Mountains of Madness is a moving tale of science, exploration, and human endurance. It is the story of how real science is practiced in a unique and demanding setting. Rather than a presentation of research findings, this book recounts what life is like in the field, where scientists come close to sacrificing their very lives for the sake of advancing human knowledge. Like the polar explorers from the early 1900s in whose footsteps they follow, this team of scientists face the unknown and the unpredictable in the pure and simple quest for knowledge.
Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life
Game theory is all around us. How the modern science of game theory has helped biologists to understand the evolution of cooperation in nature, and investigates how we might apply those lessons to our own society. In a series of experiments author sheds light on the problem of global cooperation. Rock, Paper, Scissors will both teach and delight anyone interested in what it what it takes to get people to work together.
For hitting the game-winning run to running a record-breaking race, science is involved in every aspect of playing sports. Sports illustrates the scientific principles involved in sports such as soccer, football, gymnastics, and skateboarding, as well as why it's important for athletes to stay in good physical shape. Twenty-five hands-on activities explore such topics as finding the "sweet spot" of a bat and why hitting a ball there gives you the best chance of hitting a home run, in addition to how Newton's Laws of Motion can explain the way a skateboard works.
From the music that thumps through a listener's headphones to the strains of an orchestra tuning up for a performance, science plays a vital role in how we hear and create music. Music examines what music is and how scientific principles help control how it is made, and also delves into the histories and workings of different types of musical instruments. Explore the roots of modern techno music, find out who invented the first synthesizer, and discover how modern electronics have changed the way music is made.
Thirteen years ago, Tom Bloch was CEO of H&R Block, the groundbreaking tax organization. The son of the company’s founder, he was a happily married 41-year-old executive, but something was missing from his life. After a nineteen-year career at the company, Bloch resigned his position to become a math teacher in an impoverished inner-city section of Kansas City. Stand for the Best reveals Bloch’s struggles to make a difference for his marginalized students and how he eventually co-founded a successful charter school, University Academy.
