Science Books

[Goth]

Feeding the Fire: The Lost History and Uncertain Future of Mankind's Energy Addiction - Mark Eberhart

Before we can talk about pulverized coal and advanced nuclear reactors, we need to consider the important background to the story - and that background lies with Carnot, Clausius and Kelvin. Before we can talk about energy efficiency, let's talk about Carnot's theorem, the properties of the thermal engine... and the curse of the thermal engine.

This is the only book I've ever seen that knows that energy, why we need it, how we use it, and where we get it is a story fundamentally rooted in the laws of Thermodynamics. Let's talk about solar energy, renewable energy, nuclear energy, and how they're governed by nothing less than the flow of time itself, meaningfully and scientifically, in the same chapter.

A good book.

[Zylatis]

The End of Time by Julion Barbour
Helps discard the idea of time as some sort of etherial substance and replaces it with a simple model regarding it as just a dimension in which measurements are taken, and looks at ways we can exploit this viewpoint.

Universe by Freedman and Kaufmann
Absolutely excellent book, was a text of mine in first year and i continued to read and still consult it throughout uni. Covers the mundane aspects such as basic astronomy and history but does so with a great writing style making for a very interesting read. Continues on to some low/mid level astrophysics, very little maths required, its mainly concepts.

Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths
Text of mine in 2nd/3rd year so i kind of have to plug it :P

Anything by John Gribbin, namely his two books on Quantumn Theory ( Shrodingers kittens and In Search of Shrodingers Cat) as well as his book on Chaos. Provides great introductions to both topics but not much new or amazing is covered for those who already know the basics.

Roger Penrose's book has already been mentioned but deserves a second. Also the lectures by Feynnman if you can understand em :P (same goes for Road to Reality)

[Draffa]

Just recently added to the queue (damn you, Amazon and QBD):

The Emerald Planet: How Plants changed the Earths history

Plants have transformed our planet over the last 470 million years as they invaded the land and diversified into the astonishing variety we know today. But their influence has reached even further: they have profoundly moulded the Earth's climate and the evolutionary trajectory of life. Far from being 'silent witnesses to the passage of time', plants are dynamic components of our world, shaping the environment throughout history as much as that environment has shaped them. In iThe Emerald Planet/i, David Beerling puts plants centre stage, revealing the crucial role they have played in driving global changes in the environment, in recording hidden facets of Earth's history, and in helping us to predict its future. His account draws together evidence from fossil plants, from experiments with their living counterparts, and from computer models of the 'Earth System', to illuminate the history of our planet and its biodiversity. This new approach reveals how plummeting carbon dioxide levels removed a barrier to the evolution of the leaf; how forests once grew on Antarctica, how plants played a starring role in allowing spectacular giant insects to thrive in the Carboniferous; and strengthens fascinating and contentious fossil evidence for an ancient hole in the ozone layer. Along the way, Beerling introduces a lively cast of pioneering scientists from Victorian times onwards whose discoveries provided the crucial background to these and the other puzzles. This new understanding of our planet's past sheds a sobering light on our own climate-changing activities, and offers clues to what our climatic and ecological futures might look like. There could be no more important time to take a close look at plants, and to understand the history of the world through the stories they tell.

High Noon for Natural Gas: The New Energy Crisis

Blackouts, rising gas prices, changes to the Clean Air Act, proposals to open wilderness and protected offshore areas to gas drilling, and increasing dependence on natural gas for electricity generation. What do all these developments have in common, and why should we care?
In this timely expose, author Julian Darley takes a hard-hitting look at natural gas as an energy source that rapidly went from nuisance to crutch. Darley outlines the implications of our increased dependence on this energy source and why it has the potential to cause serious environmental, political, and economic consequences. In High Noon for Natural Gas readers can expect to find a critical analysis of government policy on energy, as well as a meticulously researched warning about our next potentially catastrophic energy crisis.

Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives

Black (IBM and the Holocaust) spins the history of oil's ascendancy to dominance over the global energy market into a sordid tale of conspiracy, deception and murder. This enthralling book begins in the vast forests of Cyprus, whose wood fueled the ancient Mediterranean, and extends through the Elizabethan era, in which the Hostmen guild of Newcastle exerted political influence by monopolizing the British coal supply. The central thread of this well-researched book, which draws upon a vast array of archival sources and an extensive list of secondary texts, picks up centuries later with the competition in the American automotive market between electric power and oil-fueled internal combustion. The definitive blow in favor of oil comes with WWI, which prompted increased demand for gas-powered vehicles at the very moment Thomas Edison and Henry Ford aborted plans to develop an affordable electric car. The decades-long "General Motors conspiracy" solidifies the demise of electrically powered mass transit in American cities. Through it all, Black manages to keep this complex history compelling. By the time the author makes his final, impassioned plea for a bold new solution to the world's energy crisis, he has already made his case with devastating clarity.

The Illustrated on the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy Actually snagged for $9.99 at QBD

The first edition of this revolutionary look at the scientific discoveries that changed our perception of the world, by the renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking, sold over 65,000 copies. Now it's available in a gift-worthy special edition with color photographs and illustrations depicting theoretical models of the planets and their orbits--making Hawking's brilliant insights all the more accessible. This original compilation is based on seven classic works of physics and astronomy which, read in chronological order, trace the evolution of modern science. THE ILLUSTRATED ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS includes selections from On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus; Principia by Sir Isaac Newton; The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein; Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences by Galileo Galilei with Alfonso De Salvio; plus Harmony of the World by Johannes Kepler. It also includes five important critical essays and an original biography of each physicist, written by Hawking himself.

[tup]

Originally Posted by Goth

Black Holes and Time Warps - Kip Thorne

Just finished this, really liked it. Highly recommended : )

[brenton1987]

IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology (Gold Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/compendium/index.html

Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (Green Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/bo...ook/index.html

IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (Blue Book)
http://www.acdlabs.com/iupac/nomenclature/

Compendium of Macromolecular Nomenclature (Purple Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/bo...etanomski.html

IUPAC Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature (Orange Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/an...al_compendium/

Biochemical Nomenclature and Related Documents (White Book)
http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iupac/bibliog/white.html

Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry (Red Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/bo..._Book_2005.pdf

Compendium of Terminology and Nomenclature of Properties (Silver Book)

[neutralizer]

I enjoyed the following:

God: The Failed Hypothesis HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
&
The Comprehensible Cosmos

Both by Victor J. Stenger

I'm currently hunting for some well explained basics on string theory and areas of quantum mechanics. Not looking for textbooks, something slightly more readable would be nice, any recommendations?

[tup]

i've read The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene which is a fairly good introduction to string theory. Has a general overview of the history leading up to string theory as well

[Goth]

Originally Posted by Zylatis

Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths
Text of mine in 2nd/3rd year so i kind of have to plug it :P

Jackson (Classical Electrodynamics) is better.

Originally Posted by brenton1987

IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology (Gold Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/compendium/index.html

Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (Green Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/bo...ook/index.html

IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (Blue Book)
http://www.acdlabs.com/iupac/nomenclature/

Compendium of Macromolecular Nomenclature (Purple Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/bo...etanomski.html

IUPAC Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature (Orange Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/an...al_compendium/

Biochemical Nomenclature and Related Documents (White Book)
http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iupac/bibliog/white.html

Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry (Red Book)
http://www.iupac.org/publications/bo..._Book_2005.pdf

Compendium of Terminology and Nomenclature of Properties (Silver Book)

What, no mention of the CRC Handbook?

[chaox]

I've been reading this recently...

The Planets by Dava Sobel

Sobel's purpose in this lovely and personal volume is to show us the planets as she sees them. Writing in quite a different mode than in her best-selling Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, Sobel offers intimate essays inspired by the planets in our solar system, which she describes as "an assortment of magic beans or precious gems in a little private cabinet of wonder—portable, evocative, and swirled in beauty." She frames each essay in a different light, using a particular planet as a stepping stone toward a discussion of larger issues. Her "Jupiter" essay becomes a meditation on astrology, while her essay on the Sun, which relates the actual birth of the universe seemingly ex nihilo, evokes the Genesis account of creation in both its themes and the cadence of its language. Put simply, Sobel's conceits work (even, remarkably, the essay on Mars written from the perspective of a Martian rock) because each beautifully frames its planet. An essay that begins with the story of Sobel's grandmother coming to the United States as an immigrant, for example, sets up the author's musings on the odd nature of Pluto as somewhere in between "planet" and "other." This resonant and eclectic collection—informative, entertaining and poetic—is a joy to read.

[Mark Baldwin]

Originally Posted by neutralizer

I'm currently hunting for some well explained basics on string theory and areas of quantum mechanics. Not looking for textbooks, something slightly more readable would be nice, any recommendations?

Late to the thread, but you need to read

The Trouble With Physics

By Lee Smolin.
Understandable by the layman (me) and also a fascinating look at how science funding ties in with the sociology of science departments and funding bodies.

It's more or less changed my mind on string theory, from something that my New Scientist subscription lead me to believe was quite well supported, to an understanding that it's waaaaay out on the fringe of credibility.

[scon]

I bought Gleick's "Genius" today on the reccomendations in here - looking forward to getting stuck in.

[samos]

I read a brief history of time, fascinating.. but I was lost quite a bit of the time. What's 'The Universe in a Nutshell' like?

[scon]

Apparenty 'The Universe in a Nutshell' is like "A History of Time' but in a lighter, easier to read package AFAIK.

[Zylatis]

A brief history of time is a bit light as it is tbh but thats just me =P

+1 to the big bang by simon singh, awesome book.

Also these:
The Road to Reality: a complete guide to the laws of the universe - Roger Penrose. Attended a lecture he gave to my physics department, it was reassuring to hear afterwards my head of dept understood almost as little as i did, but Penrose's drawing of cats rocks. Also the bloke got knighted for physics (well mathematical physics really =) ) so he can totally beat up chuck norris as far as im concerned.

The Shape of Space - Jeff Weeks
Awesome introduction to topology without directly involving too much maths.

Jackson (Classical Electrodynamics) is better.

Yeah well i got to bludge the lecturers copy of Griffiths for free so ill take what i can get =P That being said i found the style of writing really good, like you we're talking to someone rather than reading a stuffy old text.

[Goth]

The Oxford book of modern science writing by Richard Dawkins is kind of neat to check out, in that it kind of serves as a little taste, a collection of snippets, from a whole bunch of great, famous popular science books, so you can see if there's any particular one you like the sound of and then go and read it.