David’s Comments (group member since Dec 13, 2009)

David’s comments from the Science and Inquiry group.

Sandra wrote: "... Actually some of the best history-of-science stuff I have read has been in that historical fiction trilogy by Neal Stephenson. It was a good preface to the Holmes book as it dealt with the Enlightenment period prior to the age of Romance. "

Sandra, I agree; the trilogy by Neal Stephenson was excellent. After reading it, I had a good feeling for science in that era. I still remember--I think it was in the first book, "Quicksilver", when the minutes of a Royal Society meeting were being read. It was absolutely hilarious. Many of the scenes in the trilogy were uproariously funny, and very clever.

All six of the books in the June, 2010 poll are excellent. If you have an intention to read any of them, please vote in the poll!

I guess, since nobody else is jumping in to this thread, I will begin here. I really enjoyed the book:
Fearful Symmetry: Is God a Geometer? by Ian Stewart and Martin Golubitsky.

This is a wonderful book, not exactly about things that are symmetric, but the much more interesting question, how things BREAK symmetry. There are lots and lots of illustrations that bring the topic to life. The very first photograph is of a milk drop falling into a saucer of milk. The circular wave centered around the point where the drop hit the surface rises as a crown. The crown has 24 spikes and droplets--so there is 24-fold symmetry. The reason there is ALWAYS a 24-fold symmetry seems to be a mystery.

The book covers so many different subject areas; geometry, astronomy and cosmology, fluid dynamics, biology, nonlinear dynamics, and more. One of the most fascinating chapters was about the gaits of animals, and how animals change from one gait to another (like from trot to canter, and so on). Highly recommended to everyone who is interested in the natural world.

The thing I like best about goodreads.com, is finding new books to read. If you have recently read a good book related to the Science and Inquiry topic, let us know about it here, in this thread. Or, if you prefer, put it into the Science and Inquiry Bookshelf. My list of "to read" books is long and growing, but I always like to add more to the list!

Also, if you have read a book that you did not like, post it here, so that others can know about it.

Here are some suggestions:

I really enjoy Steven Pinker's books:
How the Mind Works

There is more to heredity than just genes:
Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life

I've just finished reading this book:
The Predictioneer's Game: Using the Logic of Brazen Self-Interest to See and Shape the Future
It is about the use of game theory to predict (and alter) future political events. Fascinating.

Just finished the book--excellent! I would never have read this book on my own--I'm glad this group chose it for this month.

The chapters on William Herschel were the most interesting to me. He realized that one of the best ways to make true advances in science, is to develop advanced instrumentation. Also, I was amazed that Herschel considered the possibility of aliens on planets throughout the universe.

Cookie,
You might also want to check out your local public library. Ours has a good selection of audiobooks that you can download, for free.
--David

I am really enjoying this book--I am currently on the chapter on Mungo.

One little thing in the chapter on balloonists did bother me, however. In the section about crossing the English Channel, the author talked about "northerly" winds blowing the balloon to the north. Since the balloonists were investigating meteorology, it seems a shame that the author doesn't understand the meaning of the word "northerly"--it means blowing from the north, i.e., southward.

I finished "The Greatest Show on Earth" last week; I've become so interested in the subject, that I plan to read other books on evolution.

This week I read "The Language Instinct" by Steven Pinker. Another, absolutely wonderful book. The author argues that language acquisition is an instinct that has evolved over many generations, through natural selection. Under the front cover of the book are many testimonials, including a big one by Richard Dawkins, who wrote: "Reading Steven Pinker's book is one of the biggest favors I've ever done for my brain...." That's quite some praise!

Actually, the geometric constructions described in this book would have fit in perfectly with the geometry class I remember from 9th grade. We did geometric constructions then, though not as complicated as the ones described in this book.

Kevin wrote: "... As for how the book will be received by your run of the mill creationist, (died in the wool as R.D. would say) I don't think they will go near the book with a ten foot pole. After all, they're creationists. ..."

I agree entirely. This book really serves evolutionists who need some context and understanding of the evidence for evolution, should they encounter creationists.

Sin wrote: "I have this book on my bookshelf and this would be a good opportunity to really read it. When you mentioned American school system it remainded me of an article I read this Sunday in Toronto Star.
..."

Sin, thanks for the link. To me, it is a very depressing story. And I read a similar story, just today, in our local newspaper about science textbooks for home-schooled children.

On a happier note, I've started reading Dawkins' book, and find it to be very enjoyable. I just love the photograph--taken from Harun Yahya's "Atlas of Creation" of a caddis fly--which is actually a fishing lure!

Is anybody reading this book, or planning to read it?

I have just finished reading this book, and I like some parts of it. After getting over my initial disappointment, I realized that I had expectations from its title, and the title simply is misleading. The book is really about geometric patterns in our culture and in ancient and other modern cultures. Where do these patterns come from, and how do they manifest in art, in symbology, in philosophy. Many of the geometric patterns--maybe all of them--come from nature, and that is where the author ties in to nature.

The problem with the book, is that the author himself does not really understand what his book is really about. It's not about science. While the book asks science-related questions, (why do we see a spiral shape in shells, galaxies, hurricanes, and watery whirlpools), there are no science answers. And when the book does reflect on an interesting science question, like how does light penetrate through glass, the author says "E=mc2" as if the formula offers an explanation. The author seems truly ignorant of science, but I think he states Einstein's formula as a symbolic triad that pervades many cultures, rather than as a scientific explanation.

The author has tried to organize the material in 10 chapters devoted, each in turn, to the numbers 1-10. But in so doing, he makes a mistake; in each chapter he tries to come up with all the examples he can think of, where that number appears in everyday life. Some of the examples are absolutely banal. For example, in Chapter 8 he mentions that in an octagon, there are 8 corner angles each covering 135 degrees, so the total angle adds up to 1080 degrees, which is the same as the radius of the moon, expressed in miles. Like this explains anything?

Don't look to this book for a better understanding of nature or science. Instead, (once you get past the New Age banalities) look at this book to understand a little better, the subtle forms in which geometric patterns manifest themselves in cultures, in art, philosophy, and spiritualism, and where people copied them out of nature.

There is a new discussion thread on the March/April book:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

This thread is for comments on the book:
A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science.

So far, I have read the first few chapters of this book. I must say, this book is a big disappointment to me. There is very little mathematics here, and nothing interesting about nature, art or science.

I am planning to read the following books in the next few months:

Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigneetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life by Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb.

A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art and Science by Michael S. Schneider.

Schrodinger's Universe: Einstein, Waves & the Origin of the Natural Laws by Milo Wolff.

The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould.

The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins.

Hi everybody. I am a new member to this group, so I guess I should introduce myself.

I am a physicist, and my specialty is physical oceanography. Once every year or two I go out to sea on a small ship. We toss equipment into the water, and pray to get it back. Being at sea on a small ship is analogous to being on a roller coaster you can't get off!

My biggest hobby is composing music. You can check out my web page:
http://www.wonderful-music.com

I enjoy reading books about science, psychology, music, nutrition and fitness, history, and science fiction. I also enjoy listening to audiobooks, both nonfiction and fiction. I like to peruse the Goodreads web site, because I get lots of good recommendations about books to read.

I just finished reading "Death by Black Hole". To be honest, the first third of this book was somewhat boring to me. As a scientist, I wasn't really learning anything from the book. But I was struck by how marvelously entertaining Tyson's writing is. As the book progressed, I was fascinated by some of Tyson's viewpoints. His chapter on movie mistakes was hilarious. Well worth the read!

Both books "Proust was a Neuroscientist" and "Who Got Einstein's Office?" look very interesting.

Some other books I am interested in reading:
"The Greatest Show On Earth: Evidence for Evolution" by Richard Dawkins
"The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature" by Steven Pinker
"The Brain that Changes Itself" by Norman Doidge
"Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries" by Neil deGrasse Tyson

"Fearful Symmetry: Is God a Geometer" by Ian Stewart and Martin Golubitsky is a great book. Highly recommended. The theme of the book is that, what makes the subject of symmetry interesting, are the things that cause symmetry to be broken. Lots of photographs and diagrams of symmetry being broken. Here is a little tidbit: The first photograph in the book shows the splash of a milk droplet that fell into a pool of milk. The splash consists of 24 spikes and droplets that spring into the air. It's always 24! Why?

By the way, are novels allowed? One that got my attention is:
"A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel" by Gaurav Suri.