Customer Reviews

The Scientific American book of projects for the amateur scientist

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I acquired this book in 1966 and still use it for inspiration. Methods in the projects are somewhat dated, however the "spark" for any true experimenter is still as bright as ever in this book. It is a "must have" book for any serious experimenter's library. Young or old, if you can find it, buy it!

This book, based on the 1950's and 1960's Amateuar Scientist columns in Scientific American, does not spare you the fuss and muss of real experimentation. And only personal experiment prevents science from being a matter of faith. It is not outmoded. It is not out-dated. The manner in which the physical universe behaves has not been altered by the digital era. If you wish to truly develop an innate sense for "the garden of the real" (my apologies to deconstructionists), then build these things, develop a tactile understanding of the universe surrounding you. You will then be able to speak about the workings of the universe with an appropriate humility.

This book and the experiments have kept me engaged in science and engineering since I first picked it up. Although the experiments are somewhat dated, their scope (feel like building a particle accelerator...) and appeal is universal. Have a compressor? Why not try to capture Maxwell's demon and put him to work in a Hilsch Vortex tube. Almost all the experiments are way beyond a weekend's worth of time so there is much to satisfy the true amateur beyond a bauble of an experiment here and there. I highly recommend it for kids, teenagers and adults! My copy is almost worn out.

When I was young I found myself in the awkward position of being able to read at a 10th grade level while still in the 4th grade. There wasn't anything in the classroom I couldn't read, and, truth be told, most of it was rather boring. Fortunately, I had a teacher who arranged for me to spend my "study hall" time in the library of the high school next door. Then I discovered the "Amateur Scientist" column in the back of Scientific American. I read every issue of SciAm I could find in the library, and devoured the Amateur Scientist articles with a rabid passion.

I've built many of the things described in the articles, terrified my parents with some of them, occasionally managed to burn, cut or scare myself, and learned more by doing than I could have ever learned reading from a dry textbook. I also admired the hand-drawn illustrations that lent a warm and friendly air to the text, so much so that I was inspired to learn to draw so I could create my own illustrations. The projects themselves were always interesting, and some of them were fascinating (at least to me), and I always had something cool to do when the other kids were moping around wondering what kind of trouble to get into next.

I can honestly say that the Amateur Scientist had a major positive impact on my life, one which I still feel to this day. Which is why I have this book, and a CD with all of the articles. Sadly, in today's social climate building things like a linear particle accelerator, a high-power pulsed dye laser, or a zinc-sulfur rocket would be more likely to draw negative scrutiny (or even arrest) than praise, which is a sad commentary on our society. This is especially poignant when taken in light of the forward to the book written by Vannevar Bush, who openly and unabashedly encourages scientific exploration and inquiry by both young and old.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to create your own tools for scientific exploration, or have yearned to feel the thrill of seeing something you've made with your own hands produce real and measurable results, then you should seek out the Amateur Scientist. Some of it is a little dated (what with vacuum tubes and such), but the science never ages, and the thrill of discovery never gets old.