Full circle -- Art, life, and experiment -- The new philosophy -- Newton with his prism and silent face -- Science and the Enlightenment -- The rationalization of matter -- The history of nature -- Biology comes of age -- Early energetics -- Field physics -- Epilogue.

Now in Paperback! Take science to a whole new level. Created in partnership with Prentice Hall, the Big Idea Science Book is a comprehensive guide to key topics in science falling into four major strands (Living Things, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics), with a unique difference — a website component with 200 specially created digital assets that provide the opportunity for hands-on, interactive learning.

"Science, as Charles Singer points out in his preface, having come to control and direct industry, is now rapidly and manifestly transforming the very face of the earth and the lot of its living inhabitants, whether human, animal, or plant. What is the story behind this immense increase in scientific activity? Has science always been so powerful? And what does 'science' mean? Dr. Singer answers these questions by presenting a history of science--its developments, its protagonists, and the philosophy behind it. From the Stone Age to the twentieth century, from Ancient Egypt to modern Europe, from astrology to microbiology, this is the complex and extraordinary story of man's curiosity."--Jacket