Science Made Simple

The makeup of cells is so complex that most books on the subject are mired in complicated language and details. This book offers a comprehensible yet understandable overview of the cell, how it works, its scientific history, and its function in living things. Straightforward sidebars and discernible images support this interesting journey into the cellular world.

Chemistry is often a daunting subject for students, fostering a bewilderment that sets in upon their first encounter with the Periodic Table. This book demystifies an important aspect of the subject-chemical reactions-and demonstrates exactly how fascinating and fun chemistry can be. Starting out by explaining just what a chemical reaction is-and what it isn't-the book details in accessible language the various kinds of chemical reactions that are possible. It draws upon readily comprehensible everyday examples, like rusting metal, baking bread, battery power, digestion, rotting eggs, and burning candles. The book then turns to a survey of the history of chemical research, beginning in the Ancient and Classical Worlds, progressing to the Medieval alchemists and Renaissance innovators, and ending with the leading lights of modern chemistry. Readers will be introduced to luminaries such as Antoine Lavoisier, John Dalton, Louis Pasteur, Dmitri Mendeleyev, the Curies, and Ernest Rutherford. It concludes with an inspiring examination of how current research and cutting edge developments are using chemistry and chemical reactions to save lives and insure continued life on Earth. This book amply illustrates the accessibility, relevance, and gee-whiz fun of chemical reactions.

This book offers and interesting, comprehensive, and comprehensible introduction to a complex topic: atoms and molecules. Through straightforward and non-intimidating language, readers learn about the fundamentals of atomic and molecular structure as well as the more involved details.

Focusing on the universal laws, characteristics, and tendencies common to nearly all gases, this book is an excellent primer on how gases behave and react under various typical laboratory and real-world conditions. It provides compelling profiles of the scientists who discovered many gases, pioneered our understanding of them, and formulated many of the "Gas laws." The book features an intriguing section on the practical uses of gases in our everyday world, from fire extinguishers and air bags to carbonated soda and methane fuel cells. Finally, it concludes with a discussion of global warming from the perspective of gases and the gas laws discussed in earlier chapters. Tying everything together in this way and ending on a hopeful, encouraging note, this book makes invisible gases entirely present to the reader and explains just how important they are to life on Earth.

We live in a fast-paced, technology-driven world, and so many of the tools we rely on involve electricity. How exactly do we power our homes, schools, and gadgets, and what is the nature of this strange phenomenon? This entertainingly informative book answers these questions and explores the fundamentals of electricity and magnetism with easy-to-follow real-world examples. Simple experiments are supported with uncomplicated language to explain concepts such as how a battery operates and what causes static electricity. This book also takes a look at both past innovators and future innovations in the fields of electricity and magnetism. With engaging sidebars and full-color photographs, this book is sure to stimulate the reader's interest and curiosity for science for years to come.