Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A most interesting and engaging science topic, November 9, 2005
This review is from: Universal Foam: Exploring the Science of Nature's Most Mysterious Substance (Paperback)
Foam is something literally all around us (and in us). It's noteworthy that HS or college science courses rarely discuss foam -- this is simultaneously cutting-edge and highly accessible science.
I found this book because I was fascinated by foaming soaps -- like the "Kiss My Face" brand of hand-pump soap dispensers. Foaming soaps take about 10% of liquid soap to wash your hands. They seem to take less water and less time to clean your hands. And I noticed that the soaps were able to get my eyeglasses squeaky-clean very quickly.
"Universal Foam" explains these phenomena well. It also has many different examples of foam in our everyday lives: bread, souffles, pumice, cork, champagne, etc. The book then explores smaller foams: viruses, quantum foams, etc. It also explores large foams: the distribution of galaxies in the universe. I suppose that one could skip these chapters, however, I suspect that people will find such topics far more interesting and accessible because they all have a common theme of foam. To say this differently, this book is a foam-centric survey of the physics of the universe.
People who are already interested in science in general will love this book. I guarantee they will learn new things. In particular, the resiliency -- the non-hookian nature -- of foam is a very important concept to understand.
For people who are nurturing/developing their curiousity of science, this is a safe book to start with. Perkowitz clearly loves science, and anybody reading this book will pick up on his passion.
I love books like this; they have us look at the world in new ways. This book is on my recommended list to bodyworkers to understand their craft -- and the world -- better.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining and illuminating journey into foam physics, April 3, 2008
This review is from: Universal Foam: Exploring the Science of Nature's Most Mysterious Substance (Paperback)
In Universal Foam by Sidney Perkowitz, we encounter everyday phenomenon and objects - coffee froth, beer head, styrofoam cups, soap suds, shaving cream, bread, cork - and begin to see the underlying mystery, pleasure and physics, that guides their appearance, form and function. The science of bubbles contains answers to complex and varied questions: puzzles about the origin of universe and the softness of bread are revealed and deciphered using foam physics. As a teacher, Perkowitz exudes a ready wit, an imitable enthusiasm about the subject.
After reading this book, the ubiquitous foaminess of the world will reveal itself to you at every juncture. A glass of beer will turn into a laboratory for experiments about size dependence of bubbles of the froth, their stability and strength, and their variation with brand. As you stir your coffee, the foam will organize into patterns; corks on wine bottle will spark discussions about why certain champagnes taste better just because of their packaging. A walk by seaside or river will prompt observations about how much rain (and condensation nuclei) is being generated by the white effervescent milkiness that rides the waves. Night sky shall beckon your thoughts about big bang and about questions as philosophical as "do we really live in a bubble?" The book will reveal the scientific merit of such a question (and many more).
Universal foam is a great read, both as an introduction to the initiated, and as a witty jaunt for they who work their hours of intellectual activity by exploding or imploding bubbles. If you are looking for a more mathematical account, "The Physics of Foams" by Denis Wearie and Stefan Hutzler will provide you both with entertainment and equations in a beery Irish manner. (The text starts with the line: "Pour a bottle of beer")
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Foam is everywhere!, March 31, 2005
This review is from: Universal Foam: Exploring the Science of Nature's Most Mysterious Substance (Paperback)
I bought this book out of curiosity. But I have to tell you that this book is fascinating. If you only considered foam when you had a cup of cappuccino or whipped up some egg white. - Then think again. It is everywhere- it ranges are limitless, as limitless as the universe. So consider foam when you think of beer, bubbles, cells and viruses, in medicine, the earth itself (volcanoes, oceans, etc.), and how about poisons, and lets not forget artificial intelligence and the quantum.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
