The Last Word Questions and Answers from the Popular Column on Everyday Science

by O'Hare, Mick; Gerrell, Spike

• ISBN13: 9780192861993
• ISBN10: 0192861999
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Why is the sky blue? Does it really get warmer when it snows? Why doesn't superglue stick to the inside of the tube? How is it possible to uncork a bottle by hitting the bottom? Can you drive through a rainbow? Should you walk or run in the rain? Why does soap make bubblebath collapse? The leading science weekly the New Scientist runs a popular column, The Last Word, which invites readers to write in with enquiries about everyday scientific phenomena. Providing a selection of the most interesting questions and answers from the column, this book covers a wide range of subjects,from plants and animals to the human body and gadgets and inventions. Fun and informative, it is fascinating reading for anyone who has ever asked themselves these kind of questions.

Author Biography

The New Scientist is the leading English language science weekly, selling over 120,000 copies through its UK and Australian editions. It now publishes on the Internet through its website Planet Science. "The Last Word" is one of the most popular columns in the magazine, receiving about 200 letters a week.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Plants and Animals	p. 1
Mysteries and Illusions	p. 27
Strange Nature	p. 53
The Physical World	p. 79
Inside Machines	p. 99
Household Science	p. 123
Gadgets and Inventions	p. 155
Bubbles, Liquids, and Ice	p. 179
Your Body	p. 201
Index	p. 223
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.