Strange Universe: the Weird and Wild Science of Everyday Life--on Earth and Beyond.BOB BERMAN In nearly three dozen vignettes, Berman uses science to unravel some of the conundrums we face every day. Questions ranging from why the curtain blows against your leg when you take a shower to why tree shadows on snow are blue succumb to basic principles of physical science. Readers may already be familiar with Berman's "Strange universe" column, which he contributes to Astronomy magazine  This article reads like a news release, or is otherwise written in an overly promotional tone.Please help [ rewrite this article] from a to be less promotional, per Wikipedia . . Here, he divides his subject matter into two categories--local and universal. In the first, he considers, for instance why tall people walk more slowly than short people. In the second, he explores the nature of black holes and discusses why time may not exist. His style is witty, and his presentation is thoughtful, as he clearly explains refraction refraction, in physics, deflection of a wave on passing obliquely from one transparent medium into a second medium in which its speed is different, as the passage of a light ray from air into glass. , the Doppler shift See Doppler effect. , and Bernoulli's principle Bernoulli's principle, physical principle formulated by Daniel Bernoulli that states that as the speed of a moving fluid (liquid or gas) increases, the pressure within the fluid decreases. . Times Bks, 2003, 210 p., hardcover, $25.00. |
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