Coal and oil are two of the world's most important sources of primary energy. A multi-trillion dollar infrastructure has been created to locate, produce, transport, process, and burn coal and oil. Th
For millennia, Euclidean geometry, the geometry of the ancient Greeks, set the standard for rigor in mathematics--it was the only branch of mathematics that had been developed axiomatically, or based
Concepts from the fields of probability and statistics pervade our thinking--even those of us who believe in the existence of luck--and we routinely express ourselves using language borrowed from var
Geometric questions are frequently expressed in a language of points, lines, planes, curves, and surfaces, but humanity has always been interested in questions of line and form. Cave paintings from L
Mathematical methods are useful in understanding nature. Though many people accept this view without question, it is usually an act of faith. History demonstrates that nature's most fundamental and i
For thousands of years, algebra consisted solely of expanding the list of problem-solving algorithms—a list of procedures similar in concept to the quadratic formula. But much of contemporary a
There are enormous reserves of energy in the winds and the tides and in the temperature difference between the upper and lower regions of the oceans. If the energy produced from wind and water were c
Designed to give readers a sense of wonder through its recounting of the development of lasers and the ways in which they are used, Lasers, New Edition shows how the scientists and engineers who inve
Some of the most significant and potentially devastating dangers to human and animal life come from sources we cannot see without the help of microscopes. Viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms
