A General Science Refresher

Discussion in 'Science and Technology' started by Amaris, Jan 6, 2011.

  1. MetalPants

    MetalPants Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yeah with the first theme being your favorite subatomic particle.
     
  2. Zulu Romeo

    Zulu Romeo World Famous Starship Captain Admiral

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    That's actually a good idea. And they'd have to be life-sized. :bolian:
     
  3. The Boy Who Cried Worf

    The Boy Who Cried Worf Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Some books I have found most helpful:

    Asimov's New Guide To Science: Obviously dated, but very encyclopedic. Clear reading, but Asimov doesn't dumb it down either. http://www.amazon.com/Asimovs-Guide...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295430001&sr=1-1

    The Sciences: An Integrated Approach: Another encyclopedic work that also shows the relationships and themes that guide science. Bit of a conundrum though, the newer of a version you get the much steeper the price. http://www.amazon.com/Sciences-Inte...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295430131&sr=1-1

    Science Matters: By the same authors as above, but much more concise, readable, and especially cheaper. http://www.amazon.com/Science-Matte...=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295430131&sr=1-2

    Almost Everyone's Guide To Science: Gribbin wrote the In Search Of books some of my favorite intros to topics in Physics/Astronomy. Very readable. http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Everyo...=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295430484&sr=1-8
     
  4. MetalPants

    MetalPants Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I always found Stephen Hawking's books to be good myself.
     
  5. ThankQ

    ThankQ Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^That's not exactly "general" science.
     
  6. Asbo Zaprudder

    Asbo Zaprudder Admiral Admiral

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    But, really, what is meant by "general" science when every field nowadays tends to be so specialised as to be nearly incomprehensible to anyone working in a different field? It's a depth versus breadth trade off.
     
  7. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Universe in a Nutshell is a nice mind bender for sure.
     
  8. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'll check those out, thank you. :D

    True, but there should be at least a basic cover-all general science book. It doesn't have to get too deep, but it should hit a nice number of the basics like meteorology, geology, biology, astronomy, physics, etc.

    Universe in a Nutshell is a good book.
     
  9. Smellincoffee

    Smellincoffee Commodore Commodore

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    There's a series of books by Ray Spangenburg and Diane Kit Moser called The History of Science. Actually, there are two -- one produced in the late 90s, and one produced in the mid-late 2000s. The second is just a shiner update of the first. Anyway, it's an excellent series for getting "caught up" in science, especially if you feel out-of-date. I read both series during two summer breaks from college to keep my scientific literacy polished. Should provide a basic refresher, from which you can look into more detailed books.

    Other history-of-science books are good, too: Dan Falk's Universe on a T-Shirt is a popular read, while Theories for Everything is a more substantial volume.
     
  10. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I can't find History of Science, they all seem to be either out of print or nearly impossible to find. My local library doesn't have them either, and they tend to have the hard to find stuff. That said, "Universe" looks good, and "Theories" seems like it's right up my alley, and it looks like my library has both of them, so woohoo!, thanks! :D
     
  11. KJbushway

    KJbushway Commodore

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    Any real high school library should have those general science books. All you do is just go to a regular library say your child is in high school and ask them for high school science books.