Ebook Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe Marcus Chown

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A mind-bending journey through some of the most weird and wonderful facts about our universe, vividly illuminating the hidden truths that govern our everyday lives.

Fact You could fit the whole human race in the volume of a sugar cube.
Fact The electrical energy in a single mosquito is enough to cause a global mass extinction.
Fact You age more quickly on the top floor than on the ground floor.

So much of our world seems to make perfect sense, and scientific breakthroughs have helped us understand ourselves, our planet, and our place in the universe in fascinating detail. But our adventures in space, our deepening understanding of the quantum world, and our leaps in technology have also revealed a universe far stranger than we ever imagined.

With brilliant clarity and wit, bestselling author Marcus Chown examines the profound science behind fifty remarkable scientific facts that help explain the vast complexities of our existence.

Ebook Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe Marcus Chown

"Although I’ve had the best of intentions I haven’t studied science as an adult and currently sit firmly in science nerd wannabe territory. My wannabe status is probably what drew me to this book and its conversational tone and lack of complex mathematics equations makes it accessible to readers without prior knowledge of the scientific discoveries and theories it explains.

There’s a smorgasbord to enjoy within each of the seven parts:

• Biological Things
• Human Things
• Terrestrial Things
• Solar System Things
• Fundamental Things
• Extraterrestrial Things, and
• Cosmic Things.

Given the bite size chunks of information each contain, they provide a taste of some of the marvels the universe has to offer. While I learned enough about some topics to satisfy me I was able to narrow down some areas of interest to explore further. Each of the fifty chapters begins with a single sentence statement that may or may not give you a clue about what’s to come, followed by a quote and then several pages of explanation.

My favourite opening statements of the book were:

• “You are born 100 percent human but die 50 percent alien”
• “In the future, time might run backwards”
• “The universe may have at least ten dimensions”, and
• “Time travel is not ruled out by the laws of physics”.

My main problem with this book was its repetitiveness. If you are only reading single chapters over a significant length of time, this would not be a problem. However, if you’re reading from cover to cover, the multiple instances of repetition become tedious.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diversion Books for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars."

Product details File Size 1125 KB Print Length 161 pages Publisher Diversion Books (April 23, 2019) Publication Date April 23, 2019 Language English ASIN B07N1YT1MJ

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Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe Marcus Chown Reviews :

Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand Fifty Wonders That Reveal an Extraordinary Universe Marcus Chown Reviews

• Although I’ve had the best of intentions I haven’t studied science as an adult and currently sit firmly in science nerd wannabe territory. My wannabe status is probably what drew me to this book and its conversational tone and lack of complex mathematics equations makes it accessible to readers without prior knowledge of the scientific discoveries and theories it explains.
  
  There’s a smorgasbord to enjoy within each of the seven parts
  
  • Biological Things
  • Human Things
  • Terrestrial Things
  • Solar System Things
  • Fundamental Things
  • Extraterrestrial Things, and
  • Cosmic Things.
  
  Given the bite size chunks of information each contain, they provide a taste of some of the marvels the universe has to offer. While I learned enough about some topics to satisfy me I was able to narrow down some areas of interest to explore further. Each of the fifty chapters begins with a single sentence statement that may or may not give you a clue about what’s to come, followed by a quote and then several pages of explanation.
  
  My favourite opening statements of the book were
  
  • “You are born 100 percent human but die 50 percent alien”
  • “In the future, time might run backwards”
  • “The universe may have at least ten dimensions”, and
  • “Time travel is not ruled out by the laws of physics”.
  
  My main problem with this book was its repetitiveness. If you are only reading single chapters over a significant length of time, this would not be a problem. However, if you’re reading from cover to cover, the multiple instances of repetition become tedious.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and Diversion Books for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.
• Somehow I’ve managed to read two books back to back that take their titles from beloved poems. This one is from Blake’s Auguries of Innocence and it’s just such a great line. But that, of course, wasn’t why I read this. This was done in the name of science and the best way to get science into my not especially scientifically oriented brain is to make sure it pops. Science pops, not the brain, that would just be weird. So pop science it is. And this one seemed to fit the bill. It has a gimmicky premise and an approachable style. The latter is much appreciated, but the former was actually unnecessary. The 50 chapters in this book are so interesting, educational and varied that didn’t need a pithy sort of party joke to preface them, because they speak for themselves. But at any rate, I liked this book very much…even when it went too far into physics (or the dreaded chemistry) and threatened to do my brain in. A lot of the facts were more like refreshers, especially all things astronomy and quantum related, but it’s always a pleasure to revisit some of my favorite subjects, especially well summarized. I suppose my main thing with science books is that, while they are so very edifying, they never fail to remind us of just how insufficient our knowledge really is. I mean, just think about it, only 4.9 percent of the universe is known to us. The rest is dark matter and dark energy and we can only guess what those are. So it’s very humbling in a way…and very frustrating too. But back to the book…the author did a very good job of maintaining education to entertainment value and probably not just because he meant this book to be a sort of memorize the fact and blow someone’s mind at a party sort of thing. But essentially the book is written in such a manner that any reasonably intelligent person can read, comprehend and enjoy it without getting too overwhelmed. There are some repetitions, but the range of subjects is terrific and it really does make you go…wow, what an awesome world we live in. At least until you go outside and take in the dreary immediate surroundings. Ok, so…conceptually, what an awesome world we live in. Read this book and be reminded of it. Or read this book and lean something new. Or refresh old knowledge. Or just read it for sheer reading pleasure. It’s very enjoyable. And for a work of nonfiction such a quick and lively read. I went through it in one day, footnotes and all, not even all of the day, and I must admit it may not be the best approach to reading science, my brain was swimming with it, but it was actually really fun to do that and see what thoughts come up. Such a good book. Recommended.
• If you're looking for a condensed read of flattening science facts, you've arrived at your destination. As the title indicates, the "Fifty Wonders" snuggle up under the blankey of universal findings, often referencing terms/phrases that repel the turning of pages for certain people--like "quantum physics", "parallel universe", and "Kinsey scale", for starters.
  
  Sure, the chapters surely vary in how deep they dive into their respective sciences, but I challenge any author to be more concise and efficient while also achieving the entertainment value presented by Chown; he has a knack for relating these heady concepts to everyday, familiar situations. Each chapter is relatively short, and so going back for a re-read isn't an issue if you feel that your understanding has stalled. Only a few of the chapters intertwine in terms of subject matter, so there's minimal page-flipping (and Chown does issue plenty of reminders/call-backs to assist).
  
  Each of the fifty chapters are massively thought-provoking, easily initiating a level of mental exhaustion when you begin to try to wrap your head around things. As you finish the book, you might be sitting the next day, at your job, just wondering things you never thought of before--and that's the real beauty of this work, in fact. Without deep-diving or bogging down with details, Chown has imbued you, in an accessible and friendly way, with some of the greatest hits of what science has brought to our feet. You probably read a lot of these or watched them on the news when they happened, but have you really been told just what they indicate? The weight of these discoveries/theories is completely and thoroughly transmitted.
  
  In books such as this, a great barometer for how successful they are is if the reader simply feels smarter and more informed when they're done, like a new world's been opened up. This read more than accomplishes that task. With information that's great as the catalyst for one to go into studying a new field of science, fantastic conversation material at the pub, or something for your conservative relatives to roll their eyes at during holidays, you should prepare to learn. Superb.
  
  Many thanks to NetGalley and Diversion Books for the advance read