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Informative, easy-to-use guide to everyday science questions, concepts and fundamentals celebrates its twenty-fifth year and over one million copies sold!
Science is everywhere, and it affects everything! DNA and CRISPR. Artificial sweeteners. Sea level changes caused by melting glaciers. Gravitational waves. Bees in a colony. The human body. Microplastics. The largest active volcano. Designer dog breeds. Molecules. The length of the Grand Canyon. Viruses and retroviruses. The weight of a cloud. Forces, motion, energy, and inertia. It can often seem complex and complicated, but it need not be so difficult to understand. The thoroughly updated and completely revised fifth edition of The Handy Science Answer Book makes science and its impact on the world fun and easy to understand.
Clear, concise, and straightforward, this informative primer covers hundreds of intriguing topics, from the basics of math, physics, and chemistry to the discoveries being made about the human body, stars, outer space, rivers, mountains, and our entire planet. It covers plants, animals, computers, planes, trains, and cars. This informative resource answers more than 1,600 of the most frequently asked, most interesting, and most unusual science questions, including ...
For anyone wanting to know how the universe, Earth, plants, animals, and human beings work and fit into our world, The Handy Science Answer Book will help anyone’s science questions!
“… an enjoyable way for the scientifically inclined to while away a few hours.”— Library Journal
“This update of the 2010 edition offers a plethora of fun facts along with brief scientific explanations. ... informative and entertaining title ...”— Booklist
"Clear, concise and straightforward, with a wide range of information … This newly updated 5th edition continues to be an educational resource that is both informative and enjoyable. The questions are interesting, unusual, frequently asked, or difficult to answer. … answers burning questions, supports homework assignments, provides engaging trivia, and helps satisfy an innate thirst for knowledge."— SirReadALog.org
"… addresses questions in general science, math, physics, chemistry, astronomy and space, geology and earth science, meteorology and climatology, biology, genetics, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology, ecology, and applied science and technology …"— Book News
Praise for the previous edition ...
"Easily read by students in grades 4-12, this resource invites the curious mind to explore.... What a fun and educational way to explore the wonders of the world of science, the world in which we live."— National Science Teachers Association
"...this science resource will resolve arguments, support homework assignments, provide engaging trivia, and help satisfy readers' curiosity."— SciTech Book News
"...a superior source on essential science data..."— American Reference Books
"A book filled with answers to the frequently asked questions of science and technology, this fourth edition updates the research. The straight-forward writing could be understood by fourth grade and up. The book is organized with an extensive table of contents at the beginning and an even more extensive index at the end."— Children's Literature
"A user-friendly guide explaining scientific concepts in plain English. Recommended."— Christian Library Journal
"Here's a way to answer those burning questions you wonder about, or the ones your teacher asks for homework."— Dallas Morning News
"The eight years since this title’s last appearance constitute an era in some sciences, marking high time for a new edition. Recommended."— Library Journal
"Fascinating stuff. Most readers will have hours of fun just picking pages at random."— Pittsburgh Magazine
James Bobick helped compile The Handy Science Answer Book during his sixteen years as Head of the Science and Technology Department at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and he has been instrumental in every revision since it first published over twenty-five years ago. He previously taught at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences, and with G. Lynn Berard of Carnegie Mellon University he wrote Science and Technology Resources: A Guide for Information Professionals and Researchers. He has master’s degrees in both biology and library science. He lives in Pittsburgh.
Naomi E. Balaban, a reference librarian for more than twenty-five years at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, has extensive experience in the areas of science and consumer health. She edited, with James Bobick, all the previous editions of The Handy Science Answer Book as well as The Handy Anatomy Answer Book, The Handy Biology Answer Book, and The Handy Technology Answer Book. She has a background in linguistics and a master’s degree in library science. She resides in Pittsburgh.
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
1. Overview
2. Mathematics
3. Physics
4. Chemistry
5. Astronomy and Space
6. Geology and Earth Sciences
7. Meteorology and Climatology
8. Biology
9. Genetics
10. Botany
11. Zoology
12. Anatomy and Physiology
13. Ecology
14. Applied Science and Technology
Bibliography
Glossary
Index