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Fireworks! (Fountas & Pinnell LLI Purple #Level U)
by Paul WinterThe Sound of Celebration. A high-pitched whistle pierces the quiet night, and the spectators hold their breath. Soon a resounding boom will rock the ground beneath their feet, and the sky will light up in a dazzling display of color. For millennia, fireworks have held the world's attention. Discover how an accidental explosion set off a love of fireworks that continues to this day.
The Firmament of Time
by Loren C. EiseleyLoren Eiseley examines what we as a species have become in the late twentieth century. His illuminating and accessible discussion is a characteristically skillful and compelling synthesis of hard scientific theory, factual evidence, personal anecdotes, haunting reflection, and poetic prose.
The Firmament of Time: A Library of America eBook Classic
by Loren Eiseley William CrononIn The Firmament of Time--nominated for a National Book Award--Loren Eiseley offers a series of brilliant, provocative excursions through the history of science. A paleontologist with the soul and skill of a poet, he reflects on the many ways in which the quest for knowledge has been shaped by the changing cultures in which it emerged and developed. Examining the role of metaphor in scientific thought, anticipations of scientific discoveries in the works of poets and novelists, and the "unconscious conformity" of scientific theory to prevailing orthodoxies, he argues for the ongoing relevance of dreams, the imagination, and the irrational to scientific progress.
The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How we can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer
by Gretchen ReynoldsEvery Wednesday, Gretchen Reynolds singlehandedly influences how millions of Americans work out. In her Phys Ed column for the New York Times, she debunks myths, spurs conversation, and creates arguments among her readers by questioning widely held beliefs about exercise. Expanding upon her popular columns, Reynolds tackles the questions we all have and (sometimes) ask about exercise. Consulting experts in physiology, biology, psychology, neurology, and sports, she uncovers how often we should exercise, how long workouts should be, how to avoid injury, and how to find the right form, routine and equipment for our goals. She also reveals some surprising answers, like: 20 minutes of cardio at a time is enough to obtain maximum health benefits. (And in some cases, just six minutes is all you need. ) Stretching before a workout is counterproductive. (It's better to just start easy, i. e. , walk before you run. ) Core strength is nice but not necessary. (A six-pack looks great but actually has little bearing on performance. ) Walking improves your memory; housecleaning improves your mood. (The brain is like a muscle,; it likes to exercise. ) Chocolate milk is better than Gatorade for recovery. (Providing the best sports nutrition is often the simplest. ) Drawing on scientific expertise as well as her own athletic experiences, Gretchen Reynolds will help you find the right workout for your body, age, fitness and goals. Whether your desire is to be fit for the rest of your life, to look great in a smaller dress size or to run your third marathon in Boston, The First 20 Minutes will make your workouts work for you.
The First 20 Minutes Personal Trainer
by Gretchen ReynoldsA terrific companion to Gretchen Reynolds's New York Times bestseller THE FIRST 20 MINUTES, this Penguin Special features new material and a wealth of perscriptive insight for those looking to get in shape, stay in shape, or push themselves even farther. The First 20 Minutes Personal Trainer offers detailed advice and instruction on how to exercise, how not to exercise, and what to do in order to get the most from your workout.
First and Mid Trimester Ultrasound Diagnosis of Orofacial Clefts: An Atlas and Guide
by Lakshmy Ravi Selvaraj Thasleem ZiyaullahThis book aims to highlight all the existing information available on first and mid-trimester imaging of palate in prenatal ultrasound and to develop a methodical approach in imaging the palate. As formation of the palate is completed by 11 weeks of gestation and as there are no evolving changes in palatine anatomy at the mid-trimester, diagnosis of palatine clefts can now completely be shifted to late first-trimester. First-trimester evaluation of palate is now gaining importance and a number of techniques have currently been proposed by different authors.This book covers the existing literature and recent 2D and 3D techniques in evaluating palate and helps in the early detection of palatine clefts in the first trimester. Orofacial clefting is one of the most common birth defects and the burden of it in developing countries is substantial. This book helps in improving the counseling options for the obstetrician and the couple early in gestation. It includes 2D and 3D images of various types of palatine clefts and the nuances in imaging the secondary palate extensively. 3D images of the palate also help the multi-disciplinary team especially the maxillofacial surgeons involved in managing orofacial clefts. It also includes videos for easy understanding.This book is a ready reckoner for the imaging specialists and students /trainees involved in prenatal diagnosis. It provides essential information in diagnosing orofacial cleft both to the novice and to the skilled professionals involved in the field of diagnostic fetal ultrasound.
First and Second Order Circuits and Equations: Technical Background and Insights
by Robert O'RourkeHelp protect your network with this important reference work on cyber security First and second order electric and electronic circuits contain energy storage elements, capacitors and inductors, fundamental to both time and frequency domain circuit response behavior, including exponential decay, overshoot, ringing, and frequency domain resonance. First and Second Order Circuits and Equations provides an insightful and detailed learning and reference resource for circuit theory and its many perspectives and duals, such as voltage and current, inductance and capacitance, and serial and parallel. Organized and presented to make each information topic immediately accessible, First and Second Order Circuits and Equations offers readers the opportunity to learn circuit theory faster and with greater understanding. First and Second Order Circuits and Equations readers will also find: Root locus charts of second order characteristic equation roots both in terms of damping factor ζ as well as damping constant α. Detailed treatment of quality factor Q and its relationship to bandwidth and damping in both frequency and time domains. Inductor and capacitor branch relationship step response insights in terms of calculus intuition. Derivations of voltage divider and current divider formulae in terms of Kirchhoff’s laws. First and Second Order Circuits and Equations is an essential tool for electronic industry professionals learning circuits on the job, as well as for electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and physics students learning circuits and their related differential equations.
The First Atomic Age
by Matthew LavineAt the close of the 19th century, strange new forms of energy arrested the American public's attention in ways that no scientific discovery ever had before. This groundbreaking cultural history tells the story of the first nuclear culture, one whose lasting effects would be seen in the familiar "atomic age" of the post-war twentieth century.
The First Cell: The Mystery Surrounding the Beginning of Life
by Ulrich C. Schreiber Christian MayerThis book introduces a fresh perspective on the conditions for the genesis of the first cell. An important possible environment of the prehistoric Earth has long been overlooked as a host to the perfect biochemical conditions for this process. The first complexes of continental crust on the early Earth must have already contained systems of interconnected cracks and cavities, which were filled with volatiles like water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. This book offers insights into how these conditions may have provided the ideal physical and chemical setting for the formation of protocells and early stages of life.The authors support their hypothesis with a number of astonishing findings from laboratory experiments focusing on a variety of organic compounds, and on the formation of key cellular ingredients and of primitive cell-like structures. Moreover, they discuss the principles of prebiotic evolution regarding the aspects of order and complexity. Guiding readers through various stages of hypotheses and re-created evolutionary processes, the book is enriched with personal remarks and experiences throughout, reflecting the authors' personal quest to solve the mystery surrounding the first cell.
The First City on Mars: An Urban Planner’s Guide to Settling the Red Planet (Springer Praxis Books)
by Justin B. HollanderHundreds of novels, films, and TV shows have speculated about what it would be like for us Earthlings to build cities on Mars. To make it a reality, however, these dreamers are in sore need of additional conceptual tools in their belt—particularly, a rich knowledge of city planning and design. Enter award-winning author and Tufts University professor, Justin Hollander. In this book, he draws on his experience as an urban planner and researcher of human settlements to provide a thoughtful exploration of what a city on Mars might actually look like. Exploring the residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure elements of such an outpost, the book is able to paint a vivid picture of how a Martian community would function – the layout of its public spaces, the arrangement of its buildings, its transportation network, and many more crucial aspects of daily life on another planet. Dr. Hollander then brings all these lessons to life through his own rendered plan for “Aleph,” one of many possible designs for the first city on Mars. Featuring a plethora of detailed, cutting-edge illustrations and blueprints for Martian settlements, this book at once inspires and grounds the adventurous spirit. It is a novel addition to the current planning underway to colonize the Red Planet, providing a rich review of how we have historically overcome challenging environments and what the broader lessons of urban planning can offer to the extraordinary challenge of building a permanent settlement on Mars.
First Contact
by Marc KaufmanAre we alone in the universe? Almost certainly not. In First Contact, Marc Kaufman provides a gripping tour of the magnificent new science of astrobiology that is closing in on the discovery of extraterrestrial life. In recent decades, scientists generally held that the genesis of life was unique to Earth: It was too delicate a process, and the conditions needed to support it too fragile, for it to exist anywhere else. But we are now on the verge of the biggest discovery since Copernicus and Galileo told us that Earth is not at the center of the universe. New scientific breakthroughs have revolutionized our assumptions about the building blocks of life and where it may be found. Scientists have hunted down and identified exoplanets, those mysterious balls in the universe that orbit distant suns not too different from our own. They have discovered extremophiles, the extraordinary microbes that thrive in environments of intense heat or cold that may mimic the inhospitable conditions of other planets. They have landed rovers on Mars and detected its methane, a possible signature of past life. And they have created sophisticated equipment to sweep the sky for distant radio signals and to explore the deep icebound lakes of Antarctica. Each of these developments has brought forth a new generation of out-of-the-box researchers, adventurers, and thinkers who are each part Carl Sagan, part Indiana Jones, part Watson and Crick--and part forensic specialists on CSI: Mars. In this masterful book, Kaufman takes us to the frontiers of astrobiology's quest for extraterrestrial life and shows how this quest is inextricably linked with the quest to understand life on Earth. He takes us deep under the glaciers of Antarctica, into the mouth of an Alaskan volcano, and beneath the Earth into the unbearable heat of a South African mine, and leads us to the world's driest desert. For thousands of years, humans have wondered about who and what might be living beyond the confines of our planet. First Contact transports us into the cosmos to bring those musings back to Earth and recast our humanity.
First Contact and Time Travel: Selected Essays and Short Stories (Science and Fiction)
by Zoran ŽivkovićThis volume collects both essays and fictional material around two core topics in the long career of the Serbian writer, essayist, researcher, publisher and translator. The first topic - first contact - is chiefly represented by his comprehensive essay on "The Theme of First Contact in the SF Works of Arthur C. Clarke" and reflected on the literary level with his short stories "The Bookshop" and "The Puzzle". Two shorter essays on the second topic - time travel in SF literature - introduce, amongst others, the well-known and fascinating mosaic novel Time Gifts, which skillfully explores the more literary side of the notions of past, present and future. In the annotations the author provides insights into his take on the subjects presented.
A First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems: Theory And Experiment
by Robert L. DevaneyA First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems: Theory and Experiment is the first book to introduce modern topics in dynamical systems at the undergraduate level. <P><P>Accessible to readers with only a background in calculus, the book integrates both theory and computer experiments into its coverage of contemporary ideas in dynamics. It is designed as a gradual introduction to the basic mathematical ideas behind such topics as chaos, fractals, Newton's method, symbolic dynamics, the Julia set, and the Mandelbrot set, and includes biographies of some of the leading researchers in the field of dynamical systems. Mathematical and computer experiments are integrated throughout the text to help illustrate the meaning of the theorems presented. Chaotic Dynamical Systems Software, Labs 1-6 is a supplementary laboratory software package, available separately, that allows a more intuitive understanding of the mathematics behind dynamical systems theory. Combined with A First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems, it leads to a rich understanding of this emerging field.
A First Course in Computational Fluid Dynamics
by H. Aref S. BalachandarFluid mechanics is a branch of classical physics that has a rich tradition in applied mathematics and numerical methods. It is at work virtually everywhere, from nature to technology. This broad and fundamental coverage of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) begins with a presentation of basic numerical methods and flows into a rigorous introduction to the subject. A heavy emphasis is placed on the exploration of fluid mechanical physics through CFD, making this book an ideal text for any new course that simultaneously covers intermediate fluid mechanics and computation. Ample examples, problems and computer exercises are provided to allow students to test their understanding of a variety of numerical methods for solving flow physics problems, including the point-vortex method, numerical methods for hydrodynamic stability analysis, spectral methods and traditional CFD topics.
A First Course in Control System Design
by Kamran IqbalControl systems are pervasive in our lives. Our homes have environmental controls. The appliances we use, such as the washing machine, microwave, etc. carry embedded controllers in them. We fly in airplanes and drive automobiles that extensively use control systems. The industrial plants that produce consumer goods run on process control systems. The recent drive toward automation has increased our reliance on control systems technology.This book discusses control systems design from a model-based perspective for dynamic system models of single-input single-output type. The emphasis in this book is on understanding and applying the techniques that enable the design of effective control systems in multiple engineering disciplines. The book covers both time-domain and the frequency-domain design methods, as well as controller design for both continuous-time and discrete-time systems. MATLAB© and its Control Systems Toolbox are extensively used for design.
A First Course in Engineering Drawing
by K. RathnamThe primary objective of this book is to provide an easy approach to the basic principles of Engineering Drawing, which is one of the core subjects for undergraduate students in all branches of engineering. Further, it offers comprehensive coverage of topics required for a first course in this subject, based on the author's years of experience in teaching this subject. Emphasis is placed on the precise and logical presentation of the concepts and principles that are essential to understanding the subject. The methods presented help students to grasp the fundamentals more easily. In addition, the book highlights essential problem-solving strategies and features both solved examples and multiple-choice questions to test their comprehension.
A First Course in General Relativity
by Bernard F. SchutzClarity, readability and rigor combine in the second edition of this widely-used textbook to provide the first step into general relativity for undergraduate students with a minimal background in mathematics. Topics within relativity that fascinate astrophysical researchers and students alike are covered with Schutz's characteristic ease and authority - from black holes to gravitational lenses, from pulsars to the study of the Universe as a whole. This edition now contains discoveries by astronomers that require general relativity for their explanation; a revised chapter on relativistic stars, including new information on pulsars; an entirely rewritten chapter on cosmology; and an extended, comprehensive treatment of modern detectors and expected sources. Over 300 exercises, many new to this edition, give students the confidence to work with general relativity and the necessary mathematics, whilst the informal writing style makes the subject matter easily accessible.
A First Course in Predictive Control, Second Edition (Control Series)
by J. A. RossiterThe book presents a significant expansion in depth and breadth of the previous edition. It includes substantially more numerical illustrations and copious supporting MATLAB code that the reader can use to replicate illustrations or build his or her own. The code is deliberately written to be as simple as possible and easy to edit. The book is an excellent starting point for any researcher to gain a solid grounding in MPC concepts and algorithms before moving into application or more advanced research topics. Sample problems for readers are embedded throughout the chapters, and in-text questions are designed for readers to demonstrate an understanding of concepts through numerical simulation.
A First Course in String Theory
by Barton ZwiebachAn accessible introduction to string theory, this book provides a detailed and self-contained demonstration of the main concepts involved. The first part deals with basic ideas, reviewing special relativity and electromagnetism while introducing the concept of extra dimensions. D-branes and the classical dynamics of relativistic strings are discussed next, and the quantization of open and closed bosonic strings in the light-cone gauge, along with a brief introduction to superstrings. The second part begins with a detailed study of D-branes followed by string thermodynamics. It discusses possible physical applications, and covers T-duality of open and closed strings, electromagnetic fields on D-branes, Born/Infeld electrodynamics, covariant string quantization and string interactions. Primarily aimed as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses, it will also be ideal for a wide range of scientists and mathematicians who are curious about string theory.
A First Course in Systems Biology
by Eberhard VoitA First Course in Systems Biology is an introduction for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to the growing field of systems biology. Its main focus is the development of computational models and their applications to diverse biological systems. The book begins with the fundamentals of modeling, then reviews features of the molecular inventories that bring biological systems to life and discusses case studies that represent some of the frontiers in systems biology and synthetic biology. In this way, it provides the reader with a comprehensive background and access to methods for executing standard systems biology tasks, understanding the modern literature, and launching into specialized courses or projects that address biological questions using theoretical and computational means. New topics in this edition include: default modules for model design, limit cycles and chaos, parameter estimation in Excel, model representations of gene regulation through transcription factors, derivation of the Michaelis-Menten rate law from the original conceptual model, different types of inhibition, hysteresis, a model of differentiation, system adaptation to persistent signals, nonlinear nullclines, PBPK models, and elementary modes. The format is a combination of instructional text and references to primary literature, complemented by sets of small-scale exercises that enable hands-on experience, and large-scale, often open-ended questions for further reflection.
A First Course in the Sporadic SICs (SpringerBriefs in Mathematical Physics #41)
by Blake C. StaceyThis book focuses on the Symmetric Informationally Complete quantum measurements (SICs) in dimensions 2 and 3, along with one set of SICs in dimension 8. These objects stand out in ways that have earned them the moniker of "sporadic SICs". By some standards, they are more approachable than the other known SICs, while by others they are simply atypical. The author forays into quantum information theory using them as examples, and the author explores their connections with other exceptional objects like the Leech lattice and integral octonions. The sporadic SICs take readers from the classification of finite simple groups to Bell's theorem and the discovery that "hidden variables" cannot explain away quantum uncertainty.While no one department teaches every subject to which the sporadic SICs pertain, the topic is approachable without too much background knowledge. The book includes exercises suitable for an elective at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level.
A First Course in Topos Quantum Theory (Lecture Notes in Physics #868)
by Cecilia FloriIn the last five decades various attempts to formulate theories of quantum gravity have been made, but none has fully succeeded in becoming the quantum theory of gravity. One possible explanation for this failure might be the unresolved fundamental issues in quantum theory as it stands now. Indeed, most approaches to quantum gravity adopt standard quantum theory as their starting point, with the hope that the theory's unresolved issues will get solved along the way. However, these fundamental issues may need to be solved before attempting to define a quantum theory of gravity. The present text adopts this point of view, addressing the following basic questions: What are the main conceptual issues in quantum theory? How can these issues be solved within a new theoretical framework of quantum theory? A possible way to overcome critical issues in present-day quantum physics - such as a priori assumptions about space and time that are not compatible with a theory of quantum gravity, and the impossibility of talking about systems without reference to an external observer - is through a reformulation of quantum theory in terms of a different mathematical framework called topos theory. This course-tested primer sets out to explain to graduate students and newcomers to the field alike, the reasons for choosing topos theory to resolve the above-mentioned issues and how it brings quantum physics back to looking more like a "neo-realist" classical physics theory again.
A First Course on Symmetry, Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: The Foundations of Physics (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics)
by Gabor Kunstatter Saurya DasThis book provides an in-depth and accessible description of special relativity and quantum mechanics which together form the foundation of 21st century physics. A novel aspect is that symmetry is given its rightful prominence as an integral part of this foundation. The book offers not only a conceptual understanding of symmetry, but also the mathematical tools necessary for quantitative analysis. As such, it provides a valuable precursor to more focused, advanced books on special relativity or quantum mechanics.Students are introduced to several topics not typically covered until much later in their education.These include space-time diagrams, the action principle, a proof of Noether's theorem, Lorentz vectors and tensors, symmetry breaking and general relativity. The book also provides extensive descriptions on topics of current general interest such as gravitational waves, cosmology, Bell's theorem, entanglement and quantum computing.Throughout the text, every opportunity is taken to emphasize the intimate connection between physics, symmetry and mathematics.The style remains light despite the rigorous and intensive content. The book is intended as a stand-alone or supplementary physics text for a one or two semester course for students who have completed an introductory calculus course and a first-year physics course that includes Newtonian mechanics and some electrostatics. Basic knowledge of linear algebra is useful but not essential, as all requisite mathematical background is provided either in the body of the text or in the Appendices. Interspersed through the text are well over a hundred worked examples and unsolved exercises for the student.
A First Course on Symmetry, Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: The Foundations of Physics (Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics)
by Gabor Kunstatter Saurya DasThis book provides an in-depth and accessible description of special relativity and quantum mechanics which together form the foundation of 21st century physics. A novel aspect is that symmetry is given its rightful prominence as an integral part of this foundation. The book offers not only a conceptual understanding of symmetry, but also the mathematical tools necessary for quantitative analysis. As such, it provides a valuable precursor to more focused, advanced books on special relativity or quantum mechanics.Students are introduced to several topics not typically covered until much later in their education.These include space-time diagrams, the action principle, a proof of Noether's theorem, Lorentz vectors and tensors, symmetry breaking and general relativity. The book also provides extensive descriptions on topics of current general interest such as gravitational waves, cosmology, Bell's theorem, entanglement and quantum computing.Throughout the text, every opportunity is taken to emphasize the intimate connection between physics, symmetry and mathematics.The style remains light despite the rigorous and intensive content. The book is intended as a stand-alone or supplementary physics text for a one or two semester course for students who have completed an introductory calculus course and a first-year physics course that includes Newtonian mechanics and some electrostatics. Basic knowledge of linear algebra is useful but not essential, as all requisite mathematical background is provided either in the body of the text or in the Appendices. Interspersed through the text are well over a hundred worked examples and unsolved exercises for the student.
First Dawn: From the Big Bang to Our Future in Space
by Roberto BattistonFrom the very first moments of the universe to the birth of the first star, our solar system, and our planet: a physicist traces the known and the unknown.Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the horizon of our knowledge about the universe has expanded to encompass the infinitesimally small—and the infinitely vast. In First Dawn, physicist Roberto Battiston takes readers on a journey through space and time, to the boundaries of our knowledge and beyond. From the violence of the Big Bang and the birth of the first star, hundreds of millions of years later, to the emergence of our solar system, the dawn of life on Earth, and the possibility of life on other planets, Battiston maps what we know about the universe and how we came to know it—cautioning us, however, that what we know is a minuscule fraction of what there is to know. Battiston outlines discoveries by some of the greatest theoretical physicists of the twentieth century, including Einstein, Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Fermi, and Hubble; discusses the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter; and considers what it means for the universe to have emerged out of nothing. The ignition of the first star illuminated a universe that had been expanding, unobserved and unobservable, in the dark. Drawing on his own research, Battiston discusses the birth of the Sun, the formation of planets, the origins of life, interstellar migrations, extrasolar planets, black holes, gravitational waves, and much more. But, he warns, for some questions—the dimensions of the universe, for example, or the existence of other universes—we are destined to remain in the realm of speculation.