The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension (Hardcover)

by Joy Hakim (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Gr 9 & Up- Continuing in the same conversational style that made The Story of Science: Newton at the Center (Smithsonian, 2005) such an accessible and engaging resource, Hakim moves readers further into the great minds of modern science. Reading about memorable individuals with unquenchable thirsts for knowledge, students come to see the study of science not simply as a listing of what humankind knows about the real world, but the pursuit by some of the world's greatest thinkers into its mysteries and inconsistencies. How did earth-shaking political events of the 20th century, particularly in Nazi Germany, impact scientific pursuits? How did Einstein, considered a lazy student by early teachers, mature into the powerful mind and mentor who set the course of modern scientific thought in motion? Hakim provides answers to these questions and much, much more. Formatted like a textbook, this impressive volume certainly doesn't read like one. It captures the human drama behind the scientific inquiry and makes it live and breathe. The book has a large, clear typeface and is complemented by numerous full-color photos, graphs, and diagrams. A must-have for science students and teachers. -Kathy Lehman, Thomas Dale High School Library, Chester, VA -- School Library Journal

In The Story of Science: Einstien Adds a New Dimension, Joy Hakim weaves together the science, history, and personalities behind the major advances in physics over the past 100 years. The result is a fascinating tale that's much more accessible (and fun) than the typical science text. And, it's written with middle and high school students in mind. This is Hakim's third book in her Story of Science series. The first two, Aristotle Leads the Way and Newton at the Center, are equally well researched and written.-American Educator, Winter 2007-2008 -- American Educator

Textbook? Novel? Joy Hakim's books are always a little of both, and this one is even more fascinating than the previous two editions of The Story of Science. This volume begins with Einstein toiling in the patent office, about to produce the amazing insights of his "miracle year." Then, interwoven throughout the story, are the contributions of the other physicists and chemists upon whose shoulders Einstein stood.

Like all of Hakim's books, this one is filled with anecdotes, historical context, and deeper insights into the real methods of science than any other textbook has ever offered to students at this level. And most importantly, it is a joy to read! In a strict sense, this book should be seen as a foundational text for an integrated program of physical science---ideally at grade 9 or 10. There will be no mathematical barrier at this level, but there are many opportunities to link math, language arts, social studies, and the arts to the book. It would be the ideal choice as a book for a teamed middle school. But don't relegate it to the textbook selection process. Wrap it up for your vacation reading. I guarantee you'll learn more about physical science, about Einstein and his peers, and about the grand endeavor we call science, than you ever imagined---in the most pleasant way possible. -Juliana Texley, NSTA Web Field Editor -- National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Recommends

Product Description

Sometimes it can seem like science just comes fully formed--a textbook can tell us the Milky Way is a galaxy, the Sun is 93 million miles away, or gravity bends light. But such a book often leaves out some of the most interesting stuff about that hard-won knowledge: how anyone ever figured it out, and even why anyone was wondering about it to begin with.

It turns out that those stories--the stories of the how and the why--are some of the most interesting in all of history. Those stories are full of adventure and bravery, boldness and luck, and the discoverers are often those willing to stand up and call false what everyone else believes to be true. At the end of the nineteenth century, for example, Lord Kelvin, one of the time's preeminent physicists--and the sort of guy who everyone else listens to, just because--declared that all that was left to do in physics was to make more and more precise measurements of the world. Within a couple decades of Kelvin's pronouncement, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and others would show just how wrong he was.

Joy Hakim's The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension culminates with their discoveries: the quantum world, the theory of relativity, and nuclear physics. These discoveries created our modern world, from solar-powered calculators to cell phones to global positioning systems and the atomic bomb, and opened our eyes to the expanding Universe, the Big Bang, and much more.

A science book unlike any other, Einstein Adds a New Dimension pairs a gripping narrative style with informative sidebars; hundreds of charts, maps, and diagrams; suggestions for further reading; and excerpts from the writings of great scientists.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588341623
• ISBN-13: 978-1588341624
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,290 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #8 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Relativity
  #12 in	Books > Science > Physics > Relativity
  #88 in	Books > Science > History & Philosophy > History of Science

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All science books should be written like this, March 2, 2008

By	William R. Klemm - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Joy Hakim's book on modern physics is the most exciting science book I have read in my 45-plus years as a scientist. The book truly is, as she puts it, "written for young thinkers of all ages." She doesn't call it a "textbook," but the book not only is that, it is also the way all science textbooks should be written. To her, physics is not just a body of observations and theories; it is the process of discovery.

Although Einstein's thinking is the underlying centerpiece of the book, Hakim deftly traverses, without mathematics, the whole history of physics from electromagnetism, atomic structure and chemical bonding to special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, black holes, quarks, supernovae, dark matter, dark energy, and more. This is a story-book journey of discovery that is described in terms of the people involved. Physics is brought to life in a most engaging way. On every page it seems, physics, the mother of all science, is embellished with side-bar stories about key discoveries, how they were made and the lives of the people who made them. Numerous color photographs adorn the pages throughout.

The two great and exciting present-day frontiers of scientific research are physics and neuroscience. Joy's book almost makes me wish, after a lifetime of being a neuroscientist, that I had started off in physics. Science is great fun, and this book proves it.

Bill Klemm, author of "Thank You Brain for All You Remember. What You Forgot Was My Fault" and "`Dillos. Roadkill on Extinction Highway?" (both available on Amazon.com)

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science, History, & Vocabulary! Oh MY!, November 7, 2006

By	Mayone Woodbury (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is informative and interesting, not dry and/or stuffy like most science books. This is the 2nd or 3rd in the "Story of Science" series that I have purchased and I would highly recommend them to anyone. Joy Hakim not only writes about science, but she writes about how the world was when these scientists were making their discoveries and the struggles they had while doing so. Another great feature is that any word the reader might not know and understand is explained in the margins.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Story of Science book!, February 25, 2009

By	Science Goddess (Champaign, IL United States) - See all my reviews

Length:: 5:29 Mins

Click to watch this video
Length:: 5:29 Mins

Hi, this is Joanne, a bioengineering instructor at the University of Illinois. I read science books and review them. See more at my youtube site [...]

If my brain is tired from reading all those high level science journals, I take a break and read about science in a fun, lighthearted but still informative way with Joy Hakim's The Story of Science Series. Great for educators and homeschoolers, too! Covers the basics of physical sciences thoroughly but at a middle to high school level.