Book picks similar to
The Physics of Musical Instruments by Neville H. Fletcher
music
acoustics
non-fiction
music-science
Molecular Biotechnology: Principles & Applications of Recombinant DNA
Bernard R. Glick - 1994
The latest edition offers greatly expanded coverage of directed mutagenesis and protein engineering, therapeutic agents, and genetic engineering of plants. Updated chapters reflect recent developments in biotechnology and the societal issues related to it, such as cloning, gene therapy, and patenting and releasing genetically engineered organisms. Over 480 figures, including 200 that are new in this edition, illustrate all key concepts. "Milestones" summarize important research papers in the history of biotechnology and their effects on the field. As in previous editions, the authors clearly explain all concepts and techniques to provide maximum understanding of the subject, avoiding confusing scientific jargon and excessive detail wherever possible. Each chapter concludes with a summary, references, and review questions. Ideally suited as a text for third- and fourth-year undergraduates as well as graduate students, this book is also an excellent reference for health professionals, scientists, engineers, or attorneys interested in biotechnology.
E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
David Bodanis - 2000
Just about everyone has at least heard of Albert Einstein's formulation of 1905, which came into the world as something of an afterthought. But far fewer can explain his insightful linkage of energy to mass. David Bodanis offers an easily grasped gloss on the equation. Mass, he writes, "is simply the ultimate type of condensed or concentrated energy," whereas energy "is what billows out as an alternate form of mass under the right circumstances." Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an expression of mass that will, in some vastly distant future, one day slide back to the energy side of the equation, replacing the "dominion of matter" with "a great stillness"--a vision that is at once lovely and profoundly frightening. Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world. --Gregory McNamee
Relativity: The Special and the General Theory
Albert Einstein - 1916
Having just completed his masterpiece, The General Theory of Relativity—which provided a brand-new theory of gravity and promised a new perspective on the cosmos as a whole—he set out at once to share his excitement with as wide a public as possible in this popular and accessible book.Here published for the first time as a Penguin Classic, this edition of Relativity features a new introduction by bestselling science author Nigel Calder.
Fermat's Enigma
Simon Singh - 1997
xn + yn = zn, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution"I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain."With these words, the seventeenth-century French mathematician Pierre de Fermat threw down the gauntlet to future generations. What came to be known as Fermat's Last Theorem looked simple; proving it, however, became the Holy Grail of mathematics, baffling its finest minds for more than 350 years. In Fermat's Enigma--based on the author's award-winning documentary film, which aired on PBS's "Nova"--Simon Singh tells the astonishingly entertaining story of the pursuit of that grail, and the lives that were devoted to, sacrificed for, and saved by it. Here is a mesmerizing tale of heartbreak and mastery that will forever change your feelings about mathematics.
Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction
Samir Okasha - 2002
He also looks at philosophical issues in particular sciences, including the problem of classification in biology, and the nature of space and time in physics. The final chapter touches on the conflicts between science and religion, and explores whether science is ultimately a good thing.About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music
Mark Katz - 2004
Far from being simply a tool for the preservation of music, the technology is a catalyst. This is the clear message of Capturing Sound, a wide-ranging, deeply informative, consistently entertaining history of recording's profound impact on the musical life of the past century, from Edison to the Internet.In a series of case studies, Mark Katz explores how recording technology has encouraged new ways of listening to music, led performers to change their practices, and allowed entirely new musical genres to come into existence. An accompanying CD, featuring thirteen tracks from Chopin to Public Enemy, allows readers to hear what Katz means when he discusses music as varied as King Oliver's "Dippermouth Blues," a Jascha Heifetz recording of a Brahms Hungarian Dance, and Fatboy Slim's "Praise You."
Euclid's Elements
Euclid
Heath's translation of the thirteen books of Euclid's Elements. In keeping with Green Lion's design commitment, diagrams have been placed on every spread for convenient reference while working through the proofs; running heads on every page indicate both Euclid's book number and proposition numbers for that page; and adequate space for notes is allowed between propositions and around diagrams. The all-new index has built into it a glossary of Euclid's Greek terms.Heath's translation has stood the test of time, and, as one done by a renowned scholar of ancient mathematics, it can be relied upon not to have inadvertantly introduced modern concepts or nomenclature. We have excised the voluminous historical and scholarly commentary that swells the Dover edition to three volumes and impedes classroom use of the original text. The single volume is not only more convenient, but less expensive as well.
Geographic Information Systems and Science
Paul A. Longley - 2001
Its unique approach communicates the richness and diversity of CIS in a lucid and accessible format. This fully revised and updated second edition reinforces the view of CIS as a gateway to science and problem solving, sets out the scientific principles that govern its use, and describes the impact of people on its development, design, and success. The second edition of Geographic Information Systems and Science includes:A new five-part structure: Foundations; Principles; Techniques; Analysis; and Management and Policy.All-new personality boxes of current GIS practitioners.New real-world applications of GIS.New or expanded coverage of important current topics:Location-based servicesDistributed computingVirtual and augmented realitiesHomeland securityBusiness GIS and geodemographicsThe emergence of geoportalsGrand challenges of GIScienceA new suite of instructor and student resources http://www.wiley.com/go/longleyThe second edition of Geographic Information Systems and Science is essential reading for undergraduates taking courses in GIS within departments of Geography, Environmental Science, Business (and Public) Administration, Computer Science, Urban Studies, Planning, Information Science, Civil Engineering, and Archaeology. It is also provides a key resource for foundation GIS courses on taught MSc and other higher-degree programs. Professional users of GIS from governmental organizations and industries across the private sector will find this book an invaluable resource with a wealth of relevant applications.
The Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol 1
Richard P. Feynman - 1963
This edition, which was prepared by Kip S. Thorne (Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at California Institute of Technology), fully incorporates all the errata and corrections gathered (but never used in a published edition) by Feynman.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas S. Kuhn - 1962
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book. When it was first published in 1962, it was a landmark event in the history and philosophy of science. Fifty years later, it still has many lessons to teach. With The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn challenged long-standing linear notions of scientific progress, arguing that transformative ideas don’t arise from the day-to-day, gradual process of experimentation and data accumulation but that the revolutions in science, those breakthrough moments that disrupt accepted thinking and offer unanticipated ideas, occur outside of “normal science,” as he called it. Though Kuhn was writing when physics ruled the sciences, his ideas on how scientific revolutions bring order to the anomalies that amass over time in research experiments are still instructive in our biotech age. This new edition of Kuhn’s essential work in the history of science includes an insightful introduction by Ian Hacking, which clarifies terms popularized by Kuhn, including paradigm and incommensurability, and applies Kuhn’s ideas to the science of today. Usefully keyed to the separate sections of the book, Hacking’s introduction provides important background information as well as a contemporary context. Newly designed, with an expanded index, this edition will be eagerly welcomed by the next generation of readers seeking to understand the history of our perspectives on science.
Heat Transfer
Jack P. Holman - 1963
This ninth edition covers both analytical and empirical approaches to the subject. The examples and templates provide students with resources for computer-numerical solutions.
Introduction to Fluid Mechanics [With CDROM]
Robert W. Fox - 2003
This new edition simplifies many of the steps involved in analysis by using the computer application Excel. Over 100 detailed example problems illustrate important fluid mechanics concepts: Approximately 1300 end-of-chapter problems are arranged by difficulty level and include many problems that are designed to be solved using Excel. The CD for the book includes: A Brief Review of Microsoft Excel and numerous Excel files for the example problems and for use in solving problems. The new edition includes an expanded discussion of pipe networks, and a new section on oblique shocks and expansion waves.
Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
Robert V. Hogg - 1962
Designed for two-semester, beginning graduate courses in Mathematical Statistics, and for senior undergraduate Mathematics, Statistics, and Actuarial Science majors, this text retains its ongoing features and continues to provide students with background material.
A Short Course in Photography: An Introduction to Photographic Technique
Barbara London - 1979
Oriented toward traditional black and white photography, the book also explores digital techniques and web photography resources, equipment, the exposure and development of film, and the making and finishing of prints.