Since the mid-1820s, a series of lectures has been delivered each year over the Christmas period in the world-famous Faraday Lecture Theatre at The Royal Institution of Great Britain by prominent scientists, addressed specifically to an audience of children. Initially made accessible in book form, the lectures have been nationally televised throughout the UK and distributed worldwide since the 1960s, making them accessible to an even larger audience. The importance of these lectures in promoting science to a broad audience is perhaps best gauged by the fact that an image of one of Faraday''s lectures appeared on the Bank of England u20 note in the 1990s. This anthology brings together, for the first time, a carefully chosen selection of 11 lectures from the 1860s to the 1990s. The selection includes lectures by Michael Faraday, arguably the most important and influential 19th-century physicist, and Lawrence Bragg, the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Prize. Through this work, readers will come to grips with the changing nature of popular science lectures over the past 140 years. Sample Chapter(s). Introduction (7,804 KB). Chapter 1: The Correlation of the Physical Forces (957 KB). Chapter 2: Carbon or Charcoal-Coal Gas-Respiration and Its Analogy to the Burning of a Candle-Conclusion (345 KB). Chapter 3: The Forms of Water in Clouds and Rivers, Ice and Glaciers (422 KB). Chapter 4: Lessons in Electricity (781 KB). Contents: The Correlation of the Physical Forces (M Faraday); Carbon or Charcoal OCo Coal Gas OCo Respiration and Its Analogy to the Burning of a Candle OCo Conclusion (M Faraday); The Forms of Water in Clouds and Rivers, Ice and Glaciers (J Tyndall); Lessons in Electricity (J Tyndall); Stars (R S Ball); RAntgen Light (S P Thompson); The Great Extinct Reptiles OCo Dinosaurs from the Oolites OCo The Pariasaurus and Inostransevia from the Trias of North Russia and South Africa OCo Marine Reptiles (E R Lankester); The Atoms of Which Things Are Made (W H Bragg); Our Electrical Supply (W L Bragg); Objects and Pictures (R L Gregory); Gallery of Monsters (I Stewart). Readership: Scientists with an interest in communicating science; historians with an interest in the development of science communication; general public interested in science."

An exploration of space and time and a journey of discovery, through thirteen of the most fascinating Christmas Lectures given at the Royal Institution of Great Britain over the last 200 years. With a foreword by ESA astronaut Tim Peake.

The third in a series of books in association with the Royal Institution on their world-renowned Christmas Lectures, this time exploring the intriguing pathways of the human brain and the complexities of the mind - with a foreword by Robin Ince.

Quantum physicist, New York Times bestselling author, and BBC host Jim Al-Khalili reveals how 8 lessons from the heart of science can help you get the most out of life Today’s world is unpredictable and full of contradictions, and navigating its complexities while trying to make the best decisions is far from easy. The Joy of Science presents 8 short lessons on how to unlock the clarity, empowerment, and joy of thinking and living a little more scientifically. In this brief guide to leading a more rational life, acclaimed physicist Jim Al-Khalili invites readers to engage with the world as scientists have been trained to do. The scientific method has served humankind well in its quest to see things as they really are, and underpinning the scientific method are core principles that can help us all navigate modern life more confidently. Discussing the nature of truth and uncertainty, the role of doubt, the pros and cons of simplification, the value of guarding against bias, the importance of evidence-based thinking, and more, Al-Khalili shows how the powerful ideas at the heart of the scientific method are deeply relevant to the complicated times we live in and the difficult choices we make. Read this book and discover the joy of science. It will empower you to think more objectively, see through the fog of your own preexisting beliefs, and lead a more fulfilling life.

International bestselling authors Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw's fascinating, entertaining, and clear introduction to quantum mechanics In The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw approach the world of quantum mechanics in the same way they did in Why Does E=mc2? and make fundamental scientific principles accessible-and fascinating-to everyone.The subatomic realm has a reputation for weirdness, spawning any number of profound misunderstandings, journeys into Eastern mysticism, and woolly pronouncements on the interconnectedness of all things. Cox and Forshaw's contention? There is no need for quantum mechanics to be viewed this way. There is a lot of mileage in the "weirdness" of the quantum world, and it often leads to confusion and, frankly, bad science. The Quantum Universe cuts through the Wu Li and asks what observations of the natural world made it necessary, how it was constructed, and why we are confident that, for all its apparent strangeness, it is a good theory. The quantum mechanics of The Quantum Universe provide a concrete model of nature that is comparable in its essence to Newton's laws of motion, Maxwell's theory of electricity and magnetism, and Einstein's theory of relativity.