The author's approach is interesting. The laws are arranged chronologically. Archimedes is the first, but we have to skip almost two millennia to the Renaissance to find the next. The Industrial Revolution then brings the bulk of the science. There is very little past the turn of the twentieth century. Only three of the scientists named in this collection are still alive. Perhaps we have stopped naming scientific laws after people because we regard the laws of nature more as discovery than personal invention, or maybe it is that we are so expectant of future refinements that we now distrust the concept of the immutable law.

The geography of the lawgivers is mostly European. The bulk of the laws are attributed to French, English, and German physicists and chemists. Americans are fourth in number, but only if you include the runner-up category.

Although Pickover is not a physicist by training, he shows that he understands the thought process of the physicist. He shows their quest for understanding of the principles of the universe, the search for the beauty and symmetry of nature.

Even more, Pickover has learned to think like a physicist. Pickover gives a rational explanation for his inclusion of works in the great laws and the runner-up categories. Many people may be surprised to find that Maxwell's Equations do not have a chapter of their own but share the Faraday chapter, while relatively obscure works are included, even one of the runners-up that includes my name. Pickover explains that the individual laws that make up Maxwell's Equations were developed by other people: Ampere, Faraday, Gauss. For a book like this it is necessary to make choices. The author explains his reasoning in a convincing manner. You may argue with his choices, but I think that if he errs, it is mostly on the side of inclusion, not exclusion.

I do not think that you have to be a physicist or chemist to appreciate this book, but some formal science training may help you to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of the equations. I see this book becoming a standard reference work for those who study the physical sciences or the history of science. Or you may just like it for the joy of the science and the history.

For anyone with an interest in astronomy, astrophysics, or just a passing interest in modern science and it's history, Archimedes to Hawking, by Clifford Pickover is a must addition to your personal library. Clifford Pickover, while not being a scientist himself, manages to take the reader by the hand and lead them through two-thousand years of study, testing, trial-by-error, and in some cases depression and alienation. In the end, I was touched by man's ability to adapt his beliefs to match the "known" world around him.

One of the insights that happened to me personally as I read about Kepler's search for the Laws of Planetary Motion was profoundly moving. As I read this part of the book (I didn't necessarily take them in order) I was moved when I realized that what I was reading in the matter of an evening was the work of a life time of searching, study, sacrifice, and in some cases knowledge that came only with the near ruin of their personal lives, Kepler included. That thought sent shivers through me.

Pickover does a masterful job in presenting, sometimes very difficult material and concepts in a manner that makes it easy for the non-scientist. Though I've been an amateur astronomer for more than 30 years, the fact is that I'm not a scientist, but I had no difficulty with the material in Archimedes to Hawking. The other point to be made is the completeness of the coverage of the material, Pickover doesn't miss much, at least to this laymans mind. The chapters are compact and the explanations are wonderful.

Whether you read Archimedes to Hawking chronologically or whether you do as I did and read the chapters according to your interests doesn't matter. The book will keep you coming back for more.

Great illustrations!

I highly recommend this must volume.

Peace always.

This was the first book by Cliff Pickover that I've read and it's made me want to read more. I'm giving this book five stars because it was so well-written and interesting, and the subject matter was presented with such creativity it was a fun read for someone like me, who does not have a background in science or mathematics. I admit to briefly skimming over the physical laws, but I devoured the biographical sections on each of the lawgivers and found their lives truly fascinating. I also appreciated the "Further Reading" and "Conversation Starters" in each chapter. The author noting current events in the world at the time each lawgiver was alive was very cool, an excellent touch, for it provided perspective on the big picture and made their accomplishments all the more remarkable (if that's possible). Often while I was reading this book I thought of my teachers in high school and wished they'd had some of Pickover's storytelling skills, because knowing about the lives of lawgivers would have been a great motivator. For that reason I think teachers would find this book valuable, but it's also a book for everybody, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the quirky, remarkable people who changed the way the world thinks.

Science is often erroneously, I think, seen as "cold and austere like sculpture" as Bertrand Russell once described the field of mathematics. But, the story told by Pickover of some of the great laws of science and the lawgivers who gave us these laws is much different from that. It is a story of incredible human passion, of people like Michael Faraday who described electricity as "the soul of the universe", the modestly educated Pierre Curie who won a Nobel Prize in physics, and Robert Hooke who invented the hygrometer to measure humidity after observing that the hairs of the beard of a goat would bend when wet and straighten out when dry. Other figures endured bizarre afflictions, strange religious beliefs, harsh criticism from rivals, and even simultaneous discoveries of their own work by others. Yet, they triumphed and continued in what Murray Gell-Mann described as "the most persistent and greatest adventure in human history, this search to understand the universe."

Pickover describes the laws, the lawgivers, and the nature of scientific laws in a brisk and lively pace, and peppers the book with loads of color and black and white illustrations. And, since you will doubtlessly want to learn more, there is a generous supply of references, both in print and on the internet. Science is dull and dry - nah, don't believe it. It's full of life and human drama when Pickover tells the story!

Dennis W. Gordon
Madison, Wisconsin

A well told, well illustrated, children's book that explores the concepts of mass and water depth.

Mr Archimedes is puzzled at why his bath overflows when he has a soak with his animal friends. After eliminating each animal as the cause of his wet floor, "Eureka" Mr Archimedes discovers the answer.

A fantastic book. Highly recommended.

By the author of 'Who Sank The Boat?' This is a fun way of learning about Archimedes Principle. He hops in and out of a bath with, variously a kangaroo, goat and wombat, examining the water level each time, and trying to understand why when ALL the friends are in the bath it always overflows.

Well illustrated. And, yes, he shouts "EUREKA!"

I'm interested in the borders of science so I read this book. It's really, really interesting. Hamerla talks about scientific research that takes place away from the traditional (stuffy) centers of science, and how these researchers work differently, sometimes producing incredibly important and paradigm shifting results. Besides the technical history of Morley's famous experiments, it is a book about outsiders, power, legitimacy (and lack thereof), and the pursuit of knowledge.

Archimedes is(even dead)one of the 3 great mathematicians.Many people have been inspired by his immortal progects in mathematics.Reader read this book and you wont be sorry.

Long on joy and short on perils, this book is full of mathematical excitement. The thirteen chapters, each of which could stand alone as a mathematical essay, describe some of the most fascinating problems in pure and applied mathematics. Although some of the problems have remained unsolved for centuries, the book is so well written that even someone who has never heard of the problem will have no trouble understanding it or the solution.
The first three chapters deal with number theory, and the accent is on the use and limitations of computers in solving problems. Emphasis is placed on the famous cattle problem of Archimedes, which is the source of the book's title. Chapter four deals with cryptography and explains some of the historical consequences of faulty codes. The famous Beale ciphers are explained in detail.
The large egg pictured on the cover is the topic of chapter five, with extensive forays into the tiling of surfaces. Of particular interest is the fact that the topic of the first paper of James Clerk Maxwell was the construction of true egg shapes. The computer solution of the famous four-color problem is covered in chapter seven, with new directions in the use of computer graphics cited.
Turing machines and NP complete problems along with the possibility of a combinatorial explosion are the topics of chapters eight, nine and ten. Particular emphasis is placed on the chess-playing computer. Chapters twelve and thirteen deal with the mathematical flaws in the search for a perfect democratic system. Whether contrived or from history, the examples are fascinating and at times counter-intuitive.
An excellent source of material for anyone researching an essay in mathematics, this book deserves a place in all libraries.

Long on joy and short on perils, this book is full of mathematical excitement. The thirteen chapters, each of which could stand alone as a mathematical essay, describe some of the most fascinating problems in pure and applied mathematics. Although some of the problems have remained unsolved for centuries, the book is so well written that even someone who has never heard of the problem will have no trouble understanding it or the solution.
The first three chapters deal with number theory, and the accent is on the use and limitations of computers in solving problems. Emphasis is placed on the famous cattle problem of Archimedes, which is the source of the book's title. Chapter four deals with cryptography and explains some of the historical consequences of faulty codes. The famous Beale ciphers are explained in detail.
The large egg pictured on the cover is the topic of chapter five, with extensive forays into the tiling of surfaces. Of particular interest is the fact that the topic of the first paper of James Clerk Maxwell was the construction of true egg shapes. The computer solution of the famous four-color problem is covered in chapter seven, with new directions in the use of computer graphics cited.
Turing machines and NP complete problems along with the possibility of a combinatorial explosion are the topics of chapters eight, nine and ten. Particular emphasis is placed on the chess-playing computer. Chapters twelve and thirteen deal with the mathematical flaws in the search for a perfect democratic system. Whether contrived or from history, the examples are fascinating and at times counter-intuitive.
An excellent source of material for anyone researching an essay in mathematics, this book deserves a place in all libraries.

What greater legend to pay homage to than that of Merlin? Everett Coles has made tribute to the story that has inspired the world to hold onto the magic for just a bit longer. What if there were still descendants of the great Merlin out in the populace among us? What would happen if Merlin called to them from his soul's resting place? Would anyone answer the call?

In "Merlin's Kin," five young people do hear the call, and answer it, though they are not aware of their guided actions until they have traveled too far to turn back. One of them holds the key to the Seventh Way of travel, and together they must do Merlin's bidding, before it is too late.

There is an evil-minded ruler in power in the land of Greensward. Francis, Curtis, Zoe, Alison and Jude appear as visitors and are given refuge with a caravan of sorts. Before they can be delivered to the evil Calupsis though, they escape into the wilds that surround the town of Meander. They soon find friends who are willing to help them and devise a plan to find the Key Holder who can help them to return home. However, they were called to Greensward for a purpose, which is revealed to them through their dreams by the powers of Merlin himself.

This adventurous tale is a delight, full of twists and turns, surprises and wonderful creatures. Sure enough there are unicorns to be gazed upon but what is more magical is the legend of Merlin wound into a young adult story and the bond of friendship that grows among the characters. Various mystical creatures become integral parts of the plot and remnants of the Knights of the Round Table are brought into the light to be remembered.

Written for the young adult audience, this is a book that can be enjoyed by those aged 10 and up, adults included, boys and girls alike. Everett Coles has created a world you will long to revisit and a circle of friends who you will not soon forget.
(Review orignially written 11/29/04)

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A fascinating and readable account of astronomy in the ancient and mediaeval world. This book contains an detailed description of eclipse records and their place in early societies. Highly recommended.

This is not a cursory review of Physics - The Root Science with Applications. I have used the textbook to teach students for more than five years as it was being developed by the authors and in its final form for publication.

I am a biology major with a minor in chemistry and Spanish and certification in physics. I have found the text to lend itself to use by someone with my background.

Flexibility is one of the many strong points of the text. There are a sampling of lab suggestions and problem samples in the text. There are references to supplement the material.

I have been pleased with the successful motivation of students by Chapter 2 entitled Applications of Physics to Science, Technology, and Society which demonstrate the usefulness of physics of such purposes as RADAR, Sports Medicine, and about a dozen other topics.

I have found Physics - The Root Science to meet the needs of both myself and my students. It is a text that I can use to successfully introduce the world of physics to a variety of students with a variety of needs and backgrounds. It is one of the few texts that I have seen that I can cover in a year, that doesn't overwhelm, that does a masterful job of helping me cover what must be covered to prepare my students for further course work, both in physics and in other sciences.