Instability Rules: The Ten Most Amazing Ideas of Modern Science Hardcover - 2002 - 1st Edition

First line

There may be, as we learned in school, no straight lines in sprawling, liquid nature, but there are rigidities and mechanisms that have the force of rules.

From the rear cover

Atomic particles that defy the rules of classical physics, giant landmasses that continually jostle one another, entire galaxies created and consumed in far-off space: The great scientific discoveries of the twentieth century transformed our view of nature. What was once an ideal of harmony and permanence became a churning sea of uncertainty and change. Instability Rules takes a remarkably accessible and engaging look at ten of these milestones, explains their significance, and reveals how they have changed our lives.
You'll meet the brilliant, eccentric, and insufferable Edwin Hubble, who first demonstrated that the universe was expanding, and you'll discover how Einstein came to think of time as the fourth dimension. You'll join Watson, Crick, and others in their unrelenting search for the structure of DNA, and you'll share Alfred Wegener's frustration as his theory of continental drift is ridiculed by the leading geologists of his day. From the mysteries of the human mind to the humanity of artificial intelligence, from bouncing electrons to fuzzy math, Instability Rules gives you a well-grounded understanding of the defining scientific discoveries of our age. It also reveals the humor, pathos, and adventure that go hand in hand with every great scientific achievement.

From the jacket flap

Atomic particles that defy the rules of classical physics, giant landmasses that continually jostle one another, entire galaxies created and consumed in far-off space: The great scientific discoveries of the twentieth century transformed our view of nature. What was once an ideal of harmony and permanence became a churning sea of uncertainty and change. Instability Rules takes a remarkably accessible and engaging look at ten of these milestones, explains their significance, and reveals how they have changed our lives.
You'll meet the brilliant, eccentric, and insufferable Edwin Hubble, who first demonstrated that the universe was expanding, and you'll discover how Einstein came to think of time as the fourth dimension. You'll join Watson, Crick, and others in their unrelenting search for the structure of DNA, and you'll share Alfred Wegener's frustration as his theory of continental drift is ridiculed by the leading geologists of his day. From the mysteries of the human mind to the humanity of artificial intelligence, from bouncing electrons to fuzzy math, Instability Rules gives you a well-grounded understanding of the defining scientific discoveries of our age. It also reveals the humor, pathos, and adventure that go hand in hand with every great scientific achievement.

Media reviews

Citations

• Choice, 11/01/2002, Page 490