Best of
Science

1977

Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence


Carl Sagan - 1977
    Dr Carl Sagan takes us on a great reading adventure, offering his vivid and startling insights into the brains of humans & beasts, the origin of human intelligence, the function of our most haunting legends and their amazing links to recent discoveries.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region


National Audubon Society - 1977
    Accompanying range maps; overhead flight silhouettes; and sections on bird-watching, accidental species, and endangered birds make the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to North American Birds the most comprehensive available.Note: the Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains, while the Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it.

The Fractal Geometry of Nature


Benoît B. Mandelbrot - 1977
    The complexity of nature's shapes differs in kind, not merely degree, from that of the shapes of ordinary geometry, the geometry of fractal shapes.Now that the field has expanded greatly with many active researchers, Mandelbrot presents the definitive overview of the origins of his ideas and their new applications. The Fractal Geometry of Nature is based on his highly acclaimed earlier work, but has much broader and deeper coverage and more extensive illustrations.

Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History


Stephen Jay Gould - 1977
    His genius as an essayist lies in his unmatched ability to use his knowledge of the world, including popular culture, to illuminate the realm of science.Ever Since Darwin, Stephen Jay Gould's first book, has sold more than a quarter of a million copies. Like all succeeding collections by this unique writer, it brings the art of the scientific essay to unparalleled heights.

The Spectrum of Consciousness


Ken Wilber - 1977
    He was the first to suggest in a systematic way that the great psychological systems of the West could be integrated with the noble contemplative traditions of the East. Spectrum of Consciousness, first released by Quest in 1977, has been the prominent reference point for all subsequent attempts at integrating psychology and spirituality.

Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness


Itzhak Bentov - 1977
    Widely known and loved for his delightful humor and imagination, Bentov explains the familiar world of phenomena with perceptions that are as lucid as they are thrilling. He gives us a provocative picture of ourselves in an expanded, conscious, holistic universe.

The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe


Steven Weinberg - 1977
    But almost everything about it, from the elements that forged stars, planets, and lifeforms, to the fundamental forces of physics, can be traced back to what happened in just the first three minutes of its life.In this book, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg describes in wonderful detail what happened in these first three minutes. It is an exhilarating journey that begins with the Planck Epoch - the earliest period of time in the history of the universe - and goes through Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the Hubble Red Shift, and the detection of the Cosmic Microwave Background. These incredible discoveries all form the foundation for what we now understand as the "standard model" of the origin of the universe. The First Three Minutes examines not only what this model looks like, but also tells the exciting story of the bold thinkers who put it together.Clearly and accessibly written, The First Three Minutes is a modern-day classic, an unsurpassed explanation of where it is we really come from.

Geometry, Relativity and the Fourth Dimension


Rudolf Rucker - 1977
    A remarkable pictorial discussion of the curved space-time we call home, it achieves even greater impact through the use of 141 excellent illustrations. This is the first sustained visual account of many important topics in relativity theory that up till now have only been treated separately.Finding a perfect analogy in the situation of the geometrical characters in Flatland, Professor Rucker continues the adventures of the two-dimensional world visited by a three-dimensional being to explain our three-dimensional world in terms of the fourth dimension. Following this adventure into the fourth dimension, the author discusses non-Euclidean geometry, curved space, time as a higher dimension, special relativity, time travel, and the shape of space-time. The mathematics is sound throughout, but the casual reader may skip those few sections that seem too purely mathematical and still follow the line of argument. Readable and interesting in itself, the annotated bibliography is a valuable guide to further study.Professor Rucker teaches mathematics at the State University of New York in Geneseo. Students and laymen will find his discussion to be unusually stimulating. Experienced mathematicians and physicists will find a great deal of original material here and many unexpected novelties. Annotated bibliography. 44 problems.

Gemstones of the World


Walter Schumann - 1977
    And this updated edition contains a host of new findings on “Gemstones for Collectors,” additional gems in the “Table of Constants,” and the “double fraction” figures that experts have long wanted—a very special new feature.All the gemstones are treated in their many variations: more than 1,500 full-color photos showcase each precious and semiprecious stone in both its rough, natural, and its polished and cut renditions. Each entry offers complete information on the gemstone’s formation, structure, physical properties, and characteristics, along with the best methods of working, cutting, and polishing it. There are even full treatments of lesser-known gems, from andalusite to vesuvian, and a special section is devoted to rocks as precious stones, including alabaster, onyx, obsidian, and fossils. Organic gem materials are also covered, such as coral, ivory, amber, and pearl. Charts and tables help collectors identify unknown gemstones and check for genuineness.

Moksha: Writings on Psychedelics & the Visionary Experience


Aldous Huxley - 1977
    Includes letters and lectures by Huxley never published elsewhere. In May 1953 Aldous Huxley took four-tenths of a gram of mescaline. The mystical and transcendent experience that followed set him off on an exploration that was to produce a revolutionary body of work about the inner reaches of the human mind. Huxley was decades ahead of his time in his anticipation of the dangers modern culture was creating through explosive population increase, headlong technological advance, and militant nationalism, and he saw psychedelics as the greatest means at our disposal to "remind adults that the real world is very different from the misshapen universe they have created for themselves by means of their culture-conditioned prejudices." Much of Huxley's writings following his 1953 mescaline experiment can be seen as his attempt to reveal the power of these substances to awaken a sense of the sacred in people living in a technological society hostile to mystical revelations. Moksha, a Sanskrit word meaning "liberation," is a collection of the prophetic and visionary writings of Aldous Huxley. It includes selections from his acclaimed novels Brave New World and Island, both of which envision societies centered around the use of psychedelics as stabilizing forces, as well as pieces from The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell, his famous works on consciousness expansion.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western Region


Miklos D.F. Udvardy - 1977
    Accompanying range maps; overhead flight silhouettes; and sections on bird-watching, accidental species, and endangered birds make the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to North American Birds the most comprehensive available.Note: The Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it, while the Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains.

Quantum Mechanics


Claude Cohen-Tannoudji - 1977
    Nobel-Prize-winner Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and his colleagues have written this book to eliminate precisely these difficulties. Fourteen chapters provide a clarity of organization, careful attention to pedagogical details, and a wealth of topics and examples which make this work a textbook as well as a timeless reference, allowing to tailor courses to meet students' specific needs. Each chapter starts with a clear exposition of the problem which is then treated, and logically develops the physical and mathematical concept. These chapters emphasize the underlying principles of the material, undiluted by extensive references to applications and practical examples which are put into complementary sections. The book begins with a qualitative introduction to quantum mechanical ideas using simple optical analogies and continues with a systematic and thorough presentation of the mathematical tools and postulates of quantum mechanics as well as a discussion of their physical content. Applications follow, starting with the simplest ones like e.g. the harmonic oscillator, and becoming gradually more complicated (the hydrogen atom, approximation methods, etc.). The complementary sections each expand this basic knowledge, supplying a wide range of applications and related topics as well as detailed expositions of a large number of special problems and more advanced topics, integrated as an essential portion of the text.

Origins


Richard E. Leakey - 1977
    Discusses the evolution of prehistoric ape-like creatures into human beings, theorizing that the key to this transformation was the ability to share & cooperate in a social context.

Peoplewatching: The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language


Desmond Morris - 1977
    Desmond Morris shows us how people, consciously and unconsciously, signal their attitudes, desires and innermost feelings with their bodies and actions, often more powerfully than with their words.

Northwest Trees: Identifying and Understanding the Region's Native Trees


Stephen F. Arno - 1977
     Completely updated and expanded-covers more geography and 50 percent more tree species than the previous edition Provides a new, easy-to-use illustrated identification key based on the most reliable and non-technical features of each species Features the latest knowledge on the ecology and human history associated with all Northwestern trees. Over 250 exceptionally accurate drawings and historical photos bring these ancient giants to life.

Ontogeny and Phylogeny


Stephen Jay Gould - 1977
    Gould explores recapitulation as an idea that intrigued politicians and theologians as well as scientists. He shows that Haeckel's hypothesis--that human fetuses with gill slits are, literally, tiny fish, exact replicas of their water-breathing ancestors--had an influence that extended beyond biology into education, criminology, psychoanalysis (Freud and Jung were devout recapitulationists), and racism. The theory of recapitulation, Gould argues, finally collapsed not from the weight of contrary data, but because the rise of Mendelian genetics rendered it untenable.Turning to modern concepts, Gould demonstrates that, even though the whole subject of parallels between ontogeny and phylogeny fell into disrepute, it is still one of the great themes of evolutionary biology. Heterochrony--changes in developmental timing, producing parallels between ontogeny and phylogeny--is shown to be crucial to an understanding of gene regulation, the key to any rapprochement between molecular and evolutionary biology. Gould argues that the primary evolutionary value of heterochrony may lie in immediate ecological advantages for slow or rapid maturation, rather than in long-term changes of form, as all previous theories proclaimed.Neoteny--the opposite of recapitulation--is shown to be the most important determinant of human evolution. We have evolved by retaining the juvenile characters of our ancestors and have achieved both behavioral flexibility and our characteristic morphology thereby (large brains by prolonged retention of rapid fetal growth rates, for example).Gould concludes that "there may be nothing new under the sun, but permutation of the old within complex systems can do wonders. As biologists, we deal directly with the kind of material complexity that confers an unbounded potential upon simple, continuous changes in underlying processes. This is the chief joy of our science."

The Exploding Suns: The Secrets of the Supernovas


Isaac Asimov - 1977
    Where did everything else come from? Supernovas, the huge unstable suns whose immense convulsions and titanic explosions are the largest and most shattering events in the universe. Untold trillions of these giant crucibles in space, erupting down the long reaches of time, are now known to have forged all the heavier elements that in turn formed the metals, the rocks, and--at least once--life itself. Did earlier civilizations watch in wonder at the flash of distant supernovas? What about the 1987 "next-door" supernova? Have supernovas ever threatened life on Earth? Will they in years to come? Offering a compelling view of supernovas and the new understanding about the evolution of the universe, Isaac Asimov's The Exploding Suns is one of the most breathtaking science books ever to address these and many other questions.

Charlie Brown's Second Super Book of Questions and Answers: About the Earth and Space ... from Plants to Planets!: Based on the Charles M. Schulz Characters


Charles M. Schulz - 1977
    Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang help present scientific facts about plants, geology, weather, climate, astronomy, and space travel.

The Berenstain Bears' Science Fair


Stan Berenstain - 1977
    in full color. The Bears learn "how things work and other easy science information presented in simple terms and lively pictures."--Child Study Assn.

Advanced Organic Chemistry, Part A: Structure and Mechanisms


Francis A. Carey - 1977
    As in the earlier editions, the text contains extensive references to both the primary and review literature and provides examples of data and reactions that illustrate and document the generalizations. While the text assumes completion of an introductory course in organic chemistry, it reviews the fundamental concepts for each topic that is discussed.The two-part fifth edition has been substantially revised and reorganized for greater clarity. Among the changes: Updated material reflecting advances in the field since 2001's Fourth Edition, especially in computational chemistry; A companion Web site provides digital models for study of structure, reaction and selectivity; Solutions to the exercises provided to instructors online.The material in Part A is organized on the basis of fundamental structural topics such as structure, stereochemistry, conformation and aromaticity and basic mechanistic types, including nucleophilic substitution, addition reactions, carbonyl chemistry, aromatic substitution and free radical reactions. Together with Part B: Reaction and Synthesis, the two volumes are intended to provide the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student in chemistry with a sufficient foundation to comprehend and use the research literature in organic chemistry.

Out of Chaos


Louis J. Halle - 1977
    As it unfolds under the reader's eyes, there emerges from it the vision of one universsal order that rises above the underlying chaos in which our lives are still so largely immersed. By bringing together in one perspective the physical universe, the evolution of life within it, the emergence of mind, and the fruits of mind's creativity, Halle reveals, step by step, what presents itself at last as a seamless whole. We see how order arises out of the fundamental chaos represented by the Uncertainty Principle in physics, or by the "Extended Uncertainty Principle" that applies to all aspects of being."

Artificial Intelligence


Patrick Henry Winston - 1977
    From the book, you learn why the field is important, both as a branch of engineering and as a science. If you are a computer scientist or an engineer, you will enjoy the book, because it provides a cornucopia of new ideas for representing knowledge, using knowledge, and building practical systems. If you are a psychologist, biologist, linguist, or philosopher, you will enjoy the book because it provides an exciting computational perspective on the mystery of intelligence. The Knowledge You Need This completely rewritten and updated edition of Artificial Intelligence reflects the revolutionary progress made since the previous edition was published. Part I is about representing knowledge and about reasoning methods that make use of knowledge. The material covered includes the semantic-net family of representations, describe and match, generate and test, means-ends analysis, problem reduction, basic search, optimal search, adversarial search, rule chaining, the rete algorithm, frame inheritance, topological sorting, constraint propagation, logic, truth

The Birth of Physics


Michel Serres - 1977
    Serres argues that the Greeks had all the mathematical resources to formulate an adequate picture of the physical principles acting on matter. Crucial to his reconception of the Atomists' thought is a recognition that their model of atomic matter is essentially a fluid one - they are describing the actions of turbulence. Recognition of this fact throws in relief the force of this ancient thought with respect to the recent disciplines of chaos and complexity. It explains the continuing presence of Lucretius in the work of such scientific giants as Nobel Laureates Schroedinger and Prigogine. This book is truly a landmark in the study of ancient physics and will promote not only more work in the area but also stimulate a more general rebirth of philosophical interest in the ancients.

Colonies in Space


T.A. Heppenheimer - 1977
    

Symmetry and Spectroscopy: An Introduction to Vibrational and Electronic Spectroscopy


Daniel C. Harris - 1977
    The text is divided into five chapters that address the fundamentals of group theory, qualitative aspects of quantum mechanics, vibrational spectroscopy, molecular orbital theory, and electronic spectroscopy. To make the exposition clear and meaningful, each new concept is applied or illustrated with experimental results as quickly as possible. In addition, each chapter features a large number of relevant problems through which students can test their understanding of text material. These problems are an integral part of the text and sometimes introduce new material. Solutions to the problems (often accompanied by detailed explanations) can be found in an appendix.Carefully written to provide a solid foundation in spectroscopic analysis, the book devotes significant attention to the interpretation and significance of vibrational and electronic spectra, including good introductory material on Raman and photo-electron spectroscopy, vibronic analysis, and transition metal complexes. Moreover, many of the concepts presented clearly here can be easily extended to studies in other fields of chemistry. Also included are numerous helpful figures and line drawings illustrating important concepts.

A Sense of the Future: Essays in Natural Philosophy


Jacob Bronowski - 1977
    This volume extends the process to a further level of insight, and it may be more than suggestive that its final essay is entitled The Fulfillment of Man. Bronowski was an extraordinary teacher precisely because he did not condescend to his audience. He did not talk down to them; he knew how to talk them up to something near his own level, however briefly. He felt that if human beings are taken seriously, they can be led to respond to serious and difficult subjects that relate to the deepest aspects of nature, both beyond and within themselves.A Sense of the Future succeeds brilliantly in this respect, in part because it is a collection of essays that can be read independently as self-contained, delimited presentations; and in part because the book is more than the sum of these individual essays--it is a unified whole in which Bronowski's most abiding concerns are interrelated, juxtaposed, and tested for consistency in various intellectual contexts. The major unifying theme of the work is the intensely creative and human nature of the scientific enterprise--its kinship, at the highest levels of individual achievement, with comparable manifestations of the artistic imagination, and its ethical imperatives, evolved within the community of scientists over the centuries, which both embody and forge the values of civilized life at large. Still, the book's diversity of topics is as striking as the unity of its aim. Among the subjects within the realm of Bronowski's mind that are presented here are the limitations of formal logic and experimental methods, the epistemology of science, the distinctive nature of human language and the human mind, and the bases of biological and cultural evolution.Bronowski also contrasts the findings of science as the here and now of man's understanding with the ongoing activity of science as the open-ended search for truth, and he undertakes to demonstrate that the factual, individual is and the ethical, societal ought can be derived each from the other. A mathematician by training, Bronowski published poetry as well as books on literature and intellectual history. In addition to those mentioned above, The Common Sense of Science and Science and Human Values are among the most widely read of his books. Before his death in 1974, he was for many years a Senior Fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where his formal area of research was concerned with the questions of human specificity and uniqueness. Clearly, his interests ranged far beyond this area, and in many directions.

Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey


John M. Wallace - 1977
    Now students and professionals alike can use this updated classic to understand atmospheric phenomena in the context of the latest discoveries and technologies, and prepare themselves for more advanced study and real-life problem solving. Atmospheric Science, Second Edition, has been completely revamped in terms of content and appearance. It contains new chapters on atmospheric chemistry, the Earth system,climate, and the atmospheric boundary layer, as well as enhanced treatment of atmospheric dynamics, weather forecasting, radiative transfer, severe storms, and human impacts, such as global warming. The authors illustrate concepts with colorful state-of-the-art imagery and cover a vast amount of new information in the field. They have also developed several online materials for instructors who adopt the text.With its thorough coverage of the fundamentals, clear explanations, and extensive updates, Wallace & Hobbs' Atmospheric Science, Second Edition, is the essential first step in educating today's atmospheric scientists.* Full-color satellite imagery and cloud photographs illustrate principles throughout * Extensive numerical and qualitative exercises emphasize the application of basic physical principles to problems in the atmospheric sciences * Biographical footnotes summarize the lives and work of scientists mentioned in the text, and provide students with a sense of the long history of meteorology * Companion website encourages more advanced exploration of text topics: supplementary information, images, and bonus exercises

Exploratory Data Analysis


John W. Tukey - 1977
    Methods range from plotting picture-drawing techniques to rather elaborate numerical summaries. Several of the methods are the original creations of the author, and all can be carried out either with pencil or aided by hand-held calculator.

The Systems Bible: The Beginner's Guide to Systems Large and Small: Being the Third Edition of Systemantics


John Gall - 1977
    Hardcover published by Quadragle/The New York Times Book Co., third printing, August 1977, copyright 1975.

The Psychopathic Mind: Origins, Dynamics, and Treatment


J. Reid Meloy - 1977
    It is the definitive book on the subject. A Jason Aronson Book

Introduction to Fungi


John Webster - 1977
    Features of taxonomic relevance are integrated with natural functions, including their relevance to human affairs. Special emphasis is placed on the biology and control of human and plant pathogens, providing a vital link between fundamental and applied mycology. The emphasis throughout is on whole-organism biology from an integrated, multidisciplinary perspective.

An Introduction to the Psychology of Hearing


Brian C.J. Moore - 1977
    The Fifth Edition has been thoroughly updated, with more than 200 references to articles and books published since 1996. The book describes the relationships between the characteristics of the sounds that enter the ear and the sensations that they produce. Wherever possible these relationships are specified in terms of the underlying mechanisms. In other words, the goal is to impart an understanding of what the auditory system does and how it works. Topics covered include the physics of sound, the physiology of the auditory system, frequency selectivity and masking, loudness perception, temporal analysis, pitch perception, sound localization, timbre perception, the perceptual organization of complex auditory "scenes," speech perception, and practical applications such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and high-fidelity sound reproduction. The book starts from basic principles, and does not assume prior knowledge about hearing. Research results are not just described, but are interpreted and evaluated. The book includes extensive references to recent research so that those interested in a specific area can readily obtain more detailed information. Designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses in psychology, speech and hearing sciences, and audiology Will appeal to researchers and professionals involved in sound and hearing, such as audio engineers, otologists, hearing-aid designers, audiologists, and hearing aid dispensers Emphasis on the mechanisms underlying auditory perception with keyconcepts clearly explained

Figuring: The Joy of Numbers


Devi Shakuntala - 1977
    

Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones


Joel E. Arem - 1977
    This book should be of interest to gemologists; gem collectors; jewellers; gem cutters; gem dealers; anyone interested in gemstones.

The Tyrannosaurus Prescription and 100 Other Essays


Isaac Asimov - 1977
    The section on "Science" provides thirteen pieces on the planets; unstable atomic nuclei; Einstein, "the one-man revolution"; and dinosaurs."SciQuest" includes twenty of Asimov's best columns for SciQuest magazine, many of which vividly describe the inspiring struggles of great scientists - William Herschel, Michael Faraday, Joseph Henry, Ernest Rutherford, and others.Asimov's awesome grasp of culture - ancient and modern - is on display in "Foreword by Isaac Asimov."A special treat are two highly personal autobiographical essays, co-authored with his wife, Janet, that reveal the writer to be as eccentric as he is sane, as all-here as he is visionary.

Ancient Man: A Handbook of Puzzling Artifacts


William R. Corliss - 1977
    

Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters


H. Dickson Hoese - 1977
    This revised edition is based on two decades of research and greater attention to deepwater habitats. It now provides accounts of 539 species, with information on 62 species not covered in the first edition. Line art. 547 color photos.

The Art of Science Fiction


Frank Kelly Freas - 1977
    Book by Freas, Frank Kelly

An Introduction to Lasers and Their Applications


Donald C. O'Shea - 1977
    A great need exists for those outside the ranks of research scientists and engineers to have a broader familiarity with his recent addition to today's technology. The course on which this textbook is based is but one of a great number of modern device-oriented courses that are now being taught at today's colleges, universities, and institutes.

Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena


William R. Corliss - 1977
    Collects more than five hundred eyewitness accounts of nature's greatest mysteries, which have been documented in the most reputable & distinguished scientific journals, from cloudless rain & colored snow to multiple rainbows & rocket lightning.

Al di là della luna


Paolo Maffei - 1977
    This highly readable book invites enterprising amateurs of science to go along on an imaginary continuation of that journey, as successively larger and more venturesome steps are taken—beyond the moon to the sun and planets, to the stars and galaxies, to the outer limits of the known universe and of human knowledge. No astronaut's gear or astronomer's learning is required—only curiosity and a willingness to absorb the concepts and findings of modern science as they are presented clearly and compactly along the way. Certainly highschoolers can follow the unfolding of theory and fact as the book moves them through space, and so even can their elders (with a little extra effort to overcome the gravity of their earthbound conditioning or the equivalent inertia of their mental frames-of-reference!).A large audience of readers has already successfully made this grand celestial tour through six editions of the book published in its original Italian. This English translation is a revision and updating of the sixth Italian edition, and incorporates such recent material as the findings of the space probes that landed on Mars and explored the vicinities of other plants. Over 130 astronomical photographs, drawings, and diagrams enhance the sense of realism for those voyaging on the power of their imaginations.The author's clarity and ability to communicate an understanding of complex material is maintained from start to finish. His own sense of awe is directly communicated, but is balanced by the matter-of-factness of his exposition of thepresent state of our knowledge of the universe.Traversing ever greater reaches of space and returning to the time when the universe may have begun its evolution, the book examines along its route the structure and internal processes of the sun, the planets and their satellites, the comets and asteroids, Alpha Centauri (the nearest star), double and multiple stars, white dwarfs, red giants, neutron stars, novae and supernovae, the Magellanic clouds, the Andromeda nebula, globular clusters, the Seyfert galaxies, galactic explosions, quasars, the interpretation of the red shift as evidence that the universe is expanding, and the curvature of space-time, that finite but unlimited matrix of reality. The book concludes with a comparison of divergent cosmological theories that span the origin and destiny of the universe. We are brought to the limits of the known, and perhaps close to the limits of the knowable and imageable, where speculation alone can penetrate the void beyond the reach of both our telescopes and our present concepts.

Plants Do Amazing Things


Hedda Nussbaum - 1977
    Describes a variety of plants with unusual characteristics including those that give off light and those that eat insects.

Combustion


Irvin Glassman - 1977
    It covers the physics and chemistry of this process and the engineering applications - from the generation of power such as the internal combustion automobile engine to the gas turbine engine. Renewed concerns about energy efficiency and fuel costs, along with continued concerns over toxic and particulate emissions have kept the interest in this vital area of engineering high and brought about new developments in both fundamental knowledge of flame and combustion physics as well as new technologies for flame and fuel control.

Probability Theory: A Concise Course


Y.A. Rozanov - 1977
    Includes 150 problems, many with answers. Indispensable to mathematicians and natural scientists alike.

Progress and Its Problems: Towards a Theory of Scientific Growth


Larry Laudan - 1977
    Laudan both destroys and creates. With detailed, scathing criticisms, he attacks the 'pregnant confusions' in extant philosophies of science. The progress they espouse derives from strictly empirical criteria, he complains, and this clashes with historical evidence. Accordingly, Laudan constructs a remedy from historical examples that involves nothing less than the redefinition of scientific rationality and progress . . . Surprisingly, after this reshuffling, science still looks like a noble-and progressive-enterprise ... The glory of Laudan's system is that it preserves scientific rationality and progress in the presence of social influence. We can admit extra-scientific influences without lapsing into complete relativism. . . a must for both observers and practitioners of science." --Physics Today "A critique and substantial revision of the historic theories of scientific rationality and progress (Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend, etc.). Laudan focuses on contextual problem solving effectiveness (carefully defined) as a criterion for progress, and expands the notion of 'paradigm' to a 'research tradition,' thus providing a meta-empirical basis for the commensurability of competing theories. From this perspective, Laudan suggests revised programs for history and philosophy of science, the history of ideas, and the sociology of science. A superb work, closely argued, clearly written, and extensively annotated, this book will become a widely required text in intermediate courses."--Choice

Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals


James E. Bailey - 1977
    The biological background provided enables students to comprehend the major problems in biochemical engineering and formulate effective solutions.

Johannes Kepler: Giant of Faith and Science


John Hudson Tiner - 1977
    This giant of astronomy considered his studies to be a way of looking into God's creation.

The Flying Circus of Physics, Answers


Jearl Walker - 1977
    Walker covers the entirety of naked-eye physics by exploring problems of the everyday world. He focuses on the flight of Frisbees, sounds of thunder, rainbows, sand dunes, soap bubbles, etc., and uses such familiar objects as rubber bands, eggs, tea pots, and Coke bottles. Many references to outside sources guide the way through the problems. Now the inclusion of answers provides immediate feedback, making this an extraordinary approach in applying all of physics to problems of the real world.

A Colour Atlas Of Human Anatomy


Robert M.H. McMinn - 1977
    Graphic line illustrations and modern imaging are included.

The Complete Amateur Naturalist


Michael Chinery - 1977
    Explore the wild life of town and country in fascinating projects and experiments.

The Changing Countryside


Jörg Müller - 1977
    Seven huge, detailed, trifold posterspanorama of a vanishing village will awaken concern and inspire reflection about how people live on the land.

Mathematical Methods in Science


George Pólya - 1977
    This book captures some of P�lya's excitement and vision. In it he provides enlightenment for all those who have ever wondered how the laws of nature were worked out mathematically. The distinctive feature of the present book is the stress on the history of certain elementary chapters of science; these can be a source of enjoyment and deeper understanding of mathematics even for beginners who have little, or perhaps no, knowledge of physics.

The Red Limit


Timothy Ferris - 1977
    In the late 1920s, astronomers defeated this assumption with a startling new discovery. From Earth, the light of distant galaxies appeared to be red, meaning that those galaxies were receding from us. This led to the revolutionary realization that the universe is expanding. The Red Limit is the tale of this discovery, its ramifications, and the passionately competitive astronomers who charted the past, present, and future of the cosmos.

Ten Faces of the Universe


Fred Hoyle - 1977
    

Figuring: The joy of numbers


Shakuntala Devi - 1977
    A mathematical prodigy since the age of three, the author travels the world giving exhibitions of her powers.

The Self and its Brain


Karl Popper - 1977
    Without pretending to be able to foresee future developments, both authors of this book think it improbable that the problem will ever be solved, in the sense that we shall really understand this relation. We think that no more can be expected than to make a little progress here or there. We have written this book in the hope that we have been able to do so. We are conscious of the fact that what we have done is very conjectur al and very modest. We are aware of our fallibility; yet we believe in the intrinsic value of every human effort to deepen our understanding of our selves and of the world we live in. We believe in humanism: in human rationality, in human science, and in other human achievements, however fallible they are. We are unimpressed by the recurrent intellectual fashions that belittle science and the other great human achievements. An additional motive for writing this book is that we both feel that the debunking of man has gone far enough - even too far. It is said that we had to learn from Copernicus and Darwin that man's place in the universe is not so exalted or so exclusive as man once thought. That may well be."

The Living Dock


Jack Rudloe - 1977
    It's a habitat, a living thing. In the tiny fishing community of Panacea, Florida, the author's floating dock nurtures an abundance of marine life. Crabs, worms, mollusks and algae make their home there, attracting and feeding fish and other creatures higher up the food chain. These also feed the author's business, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab, which supplies specimens to research and teaching institutions: marine fauna from his dock, from nearby mud flats and beaches, and netted offshore from his little shrimp boat, "Penaeus." This entertaining and educational book looks at the life histories of some of these creatures, and recounts Rudloe's experiences in collecting them, in the process examining man's relationship with the natural world.

Physical Fluid Dynamics


D.J. Tritton - 1977
    In this new edition, much of the material is new or rewritten, but the purpose and style of the first edition are retained. Particular emphasis is given to information obtained by experiment and observation in addition to analysis of the equations of motion. The book's primary concern is to convey a fundamental understanding of the behavior of fluids in motion. Special features include an introductory non-mathematical treatment of three particular flow configurations; extensive consideration of geophysical topics; and detailed coverage of topics that are known primarily through experimental data. Numerous photographs illustrate the phenomena discussed, and a concluding chapter demonstrates the wide applicability of fluid mechanics. New topics in the second edition include double diffusive convection and modern ideas about dynamical chaos. The discussion of instabilities has been restructured and the treatments of separation and of convection in horizontal layers considerably expanded.

Ecology and the politics of scarcity: Prologue to a political theory of the steady state


William Ophuls - 1977
    

The Essential Tension: Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change


Thomas S. Kuhn - 1977
    

Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure


Jerry March - 1977
    Advanced Organic Chemistry Fourth Edition Only one reference has brought consistently incisive, up-to date, and comprehensive coverage of the most useful reactions in organic chemistry directly to the fingertips of both students and professionals: Advanced Organic Chemistry. Organized by reaction type, a feature that makes clear the basic principles underlying the nearly 580 reactions described, Advanced Organic Chemistry offers instant access to each reaction's scope, limitations, and mechanisms. Balancing timely detail and informative breadth, this new updated Fourth Edition: Describes the structure of organic compounds, including chemical bonding and stereochemistry Reviews general reaction mechanisms, including ordinary reactions and photochemical reactions Includes a survey of reactions, arranged by reaction type and by which bonds are broken and formed Includes IUPAC's newest system for designating reaction mechanisms Features an index to the methods used for preparing given types of compounds Contains more than 15,000 references-5,000 new to this edition-to original papers

Space-Time Transients and Unusual Events


Michael A. Persinger - 1977
    Introduction & Perspective to PhenomenaFall PhenomenaUnusual Electromagnetic PhenomenaUnexplained Sonic PhenomenaUFLO: Unidentified Flying & Landed ObjectsUnusual & Infrequent Astronomical EventsUnusual & Infrequent Meteorological EventsUnusual & Infrequent Geophysical EventsUnusual & Infrequent ForcesUnusual or Unexplained DisappearancesUnusual Animals & Animal BehaviourUnusual Archaeological FindsSummary of ResultsRepeated Space & Transglobal Impulse HypothesesLarge Scale Solar-Geophysical Electromagnetic Phenomena as Contributory Factors to Unusual EventsLow Probability Explanations: Extrapolations from Conceptual Limits of Space & TimeA Final Comment

Soft Tissue Pain and Disability


Rene Cailliet - 1977
    Each book offers sound, common-sense guidance in diagnosing and treating painful and disabling conditions.In very book, the author's lucid text and instructional drawings provide a strong foundation in the basic and functional anatomy of the pain's region. He discusses various painful conditions and shows how each condition is related to the abnormal mechanism causing the pain or disability. Specific and practical suggestions for treatment help to correct or alter the abnormality discovered from the history and physical examination. Details on the individual books follow.-- Includes 5 new chapters covering fibromyalgia syndromes, treatment modalities for soft tissue pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, psychological aspects of soft tissue pain, and workers' compensation-- Discusses repetitive trauma disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome and low back injuries-- Soft tissue is defined thoroughly, as it has become the basis of many medical-legal arbitrations and the basis of many personal injury and workers' compensation claims

VNR Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics


Walter Gellert - 1977
    As a consequence, there is a wide demand for a survey of the results of mathematics, for an unconventional approach that would also make it possible to fill gaps in one's knowledge. We do not think that a mere juxtaposition of theorems or a collection of formulae would be suitable for this purpose, because this would over emphasize the symbolic language of signs and letters rather than the mathematical idea, the only thing that really matters. Our task was to describe mathematical interrelations as briefly and precisely as possible. In view of the overwhelming amount of material it goes without saying that we did not just compile details from the numerous text-books for individual branches: what we were aiming at is to smooth out the access to the specialist literature for as many readers as possible. Since well over 700000 copies of the German edition of this book have been sold, we hope to have achieved our difficult goal. Colours are used extensively to help the reader. Important definitions and groups of formulae are on a yellow background, examples on blue, and theorems on red."

Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas


Donald Worster - 1977
    It traces the origins of the concept, discusses the thinkers who have shaped it, and shows how it in turn has shaped the modern perception of our place in nature. The book includes portraits of Linnaeus, Gilbert White, Darwin, Thoreau, and such key twentieth-century ecologists as Rachel Carson, Frederic Clements, Aldo Leopold, James Lovelock, and Eugene Odum. It concludes with a new Part VI, which looks at the directions ecology has taken most recently.

Peeper, First Voice Of Spring


Robert M. McClung - 1977
    The woods comes alive with the arrival of spring and the peepers, a type of tree frog, begin their evolutionary cycle.

Atlas Of The Oceans


Rand McNally & Company - 1977
    It features hundreds of photographs, maps and diagrams, and a text that is both comprehensive and authoritative. The Atlas of the Oceans is divided into six sections: 'The Oceans,' "Ocean Exploration,' 'Ocean Life,' 'Ocean Resources,' 'Ocean Atlas,' and 'Encyclopedia of Marine Life.'

Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Human Health


Walter Hepworth Lewis - 1977
    Includes background on the physiology of major systems and ailments so readers can understand how and why a pharmaceutical, botanical, or dietary supplement works. Broad coverage includes green plants, fungi, and microorganisms. Includes extensive references and citations from both conventional and complimentary-alternative medical systems when natural products or their derivatives are involved.

Experimental Methodology


Larry B. Christensen - 1977
    The book is organized so that each chapter focuses on a specific step in the research progress.

Gerald D. Schmidt & Larry S. Roberts' Foundations of Parasitology


Larry S. Roberts - 1977
    Emphasizes principles with related information on the biology, physiology, morphology, and ecology of the major parasites of humans and domestic animals. This is not a diagnostic manual for medical students.

Genesis One and the Origin of the Earth


Robert C. Newman - 1977
    

Weather: Air Masses, Clouds, Rainfall, Storms, Weather Maps, Climate


Paul E. Lehr - 1977
    Provides information about weather, including weather instruments used and how to interpret weather maps.

The World of Dinosaurs


Michael Willmer Forbes Tweedie - 1977
    

Number Words and Number Symbols: A Cultural History of Numbers


Karl A. Menninger - 1977
    . . while the casual reader is likely to be intrigued by the author's superior narrative ability." — Library JournalThis book is not only a fascinating introduction to the concept of number and to numbers themselves, hut a multifaceted linguistic and historical analysis of how numbers have developed and evolved in many different cultures. Drawing on evidence from history, literature, philosophy and ethnology, noted German scholar Karl Menninger. recounts the development of numbers both as they are spoken (and written as words) and as symbolic abstract numerals that can he readily manipulated and combined.Despite the immense erudition the author brings to the topic, he maintains a light tone throughout, presenting much of the information in anecdotal form. Moreover, almost 300 illustrations (photographs and drawings) and many comparative language tables serve to enhance the text. The author begins with a lucid treatment of number sequence and number language, including the formation of number words in both Indo-European and non-IndoEuropean languages, hidden number words and the evolution of the number sequence. He then turns to written numerals and computations: finger counting, folk symbols for numbers, alphabetical numerals, the "German" Roman numerals, the abacus and more. The final section concerns the development of our modem decimal system, with its place notation and zero, based on the Indian number system, and its introduction to the West through the work of the Italian mathematician Fibonacci. The author concludes with a review of spoken numbers and number symbols in China and Japan."The book is especially good on early counting and calculating devices: primitive tally sticks, the knotted cords of ancient Peru, the elaborate finger symbols once used for numbers, counting boards with movable counters, and of course the abacus." — Martin Gardner, Book World

Creative Color


Faber Birren - 1977
    By following Creative Color and performing the interesting experiments at the end of every chapter, you learn how to produce--consistently--effects that artists have rarely achieved, and then only by intuition, accident or painful trial-and-error. The illustrations are not meant to be art. They are experiments in producing color effects according to known principles of perception. If such striking effects can be achieved without the slightest attempt of art, think how much more the artist can do with the same knowledge! The author has usefully included a list of Numsell-coded palettes by which his extraordinary color effects may be precisely duplicated.

The Structure Of The Universe


Jayant V. Narlikar - 1977
    

A New Certificate Chemistry


A. Holderness - 1977
    A New Certificate Chemistry is known throughout the world as an invaluable resource for school chemistry courses, both in the classroom and in the laboratory.

The Rise of American Philosophy, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1860-1930


Bruce Kuklick - 1977
    In this period American pragmatism emerged, and men such as Charles Peirce, William James, Josiah Royce, George Santayana, Alfred North Whitehead, and C. I. Lewis made their enduring contributions to Western thought. This book offers a reinterpretation of American intellectual history of the period, using the relation of philosophers to the primary academic institution – Harvard – as an organizing theme. Bruce Kuklick argues that Harvard established an intellectual community that helped to define the thought of these men, and that the changing character of American philosophy must be related to the emergence of the modern university. Beginning with what he calls the Cambridge amateurs, Harvard-trained philosophers who were unable to find university teaching positions, Kuklick goes on to examine the thought of the “Golden Age” of American philosophy. He shows how it centered on the dialogue between James and Royce and their peers and demonstrates how it contributed to its own transformation: the thinkers of this period were the first generation of professional philosophers. They were pivotal in establishing graduate training programs and the doctoral apprenticeship system. They created the very academic framework in which philosophy would narrow from its role as the integrator of human intellectual concerns to a technical, scholarly discipline of interest only to a small group of professors. This is intellectual history at its best, or what Kuklick calls “the history of difficult ideas.” The author, historian and philosopher, tells a fascinating story of the men, the ideas, and the institutions that formed American philosophy. He has made a successful attempt to bridge the gap between social history and the history of ideas.

The Cosmic Frontiers of General Relativity


William J. Kaufmann III - 1977
    

Electromagnetic Vibrations, Waves, and Radiation


George Bekefi - 1977
    The main emphasis, however, is on the oscillatory aspects of the electromagnetic field--that is, on the vibrations, waves, radiation, and the interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter.This text was developed over a five-year period during which its authors were teaching the subject. It is the culmination of successful editions of class notes and preliminary texts prepared for their one-semester course at MIT designed for sophomores majoring in physics but taken by students from other departments as well. The book describes the features that vibrations and waves of all sorts have in common and includes examples of mechanical, acoustical, and optical manifestations of these phenomena that unite various parts of physics. The main emphasis, however, is on the oscillatory aspects of the electromagnetic field--that is, on the vibrations, waves, radiation, and the interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter. The content is designed primarily for the use of second or third year students of physics who have had a semester of mechanics and a semester of electricity and magnetism. The aim throughout is to provide a mathematically unsophisticated treatment of the subject, but one that stresses modern applications of the principles involved. Descriptions of devices that embody such principles--such as seismometers, magnetrons, thermo-nuclear fusion experimental configurations, and lasers--are introduced at appropriate points in the text to illustrate the theoretical concepts. Many illustrations from astrophysics are also included.

The Shell: Gift of the Sea


Hugh Stix - 1977
    Tucker Abbott ; photographs by H. Landshoff.

Animal Intelligence


George John Romanes - 1977
    Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

The Center Of Life: A Natural History Of The Cell


L.L. Larison Cudmore - 1977
    

Nature's Price The Economics Of Mother Earth


Wouter Van Dieren - 1977