In this splendidly lucid and profusely illustrated book, a Nobel laureate relates the fascinating story of Einstein, the general and special theories of relativity, and the scientists before and since who influenced relativity's genesis and development. Eschewing technical terms in favor of ordinary language, the book offers a perfect introduction to relativity for readers without specialized knowledge of mathematics and science. The author follows...

Beyond The Third Dimension investigates ways of picturing and understanding dimensions below and above our own. Ranging from Egyptian pyramids to the nineteenth-century satire Flatland to the paintings of Salvador Dali.

The book examines the strength of structures and materials from a eclectic viewpoint.

Portrays the structures of the substances that make up our everyday world.

"The tropical rain forest is the most exuberant manifestation of nature's diversity, and the abundance of life it nurtures has captured the fascination of scientists since the time of Darwin. A single tree in the rain forest may support as many as 150 species of beetle alone, and 300 different kinds of trees may inhabit a single hectare. That same hectare may be home to over 41,000 different species of insects." "Why are there so many species? Why...

The author introduces the basic concepts of geology and paleobiology that are necessary to understand mass extinction and addresses individual crises in chronological order, describing them and showing how temporal, geographic, and biological patterns offer clues to help pinpoint the agents of extinction.