Product Description
How do scientific conjectures become laws? Why does proof mean different things in different sciences? Do numbers exist, or were they invented? Why do some laws turn out to be wrong?
In this wide-ranging book, Brian Davies discusses the basis for scientists' claims to knowledge about the world. He looks at science historically, emphasizing not only the achievements of scientists from Galileo onwards, but also their mistakes. He rejects the claim that all scientific knowledge is provisional, by citing examples from chemistry, biology and geology. A major feature of the book is its defence of the view that mathematics was invented rather than discovered. While experience has shown that disentangling knowledge from opinion and aspiration is a hard task, this book provides a clear guide to the difficulties.
Full of illuminating examples and quotations, and with a scope ranging from psychology and evolution to quantum theory and mathematics, this book brings alive issues at the heart of all science. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, hundreds of spacecraft--from satellites and probes to space stations--have ventured beyond Earth's atmosphere to orbit the globe, fly to other planets, peer into the depths of the universe, or encounter comets and asteroids. Many have become household names, their missions the focus of popular attention, while others undertake their equally important tasks in relative anonymity. Superstructures in Space is the first book to present pictorially the most important of these man-made objects. Featuring a wealth of breathtaking illustrations, this remarkable volume reveals the exciting story behind each selected spacecraft: its origins and development, its designers and manufacturers, and its launch and objectives.  It represents the first survey of the world's most significant and fascinating spacecraft at the dawn of the twenty-first century.  Superstructures in Space is an authoritative and engaging book written by an eminent aerospace historian that appeals to readers of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The perfect giftbook for readers of all ages and backgrounds
Aerospace historian Michael H. Gorn presents Superstructures in Space: From Satellites to Space Stations - A Guide to What's Out There, a coffee table book about the amazing spacecrafts and devices humans have created to better study the known universe. Featuring dazzling, full-color photography on virtually every page, Superstructures in Space lives up to its title with its in-depth, reader-friendly history and chronicle to match the unforgettable images. The perfect giftbook for readers of all ages and backgrounds who not only wonder what's out there, but also wonder how ordinary humans have created such extraordinary things that can see so much farther than the naked eye.

Amazing book for kids, adults, everyone.
We all know that space is "the final frontier," but I'm willing to bet that you have no idea how much "stuff" is out there floating around. From shuttles to satellites, space stations to space junk, there are a lot of things floating around our planet- and crazy things at that!

Superstructures in Space: From satellites to Space Stations- A guide to what's out there is an incredibly fascinating look at the objects that are circling our planet right now, from an expert at `space stuff.'

The photographs in this book alone are well worth the price- and worth the hour that you'll want to spend just looking at them. After you've flipped through it once and get over the awe-inspiring pictures, you're going to want to take the time to go back through and actually learn about the objects that are floating around planet earth.

Although it may look like a standard- albeit beautiful- photographic coffee table book, Superstructures is really much more. The book features 57 "projects" that are currently orbiting the earth, selected among the hundreds of objects that are currently out there. It's broken down into chapters based on types of objects, namely ships that carry people, machines built to "look back at" the earth (spy satellites, weather tracking systems, etc.), ships that explore our solar system, and ships that explore the universe. Of course you might assume that you'd have the biggest emotional connection with the spaceships built for people (I did), but you may also be surprised at how fascinating and inspirational the other machines- and their findings- are as well.

If you're a space- or trivia- buff, you'll find this book especially fascinating. For example, did you know that since the launch of Sputnik in 1957 U.S. Space Command has operated the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) in order to track every object circling the earth that's larger than a baseball? Since the program began they've tracked more than 24,000 such objects, and they estimate that more than 8,000 are circling the earth at any given time. Amazing!

Author Michael H. Gorn is a former Fellow at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and currently Ombudsman at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in California. What does that mean? Essentially, he's an expert on space, and the objects in it! He's written extensively on aeronautics and spaceflight, with a previous book on (Nasa: The Complete Illustrated History, Merrell 2008) already under his belt.

In short, Superstructures is an amazing book, and one that in the short time I've owned, I've returned to nearly half a dozen times. It's going to become a well-worn favorite, both of my own and of my nephews, as well, I'm guessing, as many of the people who visit my home and find it proudly displayed on my coffee table. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a comprehensive biography of the sun, written by leading BBC journalist David Whitehouse. Since man first became conscious he has sought to understand the nature of the sun; he has worshipped it, been inspired to produce great art about it, researched it and even died for it. Understanding the nature of the sun is key to understanding our universe and to life on earth. Whitehouse skilfully weaves his extraordinary scientific knowledge with history, philosophy, archaeology and religion to produce this fascinating account of the life and future of the sun.Amazon.com Review
Imagine writing the biography of a subject you can't look at without going blind. Astronomer and BBC science editor David Whitehouse has done just that in The Sun. Taking an unusual tack, he writes about the Sun as if it were a fascinating neighbor to be observed with the utmost care. After all, there is no celestial body more important to us than the Sun; all life on Earth depends upon its energy, and humans have been waking up with the dawn and sleeping with the dusk for millennia. Whitehouse provides an entertaining and comprehensive survey of ancient peoples' solar rituals and beliefs, leading finally to the birth of science and the painful (at least for the Church) acknowledgment that the Sun, and not the Earth, is the center of our solar system. The second half of the book is devoted to modern solar research, from the patterns and schedules of sunspots to the interior anatomy of our local star. Finally, Whitehouse imagines what it will be like 7.5 billion years from now, when the Sun dies, baking Earth into a lifeless husk in the process. The Sun is a delightfully readable account of the solar engine, a biography of the strange hot character that rules life itself. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Rather Dull
I disliked this book very much.

It rehashes a lot of 'sun based' cultural history that a 6th grader should know.

I find his over usage of 'flowery' phrases to be trite.

Most ideas that could be stated in one or two sentences seems to take multiple paragraphs to convey. One gets the impression is he leading up to something yet often times it falls flat.

I would have given this book one star but to be fair I stopped reading after Chapter 16 while having skipped many parts along the way.

My 100-word book review
The Sun is an excellent, entertaining and thought-provoking book written for the layperson by astronomer David Whitehouse about our most awesome and mysterious nearest star. Part history, part biography, this book also has enough science to engage and inform, without either getting bogged down in technicalities or coming across as too superficial. Whitehouse follows the efforts of astronomers and physicists who, over the centuries, have been piecing together the great puzzle that is our (still very incomplete) knowledge of the Sun, and after reading this, you may well find yourself taking our vast, incandescent neighbour a little less for granted.

Just About Everything Concerning the Sun
This book contains much information about the sun. It covers both the physical aspects, e.g., its formation, evolution, structure, life expectancy, how it works, physical effects on earth, etc., as well as the human aspects, e.g., effects on human history, superstitions, scientists who studied it, evolution of scientific theories, effects on human health, etc. The book is well written in an engaging style. If there is a shortcoming to this book, it is simply the fact that there is some amount of repetition of facts, often on the same page. This may indicate that the book was perhaps rushed through publication without an adequate editorial review. Nevertheless, this is very minor compared to the vast amount of information that it contains and the pleasure that it is to read. ... Read more

Product Description
Though more than forty years old, the space age has just begun, and questionsabout its future abound. What will replace the Space Shuttle? Will the International SpaceStation justify its $100 billion potential cost? Are asteroids real threats to Earth or just the subjectof science fiction movies? Will humans land on Mars? Will the search for extraterrestrial life berewarded?

In Space Policy in the Twenty-First Century, W. Henry Lambright brings together tentop-ranking observers of United States space exploration to address these and other issuesrelating to the future of the space program. While the U.S. no longer competes with the Sovietsfor technological "firsts," they argue, ideology and national image remain at the core of spacepolicy, with other factors playing subordinate roles. Reminding readers of the historicalhighlights, the authors pose searching questions about the priorities and applications of spacescience, manned vs. unmanned flights, and commercial access to the space enterprise.

Contributors include: Christopher F. Chyba, SETI Institute and Stanford University; Ronald J.Deibert, University of Toronto; Daniel H. Deudney, the Johns Hopkins University; W. HenryLambright, Syracuse University; Roger D. Launius, NASA;Karl A. Leib, Syracuse University;John M. Logsdon, George Washington University; Howard E. McCurdy, American University;Scott N. Pace, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Debora L.VanNijnatten, Wilfrid Laurier University. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great overview, but overcome by events
This collection of essays by top space policy and history writers provides excellent background on major issues in civil and commercial space. Among the topics covered are launch capabilities, the prospects for space commerce, the evolution of Earth observation, international cooperation on the space station, exploration of Mars, the potential for asteroid impacts, and the search for extraterrestrial life. For readers interested in these subjects who have not followed space issues closely, this book is very informative and engaging. There are some errors, but they are few and minor.
Despite these favorable remarks, I rate the book only three stars because of something the editor and authors have no control over: the dynamic nature of the subject matter. The book was published in 2003 and the essays - which were the result of a symposium held in spring 2000 - appear to have been finalized in 2001. Although the underlying issues remain essentially the same today, the circumstances in the space community have changed so much in the intervening years that the book is now seriously out of date. Its contents predate the loss of space shuttle Columbia, the initiation of a new space exploration program that includes returning to the Moon, the decision to terminate space shuttle flights after 2010, and many other developments large and small that would significantly affect what these authors would say on these subjects today. Civil and commercial space activities, and the policies underlying them, are exciting and important, but they evolve so quickly that any book like this one is destined to have a short shelf life.
There is still value in what's written here, but not as much as you'd expect from Amazon's price. This is the second reason why this book doesn't rate higher. At this writing, the price is $52, which is quite high for 270 pages of text, and outrageously high for 270 pages of outdated text. If you can find the book discounted to $15 to $20, it's worth it, but don't pay the full price. ... Read more

Product Description

Presents a modern treatment of the physics of vortex matter, mainly applied to unconventional superconductors and superfluids but with extensions to other areas of physics.

Product Description
Provides instructions for twenty projects, creating such things as a planet mobile, constellation tack board, space helmet, moon buggy, pop-up alien puppet, and rocket pin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

kids crafts
I am looking for easy outer space crafts to do with about 100 kids, ages 5-12.This book has a lot of great ideas that I will probably embellish upon for my kids, but the basic ideas are really good.

Crafts for Kids Who Are Wild About Outer Space
Finally a crafts book geared to boys (and girls).My son loves space flight, planets and aliens.This book provides tips for crafts in allthree areas.This is the first crafts book I found, for young children,that is geared towards girls and boys.The crafts are easy to do and usecommon household items. ... Read more

Product Description
Clock synchronisation is the backbone of applications such as high-accuracy satellite navigation, geolocation, space-based interferometry, and cryptographic communication systems. The high accuracy of synchronisation needed over satellite-to-ground and satellite-to-satellite distances requires the use of general relativistic concepts. The role of geometrical optics and antenna phase centre approximations are discussed in high accuracy work. The clock synchronisation problem is explored from a general relativistic point of view, with emphasis on the local measurement process and the use of the tetrad formalism as the correct model of relativistic measurements. The treatment makes use of J. L. Synge's world function of space-time as a basic co-ordinate independent geometric concept.A metric is used for space-time in the vicinity of the Earth, where co-ordinate time is proper time on the geoid. The problem of satellite clock syntonisation is analysed by numerically integrating the geodesic equations of motion for low-Earth orbit (LEO), geosynchronous orbit (GEO), and highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites.Proper time minus co-ordinate time is computed for satellites in these orbital regimes. The frequency shift as a function of time is computed for a signal observed on the Earth's geoid from a LEO, GEO, and HEO satellite. Finally, the problem of geolocation in curved space-time is briefly explored using the world function formalism. ... Read more

Product Description
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
Increasing the awareness of the connection between physics and practical electrical problem solving is the main aim of this book. It achieves this by making the connection between fundamental physics and some of the most common practical electronic problems which engineers encounter. Other books tend to treat topics in isolation rather than compining them together in order to solve a real-life problem. Each chapter is of this unique book ends with further problems and fully worked solutions to help the student understand.

The book contains seven selective topics which can be studied in isolation, such as Fibre Optic Technology and Electromagnetic Conduction. Mathematical theory is kept to a minimun; only the necessary equations required to solve the problems are presented, but each symbol presented in clearly defined.

Provides both theoretical and practical problems
Includes several graded problems
Suitable for foundation level students and undergraduates embarking on an electrical or electronic engineering course ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Concise Historical and Scientific Jupiter Two Reference
This book contains a nice balance of historical text, systems drawings, and mathematical equations that describe the development of the Jupiter Two spacecraft.

The history layed out runs from 1970 beginning with the President's "State of the Union Address" all the way through October 1997 when, as all Lost in Space fans know, the Jupiter Two was launched.During these developing years you find out who developed the equations, which scientific corporations were involved and what their contributions were, what preceeded the Jupiter Two in terms of early exploratory spacecraft and probes, and so forth.

The plotting equations will be recognized by anyone who has taken trigonometry.The engine design equations are much more complicated.Even though I took a year of calculus in college, these equations are beyond that.

The drawings and schematics are nicely detailed and believable.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the acronyms used in this book. Also, the timetable for a project of this magnitude was probably a bit ambitious especially given all the delays and cost overruns we hear about real projects going on in our daily lives.

However, if you're a Lost in Space fan and you want a believable account of how the mission to Alpha Centauri developed, this book should fit the bill.

Everything I wanted to Know about the Jupiter II
A very interesting book which explains in excellent detail (diagrams andformulas) the science behind the propulsion system of the ship. Technically dynamic in all areas of the ship it has some unique interiorlayouts of the saucer.I would have loved to have had this informationwhen I was watching the TV show.Also goes into may other features of thecraft: Guidance, Navigation, controls, all nicely layed out and explained. If you enjoyed "Lost in Space" then you should pick this one up. ... Read more