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Facts Visually Explained
How Technology Works: The Facts Visually Explained
Have you ever asked yourself how the inventions, gadgets, and devices that surround us actually work? Discover the hidden workings of everyday technology with this graphic guide.
How Technology Works demystifies the machinery that keeps the modern world going, from simple objects such as zip fasteners and can openers to the latest, most sophisticated devices of the information age, including smart watches, personal digital assistants, and driverless cars. It includes inventions that have changed the course of history, like the internal combustion engine, as well as technologies that might hold the key to our future survival, including solar cells and new kinds of farming to feed a growing population.
All the way through the book, step-by-step explanations are supported by simple and original graphics that take devices apart and show you how they work. The opening chapter explains principles that underpin lots of devices - from basic mechanics to electricity to digital technology. From there on, devices are grouped by application - such as the home, transport, and computing - making them easy to find and placing similar devices side by side.
How Technology Works is perfect for anyone who didn't have a training in STEM subjects at school or is simply curious about how the modern world works.
How Technology Works demystifies the machinery that keeps the modern world going, from simple objects such as zip fasteners and can openers to the latest, most sophisticated devices of the information age, including smart watches, personal digital assistants, and driverless cars. It includes inventions that have changed the course of history, like the internal combustion engine, as well as technologies that might hold the key to our future survival, including solar cells and new kinds of farming to feed a growing population.
All the way through the book, step-by-step explanations are supported by simple and original graphics that take devices apart and show you how they work. The opening chapter explains principles that underpin lots of devices - from basic mechanics to electricity to digital technology. From there on, devices are grouped by application - such as the home, transport, and computing - making them easy to find and placing similar devices side by side.
How Technology Works is perfect for anyone who didn't have a training in STEM subjects at school or is simply curious about how the modern world works.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 4, 2019
140 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,125 books2,066 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 25, 2022
It’s hard to deny that we are currently in the Golden Age of Things. Science, technology and miniaturization have come together to provide this world with an exponential leap in the number of things available for us to use and/or possess.
We have them; we use them; but do we understand them? DK Publishing, ever ready to provide us with a visual record, has created a very interesting book that encompasses most of the things that one or more of you hold dear or are intrigued by.
The world of technology is divided into subcategories:
Power Technology such as batteries and electricity supply
Transportation Technology such as drones and sailboats
Materials and Construction Technology such as nanotechnology and drilling
Technology in the Home such as security alarms and the digital home
Sound and Vision Technology such as digital cameras and holograms
Computer Technology such as what can robots do and artificial intelligence
Communications Technology such as satellites and smartphones
Farming and Food Technology such as farming without soil and food preservation
Medical Technology such as prosthetic limbs and genetic testing
There are many more listings in each category and all are presented in the usual fine graphic style that DK is known for. Does this provide everything you want to know? Of course, not! But it is an interesting place to start and certainly will provide a fascinating introduction for adults and children who want to look beyond the functions of things into how they are able to accomplish their tasks. I have yet to find any misinformation.
I like the electronic edition which allows the reader to zoom in on every graphic presented until it fills the page. Well done!
We have them; we use them; but do we understand them? DK Publishing, ever ready to provide us with a visual record, has created a very interesting book that encompasses most of the things that one or more of you hold dear or are intrigued by.
The world of technology is divided into subcategories:
Power Technology such as batteries and electricity supply
Transportation Technology such as drones and sailboats
Materials and Construction Technology such as nanotechnology and drilling
Technology in the Home such as security alarms and the digital home
Sound and Vision Technology such as digital cameras and holograms
Computer Technology such as what can robots do and artificial intelligence
Communications Technology such as satellites and smartphones
Farming and Food Technology such as farming without soil and food preservation
Medical Technology such as prosthetic limbs and genetic testing
There are many more listings in each category and all are presented in the usual fine graphic style that DK is known for. Does this provide everything you want to know? Of course, not! But it is an interesting place to start and certainly will provide a fascinating introduction for adults and children who want to look beyond the functions of things into how they are able to accomplish their tasks. I have yet to find any misinformation.
I like the electronic edition which allows the reader to zoom in on every graphic presented until it fills the page. Well done!
April 10, 2020
If you, like me, have ever felt that Clarke's third law -"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"- makes your world full of the worst kind of magic, then this book is a must-read.
There are too many things that we do not understand, and technology moves so fast that it is difficult to keep track, but in reading this book you will come to a better understanding of how very simple principles (although sometimes not so simple ones too), when cleverly applied, can make incredible machines - and our lives easier.
There are too many things that we do not understand, and technology moves so fast that it is difficult to keep track, but in reading this book you will come to a better understanding of how very simple principles (although sometimes not so simple ones too), when cleverly applied, can make incredible machines - and our lives easier.
January 20, 2021
In terms of usefulness and satisfying my curiosity, How Technology Works: The Facts Visually Explained is probably one of the best books I've read. This amazingly illustrated guide serves as a showcase of the engineering that drives pretty much all the technology that we use in our day-to-day lives.
This is the first book I have read in the wonderful "The Facts Visually Explained" series from DK, and I appreciate a lot how well made these books are. It presents very complex things in a way that anyone can understand. The book is divided in 9 different sections that each cover technology from Power, communication networks, computing all the way to the latest cutting-edge inventions. My mind was blown in several occasions, especially when I learned something new about technologies that I took for granted.
I can't recommend this book enough. If you are in any branch of engineering this is a great guide to have in your shelf. I found a lot of value in it and I was amazed at how as a human species we have managed to accomplish so many things with only our intuition and our knowledge of physics and science.
Final Score: 92/100
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This is the first book I have read in the wonderful "The Facts Visually Explained" series from DK, and I appreciate a lot how well made these books are. It presents very complex things in a way that anyone can understand. The book is divided in 9 different sections that each cover technology from Power, communication networks, computing all the way to the latest cutting-edge inventions. My mind was blown in several occasions, especially when I learned something new about technologies that I took for granted.
I can't recommend this book enough. If you are in any branch of engineering this is a great guide to have in your shelf. I found a lot of value in it and I was amazed at how as a human species we have managed to accomplish so many things with only our intuition and our knowledge of physics and science.
Final Score: 92/100
For more reviews and other cool stuff follow me on:
▶️ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpWC...
📷 Instagram - https://instagram.com/grantkeeganoffi...
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/gkeeganofficial
September 6, 2023
My favorite page is the one on electronic paper.
April 20, 2019
Have you ever looked at a sink and wondered where all that water comes from or where it goes? How do they get rid of the waste in it? What is Horsepower? How do they take fossil fuel and make it into something a car can use? These questions and more haunt my life. I was blessed as a child with something called Curiosity; I wanted to know everything there was to know. Now I know that this is impossible to achieve, so I have to be satisfied with just knowing a few things. However, these are important things to know. Why wouldn’t you want to know how your phone knows its position in space? Plumbing and the technologies that support it may not be glamorous, but they are essential for a comfortable life. Practically anything you may have ever looked at could be explored in this book. From municipal power and water stations to batteries.
The book contains little pictures and small amounts of text on everything you can think of being covered. Even something as common as the wheel is explored. With the idea of friction and forces, it is easy to understand.
Now, the book isn’t completely focused on only technology. For sure, your laptop or smartphone is a marvelous device, but it isn’t the only thing that is covered in this book. Bicycles, how do they stand? Fluoridation of drinking water, why is it done? What is the difference between a two-stroke and a four-stroke engine? How does the gasoline in my gas tank make my car move? What systems does that require? What is Radar used for? All this and more is answered.
Along the way, we find the ingenuity of humanity and how solutions were discovered. The sheer amount of engineering that goes into making a train safe is just mind-boggling to me. For example, airplanes fly at altitudes of 30000 feet. That is higher than Mount Everest. For that to be feasible, a source of air must be pumped in from the engines, or else everyone on board would suffocate. Along the way, we are treated to other tidbits of information. For example, could you imagine being stuck in an airplane for 17 hours? That would be terrible, but if you schedule a flight from New York to Singapore, you could take part in that apparently.
Anyway, this book is really good for a person who is curious as to how everything works. Like I mentioned, the illustrations are colorful and informative. The text enhances the experience and goes into little segues. The book is organized in a manner that I don’t understand. It goes like this; Power, Transportation, Materials and Construction, the Home, Sound and Vision, Computer, Communications, Farming and Food, and Medical technology.
The book contains little pictures and small amounts of text on everything you can think of being covered. Even something as common as the wheel is explored. With the idea of friction and forces, it is easy to understand.
Now, the book isn’t completely focused on only technology. For sure, your laptop or smartphone is a marvelous device, but it isn’t the only thing that is covered in this book. Bicycles, how do they stand? Fluoridation of drinking water, why is it done? What is the difference between a two-stroke and a four-stroke engine? How does the gasoline in my gas tank make my car move? What systems does that require? What is Radar used for? All this and more is answered.
Along the way, we find the ingenuity of humanity and how solutions were discovered. The sheer amount of engineering that goes into making a train safe is just mind-boggling to me. For example, airplanes fly at altitudes of 30000 feet. That is higher than Mount Everest. For that to be feasible, a source of air must be pumped in from the engines, or else everyone on board would suffocate. Along the way, we are treated to other tidbits of information. For example, could you imagine being stuck in an airplane for 17 hours? That would be terrible, but if you schedule a flight from New York to Singapore, you could take part in that apparently.
Anyway, this book is really good for a person who is curious as to how everything works. Like I mentioned, the illustrations are colorful and informative. The text enhances the experience and goes into little segues. The book is organized in a manner that I don’t understand. It goes like this; Power, Transportation, Materials and Construction, the Home, Sound and Vision, Computer, Communications, Farming and Food, and Medical technology.
June 27, 2021
We use many electronic devices without knowing their initial characteristics that make them work in some way. This book contains detailed information about these devices and in an easy scientific language that the reader can identify with these devices. What distinguishes the book is the presence of illustrations that contribute to a better understanding of these devices.
October 30, 2021
This is the best Explanation book I have ever had the ability to get my hands on. It's simply amazing how much information can be distilled in one single book and I can't stop recommending this book to everyone I know.
Thank you to everyone that made this, it's really fantastic.
Thank you to everyone that made this, it's really fantastic.
November 6, 2021
Buy the ebook from the cheapest store on the market:
How Technology Works The Facts Visually Explained How Things Work
How Technology Works The Facts Visually Explained How Things Work
May 25, 2020
rip my engineering dreams
July 20, 2022
A Good Beginner Book for, How Technology Works.
So, What is inside of this work?
Power Technology
Transportation Technology
Materials and Construction Technology
Home Technology
Sound & Vision Technology
Computer Technology
Communications Technology
Farming Technology Medical Technology
Could be given as a Gift.
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
So, What is inside of this work?
Power Technology
Transportation Technology
Materials and Construction Technology
Home Technology
Sound & Vision Technology
Computer Technology
Communications Technology
Farming Technology Medical Technology
Could be given as a Gift.
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
December 31, 2021
If you had attention deficit I'd suggest NatGeo's How Things Work over this. More fun. This one is of course more comprehensive.
The rest of the problem is just me. Anyone else'd find this book fantastic and all.
The rest of the problem is just me. Anyone else'd find this book fantastic and all.
January 22, 2021
Very broad range and scope. Current and accurate.
April 24, 2023
Im so much into this book because it helps me explore my engineering skills. Love it!
July 1, 2023
Easily illustrated books for technology. Will provide for my future children
March 5, 2025
The layout of this book really upset me but I learned some things on most of the pages.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews