Nick Mann
Autore di The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
Sull'Autore
Fonte dell'immagine: via Goodreads
Opere di Nick Mann
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe (2009) — Fotografo — 2,325 copie
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Informazioni generali
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Utenti
Discussioni
Chemistry coffee table book in Name that Book (Luglio 2010)
Recensioni
Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom… di Theodore Gray
Near the end it got a bit repetitive. The lanthanides just have a lot of properties in common and there doesn't need to be a separate page for each one.
Ten stars for book design and concept, 2 for educational value, casual Eurocentric scorn.
This beautiful book that is both a gorgeous “coffee table book” and an engrossing and informative guide to the 118 known elements makes both a beautiful and educational addition to any house or library.
Each double-page spread is devoted to one element. As the author quotes Lucretius claiming in 50 BC, “There is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements.”
Gray begins with a brief introduction about the periodic table, and then goes through the elements in order. On the far right side of each spread, he gives technical information - atomic weight, density, and the like, but it is the main part of each presentation that is so fascinating.
He tells you what the element is like, how it is used, and some special applications of each. Lithium, for example, “has another trick up its sleeve: It keeps some people on an even emotional keel.” Copper has the second-highest electrical conductivity of any metal. Gallium is used in semiconductor crystals, and is also present in early all light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Phosphate fertilizers, he tells us, “are arguably responsible for the explosion of human populations to the point where water, not phosphorus, is now the limiting factor in many places.” Potassium is critical to nerve transmission in the human body. Bismuth makes up most of Pepto-Bismol. Boron is what gives Silly Putty its ability to be both soft and moldable. Uranium is an ingredient in both “vaseline glass” and Fiestaware.
All of these facts, fun as they are, are secondary to the visual aspects of the book, in which amazing large color photos (by both Theodore Gray and Nick Mann) of both the elements and products derived from them make up the bulk of the presentations.
Evaluation: If you ever thought chemistry was “boring,” you are in for a surprise and an intellectual and visual treat. This book is outstanding, and will stimulate your desire to know more about the elements, and how people figured out how to use them.… (altro)
Each double-page spread is devoted to one element. As the author quotes Lucretius claiming in 50 BC, “There is not anything which returns to nothing, but all things return dissolved into their elements.”
Gray begins with a brief introduction about the periodic table, and then goes through the elements in order. On the far right side of each spread, he gives technical information - atomic weight, density, and the like, but it is the main part of each presentation that is so fascinating.
He tells you what the element is like, how it is used, and some special applications of each. Lithium, for example, “has another trick up its sleeve: It keeps some people on an even emotional keel.” Copper has the second-highest electrical conductivity of any metal. Gallium is used in semiconductor crystals, and is also present in early all light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Phosphate fertilizers, he tells us, “are arguably responsible for the explosion of human populations to the point where water, not phosphorus, is now the limiting factor in many places.” Potassium is critical to nerve transmission in the human body. Bismuth makes up most of Pepto-Bismol. Boron is what gives Silly Putty its ability to be both soft and moldable. Uranium is an ingredient in both “vaseline glass” and Fiestaware.
All of these facts, fun as they are, are secondary to the visual aspects of the book, in which amazing large color photos (by both Theodore Gray and Nick Mann) of both the elements and products derived from them make up the bulk of the presentations.
Evaluation: If you ever thought chemistry was “boring,” you are in for a surprise and an intellectual and visual treat. This book is outstanding, and will stimulate your desire to know more about the elements, and how people figured out how to use them.… (altro)
1 
nbmars | 19 altre recensioni | Feb 18, 2021 |
nbmars | 19 altre recensioni | Feb 18, 2021 | I think if I'd had this book years ago, my high school chemistry course would have been less painful. The author here goes through each of the elements (as they existed at the time of publication), and in many cases, shows us examples of the element. (The author collects samples of the elements -- ones that are legal and possible to have, that is.) These are accompanied by occasionally funny asides, but much in the way of practical information. A very clever book, and one I recommend.
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Premi e riconoscimenti
Statistiche
- Opere
- 2
- Utenti
- 2,327
- Popolarità
- #11,022
- Voto
- 4.4
- Recensioni
- 20
- ISBN
- 30
- Lingue
- 13