Customer Reviews

New How Things Work: From Lawn Mowers to Surgical Robots and Everthing in Between

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

How Things Work is a vast compilation of explanations on everyday appliances that are dealt with in all areas of life. The book is divided into eleven chapters with categories ranging from household appliances, to mining and manufacturing, and health and medicine. Each chapter is two pages long with a descriptive page and a picture page which puts an image with the words. The description begins with a brief history of the machine followed by a description of the principles governing the machine.
This book is both interesting and informative and would capture the curiosity of a wide group of people. One of the great parts of the book is that the machines range from simple designs, such as a non-electric lawn mower, to highly complex designs, such as space telescopes; and there is no prior knowledge required before reading any of the descriptions. When you think about the thousands of gadgets, both small and large, that makes our lives possible; it is easy to pass them by without thinking about them. This book describes these items in a fashion that keeps the readers interest and makes them want to read on. I would recommend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in the mechanical world around them.

John Langone's "The New How Things Work" has more information with more details, realistic illustrations, and actual photographs to show how each item works. This is the grown-up companion to David Macaulay's illustrated "the New Way Things Work." Both books will last a lifetime in information or until obselete.

National Geographic, renowned for its magnificent publications over the years does not falter with this volume. Instead, it is an over-sized publication dedicated to explaining technology to the lay public. The explanations are not "dumbed down" but use standard scientific terms, but not so difficult that an educated person cannot comprehend them. An example taken from the first product highlighted: "A microwave oven produces high-frequency electromagnetic waves. Passing through food, the waves reverse polarity billions of times a second" (16).

The book is arranged into eleven categories: At Home, Power and Energy, Buildings, Transportation, Agriculture, Fabrics and Fibers, Entertainment, Mining and Manufacturing, Information and Communication, and Other Worlds.

Two items from each category in order: security systems, plumbing, geothermal power, batteries, escalators, bridges, bicycles, sailboats, aquaculture, hydroponics, sewing, synthetic fibers, DVD, the zamboni, glassmaking, robotics, X-ray, implants, cell phones, internet, night vision, and military technology. An amazing list of technology whose inner workings are revealed. And many more items.

I flipped randomly to show the reader an example of how things are explained. On page 70 is an article, illustration, and photograph of various aspects of the "Chunnel" or Channel Tunnel, which traverses the English/French Channel. The illustration shows the two one-way rail tunnels for trains and shuttles and the central service tunnel for ventilation and evacuation. The photograph shows an incredible machine that cut through rock 200 feet below the floor of the English Channel. A magnificent feat!!

These two books, together or separately, are the study of many, many times opened on a parent's or grandparent's lap. At some point the child him or herself will continue the journey alone in a solitary quest to know how and the way things work.

Both are highly recommended.

I would recommend this book to people because I really thought this book was a page-turner. It was a page-turner because I would always want to know how the next things work and function. Another reason why I recommend this book to people that really like to learn about how combustion engines work or how a cell phone works, and everything in between.

I had high hopes for this book seeing as how it was done by National Geographic but the explanations for "how things work" lacked details. The language is elegant, but it does not tell you anything that you couldn't ascertain by simply using and observing these things in your everyday life.

This work contains a simple explanation for a multiplicity of
classic inventions/processes. For instance, there is a description of how wheels transmit power and motion forces. Gear teeth work on the basis of ratios. They rotate and generate motion when affixed to shafts. Motors convert electrical energy to mechanical energy.

Microwaves increase the frequency of electrical forces while waves cook the food. Refrigerators rely on coolant circulating in a cooled system. Solar power utilizes heat energy, pumped water
and an integrated process to an insulated storage tank. Fusion
power pumps plasma, manages toroidal and poloidal magets and
accomplishes these tasks via superconducting materials.

This book would be a good acquisition for any science teacher,
student or enthusiast.

This is a DK book, and they have never disappointed me. The quality is the best, beautiful detailed photograps and the descriptions are easy to understand. It's expensive, but I found it worth it.

I gave this book to a 11 year old boy for Christmas. He loves it! It is his favorite 'pick up once a week to learn something new book'. It is actually very clear and concise. For instance, me, the unmenchanical mind can understand it, yet it has enough depth that bright science crazed boys and the odd girl will love it.

Writing about a wide range of subjects is difficult, especially if you want to keep your book down to a manageable thickness. And technology is definitely wide-ranging going from familiar machines like levers and cars to the cutting edge of farming practices and medical discoveries. Giving each device and discovery its due on a single (albeit oversized) page is no mean feat. And, for the most part, John Langone does an admirable job.

This should not be considered a textbook. Each entry gives an overview of its topic, not an in-depth explanation. Power Stations, for example, explains that electricity is generated by turning a loop of wire within a magnetic field. Different power sources (e.g. nuclear, coal, wind) simply use different methods to turn the loop. For someone who is just trying to get the "gist" of how power stations work, this is enough. It certainly doesn't explain the physics of electromagnetics. But then, if every topic was gone into such depth, this volume would be the thickness of a physics, chemistry and biology textbook combined. Certainly not what the casual reader is looking for. But, for those whose curiosity has been whetted and seek a more thorough explanation, a nice list of suggested reading is given at the end.

That being said, at times I thought he could have given just a bit more explanation. The entry on bridges, for instance, describes five different types of bridges, but without corresponding illustrations. There is a magnificent photo of a man working his way up the cable of, what I suppose to be, a suspension type bridge, and a gorgeous shot of a Roman aqueduct (which is mysteriously considered not a bridge). But just a simple illustration of the arrangements of the other types would have complemented the text a thousandfold.

Overall, this book is fairly useful for the average reader and, since this is National Geographic, beautiful to look through.

Just another glossy coffe-table book. About 30 years ago there was a great informative book with same title, "How Things Work". That book gave detailed information, was one of our favorite books. It seems alll good thing are now 'dumbed down!
Beshore in PA

The book doesn't actually get around to telling you how things work. Thank goodness Amazon has a liberal return policy. This book was useless to me.