The book of Popular Science 1-10. [antikvár]

SCIENCE means knowledge; the sciences represent the sum total of human knowledge in their particular fields. .In the fifteen groups, or departments, of which The Book of Popular Science consists, the reader will learn about the major sciences and about their applications in the world of today. E ach chapter in the set constitutes a unit in itself and may be read as such. In the "General Outline" in Volume 10, we give a complete list of the chapters in each group. The reader should consult this outline if he wishes to concentrate on the articles dealing with a particular field — say astronomy ("The Universe") or zoology ("Animal Life"). For those who wish to read further in a given subject, the editors have provided a bibliography, called "Selected Readings in Science " in Volume 10. It contains not only a list of informative books but also a brief évaluation of each book that is listed, so that the reader may have some idea of what it contains. At the end of almost every chapter in The Book of Popular Science, you will find a rejerence to the appropriate page of "Selected Readings in Science " Volume 10 also contains "Scientific Facts and Figures an appendix which provides a variety of useful scientific data. It contains, among other things, a list of the chemi-cal elements; the periodic table; the tables of weights and measures,- including those of the metric system; a comparison of thermometer scales; astronomical and physical data; and a complete list of the Nobel Prize winners in science. An Alphabetical Index for the ten volumes of the set is given at the end of Volume 10. It enables the reader to find easily and quickly any of the material given in The Book of Popular Science. We provide complete instructions for the use of the Index on its first page. It will make it possible for you to obtain the füllest benefit from your set. In the pages that follow, we list the fifteen groups of which The Book of Popular Science consists and we give a brief account of the contents of each group. THE UNIVERSE The older astronomers, observing the heavens with their unaided vision, were convinced that they knew all there was to know about the composition and movements of the heavenly bodies. Today, using such devices as the optical telescope, the radio telescope, the spectroscope and the photoelectric cell, astronomers have come to have much more accurate information about the universe. (They have also become painfully aware of how much they do not know.) In this first group of The Book of Popular Science, we set forth the modem conception of the heavens. We consider first the face of the sky — the shift-ing patterns förmed by the heavenly bodies as viewed from the earth. Then we discuss the star that we cali the sun and the satellites that form part of the solar system — the nine planets, of which the earth is one ; the asteroids, or minor planets ; the comets ; and the meteors. Turning, then, to the other stars, we take up their composition, their apparent and real brightness, their variations in brightness, their journeyings in the heavens and the various groups, large and small, of which they form part. THE EARTH The group called "The Earth" teils the story of the planet on which we live — a rather small planet, ranking fifth in size among the nine that circle the sun. After present-ing the various theories of the earth's formation, we consider in turn its three main divisions— the atmosphere (the airy envelope), the lithosphere (the solid part of the earth) and the hydrosphere (the earth's waters). We examine the phenomena that take place in the atmosphere — cloud formation, the winds, lightning, rain and other forms of précipitation. We then turn to the lithosphere ; we deal with the formation and composition of the rocks not only of the overlying crust of the earth but also of the vast régions in its interior. Next we discuss the océans : their depths, their tides, their circulation and the waves that constantly traverse them. "The Earth" ends with a survey of the