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North Pole, South Pole: The Epic Quest to Solve the Great Mystery of Earth S Magnetism
Why do compass needles point north but not quite north? What guides the migration of birds, whales, and fish across the world s oceans? How is Earth able to sustain life under an onslaught of solar wind and cosmic radiation? For centuries, the world s great scientists have grappled with these questions, all rooted in the same phenomenon Earth s magnetism.
Over 2,000 years a...more
Over 2,000 years a...more
0 pages
Published
January 1st 2011
by Experiment
(first published January 1st 2010)
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This book didn't quite live up to my expectations so I ended up skimming a good chunk of it. Overall, it just felt like reading a really long Wikipedia entry: comprehensive yet condensed list of facts. I personally would have appreciated more presence from the author such as in Brian Greene or Bill Bryson's writing. The later chapters were more engaging as those covered topics that were closer to the author's own research era. In the end this is more of a history book than a book about the under...more
This book was quite an interesting read for me. Generally, a subject like magnetism is split between various publications, classes, and other sources, and only pieces of the story are discovered. I enjoyed being able to follow the research of magnetism through time, and reading about the various scientists that contributed to our knowledge on the subject. It also took me back to the days of my historical geology in following the development of geology as a science. It is amazing how recent theor...more
Mar 27, 2012
Steve Van Slyke
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Students of geomagnetism
Recommended to Steve by:
Science News
Although I knew most of the basic science regarding earth's magnetism from various other readings, this book tied everything together chronologically and in much more detail. In fact, after finishing it I added it to my History bookshelf as well as the Science shelf because it is so much about the various individuals that have contributed to our knowledge of magnetism since the beginning of the current epoch.
I struggled between whether to give it three or four stars. There are sections that were...more
I struggled between whether to give it three or four stars. There are sections that were...more
I really enjoy books about science, and particularly ones that give an historical perspective to our ongoing discovery of scientific knowledge.
On the subject of the Earth's magnetism, I have to say that I was almost totally ignorant. I know that the Earth has magnetic poles, but that was basically the extent of my knowledge, and I am ashamed to say that it had never occured to me to wonder why the Earth should be magnetic. I had no idea that the entire Earth is covered in a magnetic field that p...more
On the subject of the Earth's magnetism, I have to say that I was almost totally ignorant. I know that the Earth has magnetic poles, but that was basically the extent of my knowledge, and I am ashamed to say that it had never occured to me to wonder why the Earth should be magnetic. I had no idea that the entire Earth is covered in a magnetic field that p...more
Very detailed explanation of the history of the attempts to describe the physical forces that create the Earth's magnetic field. Interesting parallel while reading is the detailed explanations of the tools and techniques developed to help in the effort. Recommend this for anyone interested in Geology, Geodesy, Geography and Cartography.
A workmanlike accounting of the history of the science of magnetism. The early chapters are interesting and insightful but unfortunately the last chapters are sometimes unintelligible.
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