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The Scientific Companion, 2nd ed.: Exploring the Physical World with Facts, Figures, and Formulas
This new edition of the critically acclaimed Scientific Companion offers a comprehensive introduction to the physical sciences: physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, meteorology, biology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Emiliani traces the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang to the present, explaining the nature of the galaxy, the Earth, inorganic and organic matter, and the development of scientific thought. More than 50 new illustrations appear throughout - from stunning aerial shots of Earth's topography to striking close-ups of the moon provided by NASA. Hundreds of additional photos, charts, maps, and diagrams, plus 35 tables of the most essential facts, figures, and formulas - from Planck's constant to the laws of thermodynamics, from quantum energy levels to Avogadro's number - make The Scientific Companion an ideal desktop reference. Written for the layperson, sufficiently detailed for students, it is the only book of its kind to bridge the gap between works of popular science and college textbooks.
- GenresScience
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Cesare Emiliani
10 books2 followersCesare Emiliani was an Italian-American scientist, considered one of the greatest geologists and micropaleontologists of the 20th century and the founder of paleoceanography.
He established that the ice ages of the last half million years or so are a cyclic phenomenon, which gave strong support to the hypothesis of Milankovitch and revolutionized ideas about the history of the oceans and of the glaciations. He was also the proponent of Project "LOCO" (for Long Cores) to the U.S. National Science Foundation. The project was a success providing evidence of the history of the oceans and also serving to test the hypotheses of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.
Cesare Emiliani was honored by having the genus Emiliania erected as home for the taxon huxleyi, which had previousiy been assigned to Coccolithus. He was further honored by receiving the Vega Medal of the Swedish Royal Geographic Society in 1983, and the Alexander Agassiz Medal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1989 for his isotopic studies on Pleistocene and Holocene planktic foraminifera.
Emiliani was close to a Renaissance man, familiar with classical literature, fluent in many languages, and a valiant opponent of dogmatic attitudes and mental rigidity wherever found. In his later years he dedicated much time to introduce a calendar reform based on the Holocene calendar (HE) concept to eliminate the BC-AD chronology gap caused by the lack of a Year Zero.
He established that the ice ages of the last half million years or so are a cyclic phenomenon, which gave strong support to the hypothesis of Milankovitch and revolutionized ideas about the history of the oceans and of the glaciations. He was also the proponent of Project "LOCO" (for Long Cores) to the U.S. National Science Foundation. The project was a success providing evidence of the history of the oceans and also serving to test the hypotheses of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.
Cesare Emiliani was honored by having the genus Emiliania erected as home for the taxon huxleyi, which had previousiy been assigned to Coccolithus. He was further honored by receiving the Vega Medal of the Swedish Royal Geographic Society in 1983, and the Alexander Agassiz Medal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1989 for his isotopic studies on Pleistocene and Holocene planktic foraminifera.
Emiliani was close to a Renaissance man, familiar with classical literature, fluent in many languages, and a valiant opponent of dogmatic attitudes and mental rigidity wherever found. In his later years he dedicated much time to introduce a calendar reform based on the Holocene calendar (HE) concept to eliminate the BC-AD chronology gap caused by the lack of a Year Zero.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 2, 2020
I loved this book as a teenager, and it remains a solid, if somewhat limited and dated, first science text for a youngster. The equations explaining basic concepts are highlights, and even more would not go amiss.
It's still light on its feet and no-nonsense. Just the facts (as far as we knew).
If there's a recent update of the whole of science adhering to the format of this book, covering a slightly wider range of topics, such as human biology and the nature of the mind (sciences which have expanded exponentially since the final edition of this work), that book might be the best book I could imagine.
I have read attempts at such a book, but all of them were too pompous, pretentious or speculative. Emiliani's style and approach are rigorous informality, a science of technique.
It's still light on its feet and no-nonsense. Just the facts (as far as we knew).
If there's a recent update of the whole of science adhering to the format of this book, covering a slightly wider range of topics, such as human biology and the nature of the mind (sciences which have expanded exponentially since the final edition of this work), that book might be the best book I could imagine.
I have read attempts at such a book, but all of them were too pompous, pretentious or speculative. Emiliani's style and approach are rigorous informality, a science of technique.
February 14, 2012
I read a lot of popular science books.
As a science educator with a huge variety of students, I need something which is concise and appeals to both high school students and college students. This is, bar none, the easiest way to learn the simple scientific concepts which underpin our existence. I have read this book dozens of times. It is slightly out of date now, but everyone should read it.
As a science educator with a huge variety of students, I need something which is concise and appeals to both high school students and college students. This is, bar none, the easiest way to learn the simple scientific concepts which underpin our existence. I have read this book dozens of times. It is slightly out of date now, but everyone should read it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews