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"A physicist explains daily phenomena from the mundane to the magisterial. Take a look up at the stars on a clear night and you get a sense that the universe is vast and untouchable, full of mysteries beyond comprehension. But did you know that the key to unveiling the secrets of the cosmos is as close as the nearest toaster? In Storm in a Teacup, Helen Czerski provides the tools to alter the way we see everything around us by linking ordinary objects and occurrences, like popcorn popping, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, to big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, or innovative medical testing. She guides us through the principles of gases ("Explosions in the kitchen are generally considered a bad idea. But just occasionally a small one can produce something delicious"); gravity (drop some raisins in a bottle of carbonated lemonade and watch the whoosh of bubbles and the dancing raisins at the bottom bumping into each other); size (Czerski explains the action of the water molecules that cause the crime-scene stain left by a puddle of dried coffee); and time (why it takes so long for ketchup to come out of a bottle). Along the way, she provides answers to vexing questions: How does water travel from the roots of a redwood tree to its crown? How do ducks keep their feet warm when walking on ice? Why does milk, when added to tea, look like billowing storm clouds? In an engaging voice at once warm and witty, Czerski shares her stunning breadth of knowledge to lift the veil of familiarity from the ordinary. You may never look at your toaster the same way"--… (more)
User reviews
Interesting in a nerdy sort of way. Probably only interesting to those interested in the background science of everyday things.
As an introduction to physics and science it is a great little book. Czerski has a chatty style of writing as she tell us about the various subjects, whilst unobtrusively slipping the science in under the radar. For me it is a bit too general in scope, I tend to prefer more specific books, but by making science interesting, and more importantly accessible, this book will appeal even to those that rarely venture into the world of science. 3.5 Stars
The going is best in the early stages, as there are more areas of Physics for Czerski to explore from her living room or kitchen. This is the 'everyday life' part of the book, but the further we venture into the science, the further we go from the everyday. That's not a problem, per se, but it does mean that you have to pay increasing levels of attention - especially by the time you start reading about electromagnetism. Fortunately the quantum world does not make its presence felt in either tea or milk, so Czerski can leave this part of Physics alone.
The one real weakness of the book is in the writing style. This feels less like a book and more like a written-down Netflix nature documentary. But in a documentary, when the camera cuts from a scene on a beach to a scene ten kilometres under the sea, we have David Attenborough's calm voice guiding us; here, the sudden cut is jolting, and though you know why Czerski is doing it, the technique grates when it's used for the fourth or fifth time in that chapter. We don't need the element of surprise to keep us interested in the topic - the topic is interesting enough not to require such artifice.
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2017: A pretty excellent book for anyone who gets a bit giddy
Czerski has a very accessible voice and a very clear way of explaining what are at times complex topics, and she covers the gamut: electromagnetism, water tension, viscosity, plate tectonics, and Newton's laws of motion (I'm old-school) among them. I learned so much about so many things and those that I had a basic understanding of, she elucidated in ways that really brought the concepts to life in better detail. I had no idea that an electromagnet was what held down the tray in my toaster - did y'all know that? That's why the tray doesn't stay down when the toaster is unplugged.
So much of this book got read out loud to MT, who is not a lover of science, but even he found the bits I shared fascinating (he was equally surprised about the toaster), and there were so many suggestions throughout the book that can easily be done at home; I plan to do several of them with my nieces when next they are here - including building our own trebuchet.
Honestly, anyone interested in science but might feel intimidated by the often tedious or complex explanations, or anyone who just thinks the science involved in the every day fascinating will get a lot out of this book. Czerski often gets auto-biographical with her narrative, but she is a physicist, so why wouldn't she use her own experiences to illustrate her points? (For the record, MT and I both think she and her friends got totally screwed on the whole trebuchet debacle.)
Overall, a lot of fun.
PS: oh, yes, the trebuchet will happen!
I first met applied physics in nursing school and knew enough to use it in patient care, but this goes well beyond that and is great fun as well! Welcome to physics in your own world!
Chloe Massey is a fine voice artist and