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Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life
Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life | Helen Czerski
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? Our home here on Earth is messy, mutable, and full of humdrum things that we touch and modify without much thought every day. But these familiar surroundings are just the place to look if you’re interested in what makes the universe tick. 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.
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docukscribbles
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Pickpick

It says in the title 'physics for everyday life'. Delivered the message as promised.
Better than a simple science book. Interesting read.

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TheEllieMo
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 121
#BooksToRead #TBRPile #TBRMountain

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Canadian.Reads
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On gravitational pull and buoyancy : "Janthina janthina, the descendant of the first snails that got lost in space, ... build themselves a large bubble raft, often bigger than themselves, to ensure that their total density is always less than the seawater they're in. So they always float, upside down (bubble raft up, shell beneath), preying on passing jellyfish. "

More science learning for #booked2021 and photo from Google.

Come-read-with-me Gorgeous picture! 4y
10 likes1 comment
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Canadian.Reads
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It's been estimated that the average candle flame produces 1.5 million nanodiamonds each second.

What?! 💎💎💎

(Googled it to be sure, and this was one of the images)

Learning lots for my #booked2021, non-fiction science written by a woman pick!

10 likes1 stack add
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lovelybookshelf
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#NonficNov 1 - TBR 📚
Here's my stack of possibilities (because I'm a total mood reader) for #nonfictionnovember! I gathered up all the #nonfiction in the house that I've been wanting to read but haven't gotten around to.

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BeththeBookDragon
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Pickpick

You should read this!

53 likes5 stack adds
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Lea
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Pickpick

I LOVED THIS BOOK! My poor coworkers would have to hear all about all the things I learned each day on my commute. Everyone should read this. It‘s highly entertaining and so informative. #readwomen #womeninscience

15 likes2 stack adds
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Floresj
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Pickpick

We would have many more people loving physics if this book was used in schools in lieu of textbooks. I absolutely loved how Czerski would take a simple, everyday item, explain the science that makes it work (popcorn, toasters, ketchup, towels), meander through other principles in an engaging manner to lead to explaining wind turbines, Second Law of Thermodynamics, Boyle‘s Law, cell phones, etc using anecdotes. Great book!

13 likes3 stack adds
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Lindy
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Pickpick

I feel as smart as can be after listening to this audiobook narrated by Chloe Massey. 😊
Czerski deftly uses ordinary things - spilled coffee, ketchup bottles - to illuminate big concepts. Learn why your toast will always land butter-side down, and why ducks don't get cold feet when they walk on ice. Awesome science for regular folk.

60 likes9 stack adds
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Lindy
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It has sometimes been said that the reason that 300-year-old windows are thicker at the bottom than the top is because the glass has flowed downward over time. This isn't true; window glass isn't a liquid and it isn't flowing anywhere. It's because these window panes were made using an incredibly ingenious method.

Sace You tease! Now I have to get this book to find out the answer! 8y
Lindy @Sace @geodynamical Look up "crown glass" online. 8y
See All 7 Comments
Sace Thanks! (I still kinda want the book though lol) 8y
saresmoore I want to know all of the things! 8y
Lindy @Sace @saresmoore The book is wonderful. You can learn all the things easily because she uses examples from everyday life. 8y
Sace I'm with @saresmoore. I want to know ALL THE THINGS. *adds book to wishlist* 8y
48 likes6 stack adds7 comments
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Lindy
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I find myself stopping and rewinding too often this morning; a sign that it's time to switch from physics to a podcast instead.

39 likes2 stack adds