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Liquid Rules

by Mark Miodownik

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2991388,894 (3.66)27
Science. Nonfiction. HTML:

Sometimes explosive, often delicious, occasionally poisonous, but always interesting: the New York Times best-selling author of Stuff Matters show us the secret lives of liquids: the shadow counterpart of our solid "stuff."

We all know that without water we couldn't survive, and that sometimes a cup of coffee or a glass of wine feels just as vital. But do we really understand how much we rely on liquids, or the destructive power they hold? Set over the course of a flight from London to San Francisco, Liquid Rules offers readers a fascinating tour of these formless substances, told through the language of molecules, droplets, heartbeats, and ocean waves. Throughout the trip, we encounter fluids within the plane??from a seemingly ordinary cup of tea to a liquid crystal display screen??and without, in the volcanoes of Iceland, the frozen expanse of Greenland, and the marvelous California coastline. We come to see liquids as substances of wonder and fascination, and to understand their potential for death and destruction. Just as in Stuff Matters, Mark Miodownik's unique brand of scientific storytelling brings liquids and their mysterious properties to life in a captivating new way… (more)

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» See also 27 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
I enjoyed the common thread Miodownik used to discuss the scientific significance of various liquids involved in his airplane trip from the UK to San Francisco. Liquids varied from aviation fuel, to saliva to tea. Miodownik included some interesting and fun anecdotal personal stories, too. He does admit to accidentally drooling on the passenger seated next to him, which is one of those, eeeew, yuck, moments.

The audiobook took me a while to get through as I was trying to multitask and kept finding myself having to go back and listen to certain passages again. The author does a nice job of narrating his own material. In retrospect, I wish I had read the ebook version of this title instead. This was more due to my inability to focus on two things at once versus any deficiencies in the audiobook. ( )
  Ann_R | May 25, 2024 |
Является ли арахисовое масло жидкостью? Спор на эту тему с сотрудником безопасности аэропорта натолкнул Марка Медовника, лондонского профессора, специализирующегося на материалах, и автора уже переведенного бестселлера «Из чего это сделано?», на мысль о новом сюжете – жидкости и их свойства. А объединяющим фоном послужат все разнообразные текучие вещества, сопровождающие пассажира в полете, от керосина и вина с водой до чернил, чая, жидких мыла и кристаллов и клея. Кстати, ответ на изначальный вопрос – в принципе да, является. Ведь даже пек капает, правда по капле в десятилетие. Потому что некоторые кажущиеся твёрдыми вещества, на самом деле — жидкости очень высокой вязкости.
  Den85 | Jan 3, 2024 |
This is one of my all-time favorites! I actually used this book when I was a nanny. This book covers fascinating facts to everyday insights. The cool insight this book has is about water. Water is a vital component of our survival, but have you ever thought about how other fluids affect our lives? This book was a 10/10 whether it be for kids, teens, or even adults. ( )
  RebeccaPlante | Nov 17, 2022 |
This book is full of scientific information about the liquids we encounter in our everyday lives. We learn about substances such as tea, coffee, peanut butter, ocean waves, blood, saliva, ink, jet fuel, glues, alcohol, clouds, LCD screens, liquid soap, and much more. The author structures the chapters around a trip by air from London to San Francisco, where he takes the normal routines of flight and relates them to various fluids. It is a nifty device. If you have ever wondered how candles or ball point pens work, this book supplies the answers. It occasionally ventures into some complex chemistry, but generally is a book of straight-forward popular science. I enjoyed learning these fun facts. ( )
  Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 |
Personal caveat: I'm either not smart enough or not educated enough to understand most sciences at anything deeper than a college freshman level. But I find it all deeply fascinating. This is pitched a little easier than that - Miodownik comes across as the world's greatest high-school science teacher who enjoys the material science section more than anybody you've ever met.

The framing device is a bit awkward, but if you've ever wondered about the differences between various sorts of petro-chemicals and or wanted a condensed history of how we got from olive oil to rocket-fuel, than that is merely one of the 9 or so sections of this book.

Plus, it is short, and decently funny. ( )
  danieljensen | Oct 14, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
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Science. Nonfiction. HTML:

Sometimes explosive, often delicious, occasionally poisonous, but always interesting: the New York Times best-selling author of Stuff Matters show us the secret lives of liquids: the shadow counterpart of our solid "stuff."

We all know that without water we couldn't survive, and that sometimes a cup of coffee or a glass of wine feels just as vital. But do we really understand how much we rely on liquids, or the destructive power they hold? Set over the course of a flight from London to San Francisco, Liquid Rules offers readers a fascinating tour of these formless substances, told through the language of molecules, droplets, heartbeats, and ocean waves. Throughout the trip, we encounter fluids within the plane??from a seemingly ordinary cup of tea to a liquid crystal display screen??and without, in the volcanoes of Iceland, the frozen expanse of Greenland, and the marvelous California coastline. We come to see liquids as substances of wonder and fascination, and to understand their potential for death and destruction. Just as in Stuff Matters, Mark Miodownik's unique brand of scientific storytelling brings liquids and their mysterious properties to life in a captivating new way

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