I am rubbish at physics; just never really got it. However this was quite inspiring as it explained various theories I have never understood through literary comparisons. Suddenly physics doesn't seem so bad! While I didn't like all of this, I did find it very readable and has certainly helped me understand things that were beyond me. A good read, definitely worth it. ( )

A series of essays about various milestones in the history of physics from Leonardo da Vinci to string theory. If you are a hardcore physicist, you will probably find this too dumbed down to be entertaining. However, though I was already familiar with all the concepts presented here, I was drawn in by the historical anecdotes surrounding the discovery and development of these various ideas. The pop culture references, while occasionally amusing (I hadn’t known, for instance, that Fabio once killed a goose with his face), could have been cut. They were not always relevant and the connection often felt forced. Still, I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and will have to find some other science history texts in the future. ( )

Simpático y llevadero librito de divulgación científica donde se hacen analogías de los grandes hitos de la ciencia con elementos de saber popular como películas, libros o series de TV. ( )

Things I did not understand at all prior to reading this book: why static electricity works, how microscopes and telescopes work, gravity, electricity, how cameras work, why airplanes fly, how telephones work, roller coasters, the advent of cinema, x-rays, “blackbodies”, relativity, rockets, photocopies, atomic bombs, foams, Velcro, lasers, fractals, microwaves, all of whatever Chapter 33 is about, and string theory. Things I still don’t understand after reading this book: “blackbodies” and Chapter 33. Things I partially understand, but not completely: relativity, electricity, string theory.



Ouelette’s text is intelligible, though, even to a layperson such as myself. By incorporating examples from popular media, she is able to apply things one is already familiar with to a completely unfamiliar subject. The only difficulties I had were in understanding terminology that was born from physics and been subverted to refer to more simplified and common experiences. For example, my concept of the word ‘frequency’ has to do with the number of times a certain thing occurs, i.e. the frequency with which I am able to wear jeans to work. In physics, frequency apparently refers to the lengths of waves and oscillations in electric currents.



The chapters are relatively short, and cover an entire theory or invention, and the order is loosely chronological. The earlier chapters, because they dealt with simpler inventions such as the telescope and cameras, were easier to digest. I was able to make it about a third of the way through before I had to put it down and read something else, just to give my brain a rest. For this reason, I suggest reading it in small chunks, but not, say, in a waiting room or on the subway because it does require concentration and distractions can cause a person to have to start the whole chapter over. I hate to tell people 'read this on the toilet,' but that seems to be the best place I can think of in this instance.


As always, extra points go to any book that references Buffy the Vampire Slayer which this one does twice. Bonus! ( )

This is a generally interesting book that will most likely be enjoyed by people with at least a basic background in Physics, but its attempts to make complex concepts understandable to the lay person don't always succeed. Sometimes the explanations are far too general, other times far too technical. ( )