What Einstein Didn't Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions

by Robert L. Wolke

Discover how cricket chirps can tell us the temperature, why you can't unburn a match, why ice floats, and a host of mysteries of modern living — including some riddles that maybe even Einstein couldn't solve. From the simple (How does soap know what's dirt? How do magnets work? Why do batteries die?) to the more complex (Why does evaporation have a cooling effect? Where does uranium get its energy?), this book makes science more understandable and fun.
Author Robert Wolke provides definitive and easy-to-comprehend explanations for things that we take for granted, like the illumination behind neon signs and the mysteries of beverage carbonation. Wolke also dares readers to explore and conduct their own experiments with food, kitchen utensils, and common household products. This fifteenth anniversary edition of his bestselling popular science classic has been completely revised and expanded.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Physics, Audiobook, Chemistry, Education

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Robert L. Wolke is professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and a food columnist for The Washington Post. As an educator and lecturer, he enjoys a national reputation for his ability to make science understandable and enjoyable.
He is the author of Impact: Science on Society and Chemistry Explained, as well as dozens of scientific research papers. His latest book, the fourth in his Einstein series on everyday science, is What Einstein Told His Cook 2, The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science.
Robert L. Wolke has won the James Beard Foundation’s award for the best newspaper column and the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ (IACP) Bert Greene Award for the best newspaper food writing. “What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained” was nominated by both the James Beard Foundation and the IACP as the best technical or reference book of the year. The American Chemical Society has selected Dr. Wolke for the 2005 Grady-Stack Award for interpreting chemistry for the public.

Reviews

[Nings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menurut gw, buku ini menarik banget karena ada usaha untuk menjelaskan science dengan bahasa yang mudah dimengerti. Gw pribadi orangnya emang sering bertanya-tanya "kok begini, kok harus begitu?" dan "apa ini, apa itu?", karena itu begitu gw liat nih buku en gw baca sekilas di gramed, gw langsung merasa "sejiwa" (halah), pokoke buku ini mampu menjawab banyak pertanyaan gw selama ini!!

[Ulfa · Rating 4 out of 5]

bukunya lucu,,, ada panduan untuk langsung prakteknya.
bahasanya kadang susah dipahami nek menurku.
jadi bisa mengetahui kejadian- kejadian sepele yang ada disekitar kita. misalnya sabun dibuat kayak gimana, dll. pokonya peristiwa kimia dan fisika yang selalu kita gunakan/ dekat dengan kehidupan sehari- hari kita

[Lora Milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Einstein Didn't Know is not just a book filled with trivial facts about science and nature, but explanations for why things happen as they do. The fun starts right away in the table of contents where you can see the interesting selection of pieces of information that comprise this most fascinating book.

Examples include; chemicals that make water hot or cold and why, how dry ice works, what the term 'proof' means on an alcohol bottle and where the term came from, what is used to fortify cereals with iron in a non-toxic form, what makes the foam on your Starbucks coffee, the difference between incandescent and fluorescent lights as well as LEDs, how to read bulb packages and a nifty conversion for those who remember incandescent bulbs in watts (for example, an old 40 watt bulb is 500 lumens) and how to tell if a crab is male or female. And that's just the first chapter!

Further chapters cover information about how things work in the kitchen or around the house, the infernal combustion engine, the great outdoors, water, and the basic laws of nature. Do you know how infrared radiation works to allow thermo-imaging devices to make it possible for us to see in the dark? I do now, because I've read this book. Everything from ocean breezes to the reason for optimum hours to get sunburn is explained in easy and often amusing terms. There is even a section in the back to explain buzzwords, those scientific terms that build your vocabulary and comprise part of the language of science.

This is a book to read in segments, at least for me. Too much information at once can get lost in the assimilation, but the pieces of information are fascinating and would make great fodder for pub quizzes. This is one I am likely to go back to for references many times and to read through again to remind myself of all the fascinating facts that I might have forgotten after the first reading.

Highly recommended!

[Anggi Adriawan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awalnya cukup menarik, tetapi setelah membaca beberapa halaman, lama-kelamaan menjadi membosankan layaknya membaca buku pelajaran. Namun sebagai buku yang bergenre sains, buku ini memang beda dan cukup menarik untuk disimak karena pengetahuannya merujuk ke hal-hal di sekitar kita.

[Roos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buku ini banyak pengetahuannya....meskipun agak bingung mencernanya...gak tahu mungkin proses translatenya atau bagaimana...tapi yang jelas malah jadi bingung membacanya..tapi ada beberapa juga yang bisa dimengerti.
But Not bad to read lah..

[Mark Plaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the high amount of typos discouraging. This is the most typos I've ever found in a book that wasn't vanity published. I could look past even two or three, but it started to get ridiculous after finding as many as 2 0r 3 on several pages. This really puts the author's credibility into question. Not only that, but I think the author endorsed magnet healing on page 234, which was strange because nothing else smelled like pseudoscience. I could be mistaken, but I read the passage several times and it still seemed like an endorsement of magnet healing. I can't lower the bar for the book being "just pop science." Actually it becomes more deplorable for me because pop science is a great way to teach people about science. I wasn't a very good science student in high school and college, but reading pop science books gave me knowledge to be a better informed voter and understand things in life I otherwise wouldn't. There are so many fun pop science books that are much better than this.

[Marijo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there are two words I never thought I'd use in conjunction, they are "fun" and "physics." However, What Einstein Didn't Know proved me wrong. I devoured this book, enjoying every page-turning example. Although most science books don't make for great pool-side vacation reading, this may be the exception.

The book raises pesky questions from the classic "Why is the sky blue? to "How can I defrost food faster?" and then proceeds to answer them in an easy-to-understand manner. It doesn't get bogged down in the equations but uses day-to-day language and examples to explain phenomena that, in part, may have crossed your mind.

[Menglong Youk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a bit exaggerating because Einstein is a great physicists and it's silly to assume that he doesn't know most of these scientific explanations. Anyway, this book provides general readers answerstars to questions on how our every day's objects operate and how some of the natural phenomena occur. Fairly easy to digest even for those who have little scientific background.

[Nicolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little light for someone who already holds a science degree, so I wouldn't recommend it to any of my science/engineering friends. For the layperson, this would probably be a fun read. Granted, I haven't used my science degree for almost a decade, so it was a bit fun to quiz myself to see if I could remember all the lingo. Lighthearted in tone, I thought it was a fun listen.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with scientific facts about things that you might have pondered about, such as why the sky is blue, why alcohol is measured with "proof", what causes flames to be different colors, how soap finds dirt in clothes and removes it, does pumping air in a champagne bottle keep it bubbly, and much more.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare to find someone who can write on science with such simplicity and clarity, and even rarer for that someone to have a mischievous wit. Thoroughly enjoyable for anyone with curiosity about the how and why of everyday life.

[Belle Meade School]

500

[kc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good info. Many ‘aha’ moments.

[Valery Hincapie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me leí una parte (ni la mitad) me gustó mucho, lo quiero volver a leer, más bien, terminar. Lo pongo en "leido" porque así puedo leer esto y darme cuenta que ya lo había empezado.

[Tsalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bless my sister for buying this book and brought it home!

[Fkrks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very misleading title...

[Masoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has two main but opposite features. First of all, it is very informative and well-written; you could understand a lot of things and phenomena that have been occurring around you in real life with simple explanation based on scientific facts, including-
How does soap know what's dirt?
How does bleach tell white from colors?
How does salt make ice colder?
How can you keep soda from going flat?
Why can't you make water boil hotter by turning up the heat?
How does a simmer differ from a slow boil?
How do microwaves really cook food?
Why won't your battery work well in cold weather?
Why does straight antifreeze freeze faster than a fifty-fifty mixture with water?
And so much more.
Nevertheless, I think the book is somehow tedious and boring and it could be rewritten in a concise and laconic copy.

[Nukleofil Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, I finish reading it for once!
Another list has been waiting from this series from the same author to be read 😁

Tentang apa buku ini? 🤔
Well, kalau kamu penggemar sains atau sekedar ingin tahu tentang kejadian sehari-hari dengan penjelasan ilmiah, maka buku ini cocok untukmu.
Bukan buku teks, tapi lebih baik daripada berita hoaks tanpa dasar.

Jika kamu pernah mendengar tentang air sadah, tapi masih takut untuk mengetahuinya lebih "ilmiah", buku ini cocok untuk pemula seperti itu.

Penjelasan tentang kebisaan dari kotak makan Styrofoam, dan cairan pemutih yang mungkin bagi orang awam dipandang sebelah mata.
Bahkan, memasak adalah sebuah percobaan yang menggunakn prinsip kimia 😁. Di dapur, bahkan untuk titik leleh gula mjd karamel, protein-karbohidrat-lemak dibahas seringan mungkin tanpa mengurangi esensi ilmiahnya. Disini juga kamu bisa belajar secret ingredient cold n hot pack n fireworks lo 🤭.
Fakta sesungguhnya,bukan MSG yang buat masakanmu tambah nikmat.

Beralih ke topik yang lebih familiar tentang sains dan lingkungan, pembahasan selanjutnya tentang Efek rumah kaca dan hubungannya dgn emisi gas CO2, rasanya jd astronot yg pulang ke bumi dan ikan yg berenang/melayang di air.

My footnote : Sebagai pecinta sains, baru di umur sekarang aku paham arti dari E =mc2 😅
Jadi, perlu dipahami pula ttg hukum termodinamika
1.       Energi tidak dapat diciptakan atau dimusnahkan
2.       Segala sesuatu akan menjadi tidak teratur, karena akan meningkatkan entropinya

Jadi, bumi tidak berputar tanpa kehilangan energi terus menerus. Sesungguhnya jagat raya semakin renta. “namun setidaknya selamat menikmati hari2 yang masih tersisa”

[JustAGuy209 · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Einstein Didn't Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions by Robert L. Wolke

First and foremost, I want to state that I'm not an author. I don't know what it takes to write a book; this is just my opinion based on my life experiences.

What Einstein Didn't Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions by Robert L. Wolke is a non-fiction book that tackles a variety of quasi-random scientific questions. The book's strength lies in its

ability to provide easily digestible explanations for individuals who may lack a strong scientific background. Wolke addresses everyday questions with clear, accessible answers, making complex scientific concepts more approachable for the average reader.

The book covers a wide range of topics, which keeps the content interesting and varied. While the book succeeds in its goal of explaining scientific concepts in layman's terms, it doesn't quite reach the level of being exceptional or life-changing. It's a solid read that provides interesting information, but it may not leave a lasting impact on all readers.

Rating Scale:

5 stars - Exceptional, life-changing, or will reread multiple times
4 stars - Highly enjoyable, likely to reread, would recommend
3 stars - Decent read, might not remember long-term
2 stars - Not for me, struggled to finish
1 star - Poorly written or factually incorrect

Overall, I rate What Einstein Didn't Know 3 out of 5 stars. It's a decent read that offers interesting scientific explanations for everyday phenomena, but it may not be memorable in the long term for all readers.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written book with simple easy to understand explanations of the science behind every day things. It is a cornucopia of scientific trivia written in a way that most people can understand including facts about things like why and how iron is added to food, the science behind espresso, what blurping is and what causes it, why flames are different colors and more. There are many explanation about how chemistry works in our everyday lives in things like soda, rubber, styrofoam, auto glass, prestressed concrete, rust, and antifreeze. Thre is information about natural events as well like ocean breezes and waves, and the greenhouse effect and more. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.

[Rohmatul Hidayah · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmm.. buku ini mengingatkanku pada buku2 lainnya yang sejenis di perpustakaan umum Setara Kita di Batam saat SMA kelas 1.. ada sbenernya buku2 lain yg lebih sederhana bahasanya, lebih mudah dibawa kmana2 hehe, lebih enak dibaca n lebih sehari2 banget.. mengenai mengantuk yg menular dll lah.. banyak series nya klo gk salah.. lupa judulnya krn sudah terlalu lama :(
but sbagai buku science, saya suka.. walau gak sesuka sperti saat saya baca komik detective conan yg saat membacanya bisa blajar banyak ttg science, fisika, kedokteran, football, racun, kata2 mutiara, amerika, jepang, menganalisa kasus, dll.. terhibur, tertantang dan tercerdaskan.. hehe.. *teteupp, conan mania :)

[Pam Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a cracker and a dream of a book which provides answers for all those question asked but no one knew the answer, well this book does. How does soap know what dirt is, What makes super glue - super, How come you can melt sugar and not salt, Why do water beds need heaters, How does steel rust, Why do ocean waves roll in parallel to the shoreline and the best one I like Why are the earth, moon and sun spinning. and so much more. You will find all the answers to question that have mystified you with plain explanation by using scientific principles so that anyone can understand HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

[Manoj · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to describe this amazing book in a single word, I would say "Enlightening". The range of subjects covered, the amount of physics, chemistry, et al crammed into such a thin volume is amazing. And to top it all there is not a dry moment. The little witticisms and jokes sprinkled all over the tome had me chuckling to myself and even laughing out loud.
I really wish I had read this in school. That would have really helped me develop a deeper understanding of so many concepts that I only half understood.
Highly recommended reading for all those who are curious about the world around and want to understand why things around you do what they do.

[Ginan Aulia Rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saya membaca buku ini ketika saya kelas 2 SMP. Buku yang menarik. Membuat saya ingin menjadi saintis.

Hal-hal yang sering kita temukan setiap hari ternyata ada penjelasan ilmiahnya. Kenapa minuman bersoda bisa berbuih bila dikocok? mengapa langit berwarna biru?

Indah sekali ketika kita bisa tahu mengapa bisa terjadi ini dan itu. Manusia punya kecenderungan untuk ingin tahu. Semoga rasa itu tidak mati.

Sekarang saya membaca buku ini lagi, sekarang saya sedang menjalani kuliah semester 5 di Filsafat UI. hehe. berarti buku ini adalah kenangan masa remaja saya.

[Bobbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I expected a little too much from this book. The explanations are a little too "dumbed down" for me. Some of the things are interesting, but for the most part it's generally things I've never had any curiosity about in the first place. In my opinion "What If..." is a much better book in the same spirit as this one. "What if" was written with more humor and better actual science and never made me feel as if the author automatically assumed I was a drooling moron incapable of understanding even the most basic scientific concepts.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining read, and lots of good facts and corrections to common misunderstandings. BUT....... beware, because it has a fairly large number of inaccuracies. I guess some of them could be excused as sort of over-simplifications, but there were a significant number of things that were just plain wrong. And given the number of things that I picked out as wrong, and me being a non-scientist, I'm assuming there were others that I did not catch. A book of this type is not nearly as much fun when there are that many inaccuracies.

[Balya Sulistiyono · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole new level of belajar sains. Buku ini kemasannya ringan banget! Inget, dulu waktu kelas tiga SD, dikirimi buku ini sama pakde. Waktu itu, bacanya agak kurang paham (sering nanya ke Bapak tentang istilah-istilah), tapi terobos baca terus sampe akhirnya pas SMP, udah ngabisin buku ini dan literally bisa jelasin ke temen-temen fenomena-fenomena sederhana yang sering mereka tanyain. Bahkan, sampe sekarang kuliah di salah satu kampus di ITB, masih ada yang menanyakan hal ini. Simpulan? Buku ini ageless dan superkeren. Strongly recommended.

[Henrikhus · Rating 3 out of 5]

well althought many unrelevan and unuseful information but it give us a lot of new insight for instance I can't remember how to change the fanrenheit to celcius, to tell you the truth it's so simple just add 140 and multiply it with 1,8 and than reduce it by 40 again and you get it! And it also apply if you want to change back from celcius to fanrenheit but instead by multiply you have to divide it by 1,8. I think it's an interesting book

[Ricki Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Einstein Didn't Know is a great question and answer book that addresses a number of life's little mysteries. Why does a covered pot boil sooner? When a candle burns, where does the wax go? Why can we see through air? The explanations do tend to get a wee bit wordy at times, but overall, I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the science of everyday life.

Disclaimer: This book has been provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

won in goodreads giveaway...

I really enjoyed this book. The question and answer format makes it easy to pick it up on any page and just read about why soap makes you clean or what e=mc2 means etc. It is written at a beginner's level so it's not technical or prone to using words most people wouldn't understand. I also found it interesting to know how to tell the sex of a crab and why it matters...