Why Things Are the Way They Are

by B.S. Chandrasekhar

This fascinating book explains why the materials we can see and touch behave as they do. In a completely nontechnical style, using only basic arithmetic, the author explains how the properties of materials result from the way they are composed of atoms and why it is they have the properties they do: for example, why copper and rubies are colored, why metals conduct heat better than glass, why magnets attract an iron nail but not a brass pin, and how superconductors are able to conduct electricity without resistance. The book is intended for general readers, and uses mainly words, pictures and analogies, with only a minimum of very simple mathematics. The author explains how it is possible to understand the basic properties of matter, and translates the technical jargon of physics into a language that can be understood by anyone with an interest in science who wants to know why the world around us behaves in the way that it does.

Genres: Physics, Science

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 1997

Reviews

[Asad Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us, when they think about Pop Science, think astronomy, robotics or genetics. This book is about why everything around us behaves the way it does. Example, why does metal make a "metallic" sound when struck while wood makes a "wooden" sound.

As an Engineer, I anyways knew the basic concepts of material properties. I just liked this book for fetching those concepts from my subconscious, adding to them, and attaching to my consciousness so that I can appreciate the nature and modern technology.