New Book Release: The Book of Facts and Trivia: Science

The Book of Facts and Trivia: Science by Terri Schlichenmeyer

Entertaining, informative, and enlightening! Educational, eyebrow-raising, and profound. Science has never been this much fun! Take a weird and wonderful tour of the every branch of science with this treat of stories, trivia, and facts!

From Earth’s weight gain thanks to the many tons of cosmic dust that falls on the planet each year to William A. Mitchell, the inventor of Tang, Cool Whip, and Pop Rocks candy, The Book of Facts and Trivia: Science combines the educational, profound, and trivial into a fascinating collection of science facts! You’ll learn about yourself and the world through hundreds of absorbing stories and interesting tidbits such as …

• Kissing burns up to six calories per minute.

• One teaspoon of neuron star weighs about 10 million tons.

• There are more than 2 million ants for every single person on Earth. That’s approximately 20 quadrillion ants!

• Neanderthals and Homo sapiens first mated tens of thousands of years ago.

• Under the right conditions, some dogs – the super-scenters – can smell you some 12 miles away.

• Nine out of 10 mothers of newborns, after having spent as little as 10 minutes with their babies, can identify their infant by smell.

• The body of Marie Curie (1867-1934), the physicist who discovered radium, is still radioactive.

• The first multiplication tables were used around 2000 B.C.E. by the Babylonians.

• Star Trek characters used devices that looked and acted quite a bit like cell phones—well before the technology came to market. Touchscreen computers too.

• And many more science facts!

An absorbing guide to science answers, The Book of Facts and Trivia will treat you to a smorgasbord of stories, trivia, and facts!

New Book Release: Handy Quantum Physics

The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book by Charles Liu

Quantum physics helps explain many mysteries of the universe. It underpins everything, but it need not be quantum difficult with this informative, accessible, easy-to-follow guide to the fundamentals and concepts of quantum physics and our quantum universe!

Quantum physics is all around us. It’s in electrical lights, lasers, and the color of the sky. Without it, the sun wouldn’t shine. It even explains how human eyes work. With its role in photosynthesis, it literally supports life. Yet, it had Schrödinger wondering whether his cat was alive or dead. It tells us that something can be both a wave and a particle and that two linked particles can communicate across the universe instantaneously! And it might even explain how the multiverse is real. Quantum physics is the key to understanding our complex world, yet even our most brilliant minds haven’t figured it all out yet.

Engaging and approachable, The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book helps untangle this complex subject, making quantum physics and its impact on us, the world, and the universe entertaining and easy to grasp. From the basics to the theories and from the practical applications to the future, this illuminating book answers more than 800 fascinating questions so you can easily understand quantum physics, including ...

• Did the Big Bang arise from quantum foam?
• When did philosophers first consider the existence of atoms?
• What is the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated?
• What are quarks?
• What is quantum teleportation?
• What is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?
• What is the quantum principle used in MRI machines?
• Does entangled time mean the present can affect the past?
• Why did Albert Einstein say, “God does not play dice with the universe”?
• How is a black hole a quantum object?
• How does quantum physics appear in portrayals of space?
• Do we live in a multiverse?
• What is artificial intelligence?
• Are human brains actually quantum computers?
• How does quantum physics affect me?

The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book provides a bridge between scientific concepts and everyday understanding, allowing you to grasp the wonders and implications of quantum physics. This compelling resource is for the casually curious as well as those seeking a deeper understanding of one of the most captivating scientific fields of our time. With 135 photos and graphics, this tome is richly illustrated. Its glossary of commonly used terms cuts through the jargon, a helpful bibliography provides sources for further exploration, and an extensive index adds to its usefulness.

New Book Release: Runaway Science

Runaway Science: True Stories of Raging Robots and Hi-Tech Horrors by Nick Redfern

Will computers come to dominate man? Will advanced technology, robots and artificial intelligence enhance or destroy our future … and thereby changing us forever!?! Learn about the history, the menace and opportunities of technology—as well as possible futures—in this one-of-a-kind book!

Is technology running amok or is it serving as a helping hand? Is it a threat or a benefit? Runaway Science: True Stories of Raging Robots and Hi-Tech Horrors presents the ominous, and some encouraging, stories of how technology has shaped our past and might shape our future. It dives into the question of mankind’s future. An exhilarating and troubling read, it looks at whether robots and technology are a threat or a boon to humanity. Its investigations include …

• Robocops and robots in the police force
• Robots replacing people in the workplace
  
• The high tech of ancient times
  
• Clones, androids, modified humans, cyborgs, designer babies, and half-human robots
  
• CIA plots to control our minds
• The sentient internet
• Monitoring our every move with microchip implants
• The threat of unfathomable alien intelligence and technology
• The singularity of uncontrollable and irreversible supplanting of human intelligence with technological intelligence
  
• Science fiction and science fact—and how science fiction foreshadowed the future
• Clandestine technological dangers and government mind-control plots
• Robotic limbs, androids and half-humans
• The prospect of uploading our minds into computers to ensure immortality
• Whether robots will rise up and cause humans to become extinct
• And much, much more.
  
  
  With more than 100 photos and illustrations, this riveting read is richly illustrated, and its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. Ponder the possibilities with this examination of the menace of robots, artificial intelligence, and technology of the past, present, and future. Exciting and worrisome, Runaway Science looks at past horrors and future dangers of technology!

New Book Release: Handy Engineering

The Handy Engineering Answer Book by DeLean Tolbert Smith

A handy resource on the fundamental facts about engineering for both engineers and non-engineers alike, whether you are exploring engineering for the first time, already have a strong background, or fall anywhere in between.

Engineering impacts every aspect of our lives. Bridges, buildings, buses, electrical grids, computers, televisions, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and virtually any everyday household item needs to be engineered to function properly. Fundamentally, engineering is about identifying a need and developing solutions that meet that need. Throughout history, engineering ideas and innovative feats have provided solutions to many challenges faced by civilizations. From the Great Wall of China to NASA's space program, The Handy Engineering Answer Book covers the history of the field, details the lives of key figures, introduces the tools engineers use to solve problems, and provides fun facts and answers to a thousand important and interesting questions, such as …

• What is the difference between science and engineering?
• What do engineers do?
• What are some famous engineering mistakes or failures?
• What is reverse engineering?
• What is a prototype?
• What types of jobs do electrical engineers do?
• How does a car battery work?
• What are the major job responsibilities of a HVAC engineer?
• What is a Powertrain?
• What is Bernoulli’s principle?
• What are the Laws of Thermodynamics?
• What’s the difference between 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines?
• What is stress and strain?
• What is the difference between torque and power?
• What is automation?
• What is quality assurance?
• What is meant by outsourcing?
• What are the responsibilities of a construction manager?
• What are the types of road construction that are both durable and cost-effective?
• Which materials are used to build a cruise ship?
• What are some design elements that help structures withstand earthquakes?
• How does a civil engineer design water slides for theme parks?
• Who was W. Edwards Deming?
• What is ergonomics?
• What is biomedical engineering?
• Who is Grace Hopper?
• What is debugging?
• What is the difference between a web developer and a website designer?
• Was Leonardo da Vinci an aerospace engineer?
• Where do chemical engineers work?
• How much energy does the world use?
• What are the major challenges addressed by environmental engineers?
• What is humanitarian engineering?
• What is acoustical engineering?
• What are the required skills for fire engineers?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of nanotechnology?

With more than 140 photos and graphics, this fascinating tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. Whether using science and math or building prototypes for testing or the development of various subdisciplines, The Handy Engineering Answer Book looks at how fundamental engineering is to modern life and society!

New Book Release: Handy Physics

 The Handy Physics Answer Book by Charles Liu

An informative, accessible, easy-to-use guide to physics, covering the fundamental concepts and amazing discoveries that govern our universe!

We don’t need a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to know that everyone is governed by the laws of physics, but what are they? How do they affect us? Why do they matter? What did Newton mean when he said, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?" What is gravity? What is Bernoulli’s Principle? Einstein’s Theory of Relativity? How do space, time, matter, and energy all interact? How do scientific laws, theories, and hypotheses differ? Physics can often seem difficult or complex, but it's actually beautiful and fun―and it doesn't need to be hard to understand.

Revised for the first time in a decade, the completely updated third edition of The Handy Physics Answer Book makes physics and its impact on us, the world, and the universe entertaining and easy to grasp. It disposes with the dense jargon and overly-complicated explanations often associated with physics, and instead it takes an accessible, conceptual approach―never dumbing down the amazing science, yet all written in everyday English.

The Handy Physics Answer Book tackles big issues and concepts, like motion, magnetism, sound, and light, and lots of smaller topics too―like, why don’t birds or squirrels on power lines get electrocuted?―and makes them enlightening and enjoyable for anyone who picks up this informative book. For everyone who has ever wondered about the sources of energy production in the United States, or how different kinds of light bulbs shine, or why wearing dark-colored clothes is warmer than light-colored ones, or even what happens when you fall into a black hole, The Handy Physics Answer Book examines more than 1,000 of the most frequently asked, most interesting, and most unusual questions about physics, including ...

How can I be moving even while I’m sitting still?

If the Sun suddenly disappeared, what would happen to the Sun’s gravity?

What is the energy efficiency of the human body?

Why do golf balls have dimples?

How can ice help keep plants warm?

What kinds of beaches are best for surfing?

What do 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G wireless networks mean?

Why shouldn’t metal objects be placed in microwave ovens?

Why does my voice sound different on a recording?

Can a light beam be frozen in time?

Why are soap bubbles sometimes so colorful?

Why does a charged balloon stick to a wall?

Is Earth a giant magnet?

What are gamma rays?

What happens when antimatter strikes matter?

What is quantum teleportation?

Are artificial intelligence systems able to think on their own?

What happens when two black holes collide?

How will the universe end?

Useful and informative, The Handy Physics Answer Book also includes a glossary of commonly used terms to cut through the jargon, a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index. Ideal for students, curious readers of all ages, and anyone reckoning with the essential questions about the universe. This handy resource is an informative primer for applications in everyday life as well as the most significant scientific theories and discoveries of our time. And, we promise, no whiteboard needed.

New Book Release: Handy Science

The Handy Science Answer Book by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Science is everywhere, and it affects everything! DNA and CRISPR. Artificial sweeteners. Sea level changes caused by melting glaciers. Gravitational waves. Bees in a colony. The human body. Microplastics. The largest active volcano. Designer dog breeds. Molecules. The length of the Grand Canyon. Viruses and a retroviruses. The weight of a cloud. Forces, motion, energy, and inertia. It can often seem complex and complicated, but it need not be so difficult to understand. Celebrating it’s twenty-fifth year and with over one million copies sold, the newly updated and completely revised fifth edition of The Handy Science Answer Book makes science and its impact on the world fun and easy to understand.

Clear, concise, and straightforward, this informative primer covers hundreds of intriguing topics, from the basics of math, physics, and chemistry to the discoveries being made about the human body, stars, outer space, rivers, mountains, and our entire planet. It covers plants, animals, computers, planes, trains, and cars. This friendly resource answers more than 1,600 of the most frequently asked, most interesting, and most unusual science questions, including ...

When was a symbol for the concept of zero first used?

How large is a google?

Why do golf balls have dimples?

What is a chemical bond?

What is a light year?

What was the grand finale of the Cassini mission?

How many exoplanets have been discovered?

Where is the deepest cave in the United States?

How long is the Grand Canyon?

What is the difference between weather and climate?

What causes a red tide?

What is cell cloning and how is it used in scientific research?

How did humans evolve?

Do pine trees keep their needles forever?

What is the most abundant group of organisms?

How do insects survive the winter in cold climates?

Which animals drink seawater?

Why do geese fly in formation?

What is FrogWatch?

Why do cats’ eyes shine in the dark?

Which industries release the most toxic chemicals?

What causes most wildfires in the United States?

Which woman received the Nobel Prize in two different fields (two different years)?

What is the difference between science and technology?

For anyone wanting to know how the universe, Earth, plants, animals, and human beings work and fit into our world, this informative book also includes a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. It will help anyone’s science questions!

New Book Release: Handy Forensic Science

The Handy Forensic Science Answer Book: Reading Clues at the Crime Scene, Crime Lab and in Court by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas Svarney

Covering the fundamentals, science, history, and analysis of clues, The Handy Forensic Science Answer Book: Reading Clues at the Crime Scene, Crime Lab and in Court provides detailed information on crime scene investigations, techniques, laboratory finding, the latest research, and controversies. It looks at the science of law enforcement, how evidence is gathered, processed, analyzed, and viewed in the courtroom, and more. From the cause, manner, time of a death, and autopsies to blood, toxicology, DNA typing, fingerprints, ballistics, tool marks, tread impressions, and trace evidence, it takes the reader through the many sides of a death investigation. Arson, accidents, computer crimes, criminal profiling, and much, much more are also addressed. 

The Handy Forensic Science Answer Book gives real-world examples and looks at what Hollywood gets right and wrong. It provides the history of the science, and it introduces the scientists behind breakthroughs. An easy-to-use and informative reference, it brings the complexity of a criminal investigation into focus and provides well-researched answers to over 950 common questions, such as…

• What is the difference between cause of death and manner of death?
• How did a person’s skull fit into criminal evidence in the early 1800s?
• When were fingerprints first used to identify a criminal?
• How is the approximate time of death of a crime scene victim determined?
• What is forensic serology?
• What is the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System?
• Can a forensics expert look at skeletal remains and tell whether the person was obese?
• How can a simple knot analyzed in the crime lab be used as evidence?
• Can fingerprints be permanently changed or destroyed?
• How fast does a bullet travel?
• How was a chemical analysis of ink important in the conviction of Martha Stewart?
• What types of data are often retrieved from a crime scene cellphone?
• Can analyses similar to those used in forensics be used to uncover doping in athletics?
• What is the Personality Assessment Inventory?
• What are some motives that cause an arsonist to start a fire?
• What state no longer allows bite marks as admissible evidence in a trial?
• What is the Innocence Project?
• Why are eyewitness accounts not always reliable? 
• Who was “Jack the Ripper”?

Providing the facts, stats, history, and science, The Handy Forensic Science Answer Book answers intriguing questions about criminal investigations. This informative book also includes a helpful bibliography, glossary of terms, and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness.

New Book Release: Handy Anatomy

The Handy Anatomy Answer Book by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas Svarney

We all have one. The human body. But do we really know all of its parts and how they work? The Handy Anatomy Answer Book is the key to unlocking this door to a wondrous world. Covering all the major body systems—integumentary (skin, hair, etc.), skeletal, muscular, nervous, sensory, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive, and, for good measure, adds chapters on growth and development and how science can help and augment the body—it follows the fascinating maze of organ systems and shows how much the body does routinely just to let you move, breathe, eat, and fight off disease.

This handy reference helps make the language of anatomy—as well as physiology and pathology—more understandable and less intimidating. Fascinating trivia, plus serious facts, combine to answer over 1,200 questions about the human body, including What is Gray’s Anatomy? What does it mean to have 20/20 vision? Why is blood sticky? How does exercise affect the heart? What is “gluten intolerance”? Is urine always yellow in color? What are the seven warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease? What is a reflex? How much sleep does an individual need? Can humans use organs from other animals for transplants?

New Book Release: Handy Technology

The Handy Technology Answer Book by Naomi Balaban and James Bobick

Technology pervades our daily lives and modern society, and not just when it comes to computers and smart phones. Before there was the computer, there was the abacus. Before the smart phone, there was the telegraph and ball point pen. Electricity, penicillin, and the compass have all led to revolutionary changes in how we live. The Handy Technology Answer Book explains how technology has revolutionized the way people live, work, and play. It covers a broad range of fields, including medicine, mining, buildings, transportation, the military, and agriculture, and how they have been changed by technology.

From the relationship between science and technology to nanotechnology, robots, and predictions for future technology, The Handy Technology Answer Book presents the latest and historical in an engaging and informative format. It brings well-researched answers to more than 1,100 common questions on technology, such as What are the major time periods of technology? Who is considered to be the first engineer? Which individual was granted the most U.S. patents? What is a Uniform Resource Locator, or URL? What products are made from recycled plastic? Can human beings be cloned? What is the future of wearable technology in health care?

New Book Release: The Handy Science Answer Book

The Handy Science Answer Book by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Presenting a fun and educational way to explore the wonders of the world of science, this newly updated edition poses and answers 2,200 questions, providing an abundance of original and interesting science facts. Children and adults will uncover some of the most interesting, unusual, and quirky science curiosities such as: Are cell phones dangerous to your health? Is the same strain of yeast used to make different types of beer? What is the cleanest fossil fuel? What is the largest invertebrate? Readers will find this informative and enjoyable resource is chock full of hundreds of intriguing science and technology topics, from the inner workings of the human body and outer space to math, computers, planes, trains, and automobiles.