@ your library
Reviews:
"Parisian physics professor Balibar has a fervor for life and his work that makes this look at everyday physics, its history, and his own life experiences contagiously readable. Whether explaining the crystal chime of a wine glass or the 'sweet spot' in bicycle touring, his text is eloquent, charming and rigorous, translated beautifully by Stein. . . . Full of ways to rethink daily activities and draw out readers' curiosity, this is an excellent, personable scientific tour."--PublishersWeekly.com (Starred Review)
"Casting himself as more a dreamer than a detail-obsessed scientist, French physics professor Balibar credits his own childlike sense of wonder as the inspiration for this engaging collection of essays on the physics of everyday objects. . . . Balibar's breezy bicycle ride through the French countryside is the starting point for an engaging digression on chaos theory and the so-called butterfly effect. . . . [B]alibar is careful to keep his readers enthralled with colorful analogies and a flair for dressing up scientific concepts in elegant, entertaining prose."--Carl Hays, Booklist
"When it comes to ideas, the French have the knack. You see it in their science documentaries and, as Sebastien Balibar's little book proves, you see it in their science writing. The assumption is that readers are curious folk who may not know the, uh, domain of discourse, but they're interested. No need to talk down, no need to talk up to show off. Just chat. And that's exactly what Balibar, a physicist, does. He draws us into 12 problems of physics--from chaos theory to cosmology--by recounting events of his childhood and career. It's wonderful."--Leigh Dayton, The Australian
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