National Geographic answers all the questions about how things work--the science, technology, biology, chemistry, physics, and mechanics--in an indispensible book that reveals the science behind virtually everything.

Table of Contents

• FOREWORD BY DAVID POGUE
• HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
• PART 1 MECHANICS
• CHAPTER 1 LAWS OF MOTION AND ENERGY
• Newton’s First Law of Motion
• SEGWAY
• GYROSCOPE
• SHIP STABILIZER
• FLIGHT STABILIZER
• WASHING MACHINE
• Newton’s Third Law of Motion
• SQUID AND OCTOPUS
• JET ENGINE
• ROCKET ENGINE
• Conservation of Energy
• BILLIARDS
• REGENERATIVE BRAKING
• DOWNHILL SKIING
• ROLLER COASTER
• ROTATING OBJECTS
• Chapter 2 MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE AND FRICTION
• Mechanical Advantage
• LEVER
• BICYCLE
• WHEEL
• PULLEY
• GEAR
• CLIMBING TOWER CRANE
• OFFSET PRINTING PRESS
• Friction
• BALL BEARING
• PARACHUTE
• STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
• COMPETITIVE SWIMWEAR
• Chapter 3 WAVES AND TURBULENCE
• Wave Energy
• WAVE TURBINE
• SURFING
• Seismic Waves
• TSUNAMI
• EARTHQUAKE
• Destructive Interference
• NOISE-CANCELING DEVICE
• CELL PHONE JAMMER
• Reflection of Sound Waves
• SONAR
• ULTRASOUND
• Chapter 4 FLUIDS AND PRESSURE
• Bernoulli’s Principle
• SAILBOAT
• HOVERCRAFT
• AIRPLANE
• HELICOPTER
• HYDROFOIL
• CURVEBALL
• Downforce
• ATOMIZER
• Rapidly Expanding Gases
• FIREWORKS
• FIREARM
• COMBUSTION ENGINE
• Elasticity of Air
• VACUUM TUBE
• VACUUM CLEANER
• Pascal’s Law
• DIVING AND THE BENDS
• HOME PLUMBING SYSTEM
• SIPHON
• ARTESIAN WELL
• HYDRAULIC BRAKES
• HYDRAULIC EXCAVATOR
• OIL DRILL
• Surface Tension
• BUBBLE
• TURGOR PRESSURE IN PLANTS
• Archimedes’ Principle
• FLOATING CONTINENTS
• SHIP
• SUBMARINE
• Chapter 5 THERMODYNAMICS
• Second Law of Thermodynamics
• AIR CONDITIONER
• REFRIGERATOR
• Convection
• CONVECTION OVEN
• HOME HEATER
• HOT AIR BALLOON
• THUNDERSTORM
• Coriolis Effect
• HURRICANE
• SEA BREEZE
• Specific Heat
• SMOG AND TEMPERATURE INVERSION
• CLOTHES DRYER
• Evaporation
• PERSPIRATION
• Third Law of Thermodynamics
• SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
• Part 2 NATURAL FORCES
• Chapter 6 GRAVITY
• The Universal Law of Gravitation
• PARABOLIC CURVE
• BULLET TRAJECTORY
• ELLIPTICAL ORBITS OF PLANETS
• ESCALATOR
• ELEVATOR
• SUSPENSION BRIDGE
• TIDES
• TIDAL POWER GENERATOR
• EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS
• Chapter 7 MAGNETISM
• Magnetic Fields
• COMPASS
• MAGNET EARTH
• LIVING COMPASSES
• METAL DETECTOR
• CREDIT CARD
• MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
• COLOR TELEVISION
• PLASMA, LCD, AND LED SCREENS
• Electromagnetism
• LOUDSPEAKERS AND HEADPHONES
• COMPUTER HARD DRIVE
• PARTICLE ACCELERATOR
• ELECTRON MICROSCOPE
• MAGLEV SHIP
• MAGLEV TRAIN
• Faraday’s Law of Induction
• GENERATOR
• ELECTRIC MOTOR
• POWER DRILL
• GARBAGE DISPOSAL
• ELECTRIC RAZOR
• ELECTRIC CAR
• Chapter 8 POWER AND ELECTRICITY
• Volts, Amps, and Ohm’s Law
• TWO-AND THREE-PRONG PLUGS
• AC/DC: EDISON VERSUS TESLA
• ELECTRICAL WIRING AND POWER GRID
• PHOTOCOPIER
• LASER PRINTER
• INKJET PRINTER
• HYDROELECTRICITY
• Geothermal Energy
• WIND
• WIND TURBINES
• Nuclear Fission
• NUCLEAR REACTOR
• Photovoltaic Effect
• PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
• SOLAR ARRAYS
• Electrochemistry
• LITHIUM-ION BATTERY
• HYDROGEN FUEL CELL
• BIOFUEL
• Binary Code
• INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
• DIGITAL STILL CAMERA
• DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA
• DIGITAL MUSIC
• PERSONAL COMPUTER
• ATM
• INTERNET
• WORLD WIDE WEB
• E-MAIL
• CLOUD COMPUTING
• Chapter 9 LIGHT
• Absorption of Light
• VISIBLE SPECTRUM
• COLOR-BOOSTING DETERGENT
• 3-D MOVIES AND TV
• REFLECTING TELESCOPES
• SPACE TELESCOPES
• Ultraviolet Light
• UV LIGHT AND EYES
• UV LITHOGRAPHY
• SUNBURN AND SUNBLOCK
• Thermal Imaging
• WEATHER MAPS AND THERMOGRAPHY
• NIGHT VISION GOGGLES
• Photoelectric Effect
• LIGHT-SENSITIVE DIODES
• DIGITAL SCANNER
• IRIS AND RETINAL SCANS
• Optics
• AGE AND VISION
• EYEGLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES
• HOW WE SEE
• Fiber Optics
• FIBER OPTIC CABLE
• Stimulated Emission
• BAR CODE SCANNER
• LASER
• HOLOGRAM
• COMPACT DISC PLAYER
• Chapter 10 RADIATION
• Radio Waves
• RADIO WAVE FREQUENCIES
• RADIO
• CELL PHONES
• GPS
• WI-FI
• NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATIONS
• Electromagnetic Radiation
• SPECTRUM OF WAVELENGTHS
• INCANDESCENT LIGHTBULB
• MICROWAVE OVEN
• RADAR
• AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
• X-RAY IMAGING
• CAT SCAN
• Part 3 MATERIALS AND CHEMISTRY
• Chapter 11 ELEMENTS
• Atomic Structure
• NEON
• LITHIUM
• IODINE
• ALUMINUM
• GOLD
• SILVER
• CHLORINE
• SILICON
• ARGON
• TITANIUM
• Chapter 12 POLYMERS AND RESINS
• Natural Polymers
• CELLULOSE
• SHELLAC
• RUBBER
• Natural Resins
• INCENSE AND PERFUMES
• VARNISH
• AMBER
• Macromolecular Chemistry
• GRAPHENE
• NEOPRENE
• NYLON
• SUPERGLUE
• POLYETHYLENE
• 3-D PRINTING
• Chapter 13 NANOTECHNOLOGY
• Quantum Mechanics
• TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY
• WATER AND AIR PURIFICATION
• FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS
• ANTIMICROBIALS
• UV-BLOCKING FABRIC
• SELF-CLEANING GLASS
• WATER- AND STAIN-RESISTANT FABRIC
• Part 4 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
• Chapter 14 FOOD AND DRINK
• Fermentation
• BEER
• BREAD
• WINE
• VINEGAR
• YOGURT
• CHEESE
• Ecology
• HYDROPONICS
• AQUACULTURE
• Food Microbiology
• FROZEN FOOD
• CANNED AND BOTTLED FOODS
• FREEZE-DRIED FOODS
• Chapter 15 CELL BIOLOGY
• DNA
• GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS
• LIVESTOCK CLONING
• IN VITRO MEAT
• HUMAN IN VITRO FERTILIZATION
• CANCER
• HUMAN TISSUE CULTIVATION
• STEM CELL THERAPY
• GENE THERAPY
• Chapter 16 HEALTH AND MEDICINE
• Immunobiology
• ANTIBIOTICS
• VACCINES
• ALLERGIES
• Bioengineering
• KIDNEY DIALYSIS
• PACEMAKER
• PROSTHETIC LIMB
• PROSTHETIC DISC
• COCHLEAR IMPLANT
• Robotic Surgery
• ENDOSCOPY
• LASER SURGERY
• RADIAL KERATOTOMY
• ABOUT THE AUTHORS