Customer Reviews

The Thermodynamics of Pizza

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

 

 

The only reason I bought this book was because of the title. Saw it in the bookstore and I just had to have it. Fortunately I wasn't disappointed. The title essay is an entertaining read on modeling heat transfer of a pizza. For young scientists, it's a very good tutorial on the process of developing models of real life situations. Worth the price of the book by itself. The remaining essays diverge to cover a wide range of sciency topics, most of which are worth a read.

This collection of essays has something for everyone, interested in the sciences. Harold Morowitz's wit and wisdom make hard to understand subjects easy to comprehend. From brownian movement as it relates to the stock market to as the tittle suggests the insulating value of pizza crust this book is a winner.

From the title and description, I thought that this book would be a playful treatment of nontechnical topics from a technical perspective. However I discovered after reading that this book is actually a playful treatment of a variety of topics all from a pseudotechnical perspective. It is a little bit entertaining, but not especially interesting to read.

In this broadly-themed collection of essays ranging from the whimsical to the sober, Harold Morowitz reveals himself to be an extremely talented writer and humorist in addition to his notable credentials as a biophysicist. The breadth, depth, and nonchalance of Morowitz's display of knowledge herein is simply astonishing, and despite being composed nearly 20 years ago in the early '90s, the essays comprising this collection generally transcend time, even if a few of the references and concerns within (i.e., the price of cereal, the role of computers in society and scientific advance, etc.) are a tad parochial. The title essay has played a significant role in inspiring me to become a biophysicist, and for the young aspiring scientist, there is something oddly, quirkily soothing in Morowitz's words, for he speaks though the pages with the jocular, self-aware confidence of someone speaking from a place of success in career and life. The Thermodynamics of Pizza can therefore serve as a comforting inspiration in the throes of inevitable difficulties along the path to unraveling the enthralling workings of nature. Highly recommended.

Yup, it's entertaining, but I doubt the "science" behind the entertainment. Fun thoughts (ramblings?) on various issues, all eventually pertaining to what it means to be "human". I finished the first few essays and gave up. Now it sits by my bedstand when I'm in between books and in need of sleep.