Patents is covered in bubble wrap, one of man's more ingenious creations. It includes dozens of notable patents, from the airplane, brassiere, chain saw, and fire hydrant to the Internet, parachute, plunger, and zipper. The purpose of each device is explained in accessible language, along with background about the inventor, interesting sidebars and history, and an excerpt from the original patent application. The artwork throughout includes photos of original models and pa...

For the curious and the creators, Ingenious Patents tells the fascinating history of the inventors and their creations that have changed our world.Discover some of the most innovative of the 6.5 million patents that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted since Thomas Jefferson issued the first one in 1790. Revised and reformatted from the original 2004 edition, Ingenious Patents presents each device along with background about the inventor, interesting s...

Invention and innovation are what distinguish the human race from all of the other species on Earth. Throughout history the imagination and pioneering spirit of human kind has compelled us to question why we do things in a certain way and, more importantly, how we can do things better.Celebrating the ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness that has led to some of the most amazing technological leaps through the ages, Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions examines the key innovat...

"Climate change is coming. What can we do about it? TV's 'Science Guy' has some answers. . . . An important message delivered in a winning manner." — Kirkus ReviewsJust as World War II called an earlier generation to greatness, so the climate crisis is calling today's rising youth to action: to create a better future.In Unstoppable, Bill Nye expands the message for which he is best known and beloved. That message is that with a combination o...

Fun and fascinating Q&As on topics from astronomy to zoology: "A treasure." — Library JournalWe've all grown so used to living in a world filled with wonders that we sometimes forget to wonder about them: What creates the wind? Do fish sleep? Why do we blink? All too often, the explanations remain shrouded in mystery—or behind a haze of technical language. For kids of all ages—or those of us who should have raised our hands in science class but didn't—Larry...

Guesstimation is a book that unlocks the power of approximation--it's popular mathematics rounded to the nearest power of ten! The ability to estimate is an important skill in daily life. More and more leading businesses today use estimation questions in interviews to test applicants' abilities to think on their feet. Guesstimation enables anyone with basic math and science skills to estimate virtually anything--quickly--using plausible assumptions and elementary arithmet...

The technology underground is a thriving, humming, and often literally scintillating subculture of amateur inventors and scientific envelope-pushers who dream up, design, and build machines that whoosh, rumble, fly—and occasionally hurl pumpkins across enormous distances. In the process they astonish us with what is possible when human imagination and ingenuity meet nature’s forces and materials. William Gurstelle spent two years exploring the most fascinating outposts of this world of won...

A collection of crazy science facts on everything from rocket ships and death rays to atoms, experiments, and bizarre scientists.From the amazing to the amusing, this byte-sized collection will bring you the inside stories behind earth-shattering discoveries, accidental inventions, and outlandish studies. Featuring Uncle John's most mind-bending science articles—along with a few all-new "experiments"—this book will make you think, make you laugh, and make you ask y...

In over 200 delightful short essays Bill captures the creativity andimpact of engineers. He talks of their spectacular achievements -jets, satellites, skyscrapers, and fiber optics - but draws hisdeepest insights from the everyday, the quotidian. He finds beauty,elegance and meaning in Ferris wheels, Tupperware, Slinkys, moodrings, waterless urinals and Velcro. Delivered originally on publicradio between 1999 and 2006, each essay is a small slice of the worldcreated by engineers. The essay...

Ponder, if you will ...What is the difference between a kit and a caboodle?Why don't people get goose bumps on their faces?Where do houseflies go in the winter?What causes that ringing sound in your ears?Pop-culture guru David Feldman demystifies these topics and so much more in Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? -- the unchallenged source of answers to civilization's most nagging questions. Part of the Imponderables® series and charmingly illustrated by Kassi...

The sheer volume of talk about energy, energy prices, and energy policy on both sides of the political aisle suggests that we must know something about energy. But according to Peter Huber and Mark Mills, the things we "know" are mostly myths. In The Bottomless Well , Huber and Mills debunk the myths and show how a better understanding of energy will radically change our views and policies on a number of very controversial issues. They explain why demand will never go down, why mo...

In this excerpt from the Gun Digest Book of the Revolver, Grant Cunningham covers point of aim, sights and the fundamentals unique to revolver shooting.