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What Makes a Magnet?
by Franklyn M. BranleyDescribes how magnets work and includes instructions for making a magnet and a compass. A book in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science book series.
What Makes a Magnet Updated Edition (Let's Read And Find Out Science)
by Dr Franklyn M. BranleyDescribes how a magnet works and how it is useful in our every day life.
What Makes a Monster?: Discovering the World's Scariest Creatures (The World of Weird Animals)
by Jess KeatingMonsters are real—and they're everywhere in nature! Animal Planet meets Godzilla in this nonfiction picture book that puts the "Ack!" into backyard science. Some people think monsters are the stuff of nightmares—the stuff of scary movies and Halloween. But monsters can also be found right in your backyard. Animals like aye-ayes, goblin sharks and vampire bats may look scary, but they pose no threat to humans. Others, such as the prairie dog, seem innocent—cute, even—yet their behavior could give you goose bumps. What makes a monster? Read this book to find out, if you dare. . . . Jess Keating and David DeGrand, the author illustrator team behind Pink Is for Blobfish will have readers shrieking with laughter at this latest installment to the World of Weird Animals series.
What Makes a Plant a Plant?
by Gary RushworthFind out about what makes a plant an plant and how plants are different from other living things.
What Makes a Shadow?
by Clyde Robert BullaWhen you run, your shadow runs. But you can never catch it! What makes a shadow? Where does it come from? When the sun is shining, everything has its own shadow -- trees, houses, cars, even clouds and planes way up in the sky. You have a shadow, too. As the sun sets, all shadows become part of a much larger one -- the night! With simple words, Clyde Robert Bulla explains how shadows are produced. Young readers will discover what makes the shadows they see and will be introduced to the fun of making shadows of their own.
What Makes Day and Night
by Franklyn M. Branley"What Makes Day and Night" goes through the cycle of the earth and its revolutions around the sun.
What Makes Different Sounds (I Wonder Why Ser.)
by Lawrence LoweryOn their walk home from school, twins Jane and Jim explore why sounds can be startling (like sirens), soothing (like music), or mysterious (like eerie creaking in an empty house). By coming along, young readers of What Makes Different Sounds? can learn as the twins do. They’ll be introduced to the roles vibration, pitch, and volume play in how rustles, rumbles, and rat-a-tat-tats are made and transferred to their own ears. What Makes Different Sounds? is part of the I Wonder Why book series, written to ignite the curiosity of children in grades K–6 while encouraging them to become avid readers. These books explore the marvels of sound, animals, plants, and other phenomena related to science and nature. Included in each edition is a Parent/Teacher Handbook with coordinating activities. The I Wonder Why series is written by an award-winning science educator and published by NSTA Kids, a division of NSTA Press.
What Makes Olga Run?
by Bruce GriersonPart science book, part journey into the untapped potential of the human spirit, this is the remarkable story of a 94-year-old track and field champion (not retired). Olga Kotelko is most certainly a genetic outlier, one of those rare, blessed people whose bodies resist the degradations of age. More remarkably, she's not alone; there are men and women all over the world competing at ages at which most of us will be lucky even to be alive. But her secret, and theirs, isn't just the luck of the gene pool. It's in the stories of how they exploit their genetic good fortune where the lessons for the rest of us may be found. Author Bruce Grierson, whose much-read 2010 New York Times Magazine piece first brought attention to Olga's remarkable story, accompanies the nonagenarian Canadian to track meets to see her in action, and to research facilities around North America where he and medical researchers hope to learn the secrets of her thriving tissues and age-resistant DNA. And perhaps most importantly, she welcomes him and us into her world, where we learn that your life might benefit most of all from how you live it.From the Hardcover edition.
What Makes Us Smart: The Computational Logic of Human Cognition
by Samuel GershmanHow a computational framework can account for the successes and failures of human cognitionAt the heart of human intelligence rests a fundamental puzzle: How are we incredibly smart and stupid at the same time? No existing machine can match the power and flexibility of human perception, language, and reasoning. Yet, we routinely commit errors that reveal the failures of our thought processes. What Makes Us Smart makes sense of this paradox by arguing that our cognitive errors are not haphazard. Rather, they are the inevitable consequences of a brain optimized for efficient inference and decision making within the constraints of time, energy, and memory—in other words, data and resource limitations. Framing human intelligence in terms of these constraints, Samuel Gershman shows how a deeper computational logic underpins the “stupid” errors of human cognition.Embarking on a journey across psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, and economics, Gershman presents unifying principles that govern human intelligence. First, inductive bias: any system that makes inferences based on limited data must constrain its hypotheses in some way before observing data. Second, approximation bias: any system that makes inferences and decisions with limited resources must make approximations. Applying these principles to a range of computational errors made by humans, Gershman demonstrates that intelligent systems designed to meet these constraints yield characteristically human errors.Examining how humans make intelligent and maladaptive decisions, What Makes Us Smart delves into the successes and failures of cognition.
What Makes Us Social? (Jean Nicod Lectures)
by Chris Frith Uta FrithA deep dive into the social mind-brain, examining the processes we share with other social animals and illuminating those that are uniquely human.What Makes Us Social? is a scholarly but accessible exploration of the underlying processes that make humans the most social species on the planet. Chris and Uta Frith, pioneers in the field of cognitive neuroscience, review the many forms of social behavior that we humans share with other animals and examine the special form that only humans possess, including its dark side. These uniquely human abilities allow us to reflect on our behavior and share these reflections with other people, which in turn enables us to reason why we do things and to exert some control over our automatic behaviors. As a result, we can learn cooperatively with others and create and value cultural artifacts that survive through the generations. Going beyond how we come to know ourselves and understand the mind of others, Frith and Frith investigate how we adapt mutually to make social interactions work. This book stands out in its application of a computational framework—one that lies at the intersection of psychology and artificial intelligence—to key concepts of social cognition, such as empathy, trust, group identity, and reputation management. Ultimately, What Makes Us Social? is a profound examination of the ways we communicate, cooperate, share, and compete with other humans and how these capabilities define us as a species.
What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite: Updated and Revised
by David DisalvoThis book reveals a remarkable paradox: what your brain wants is frequently not what your brain needs. In fact, much of what makes our brains "happy" leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which cloud our judgment and muddle our decision making. Science writer David DiSalvo presents evidence from evolutionary and social psychology, cognitive science, neurology, and even marketing and economics. And he interviews many of the top thinkers in psychology and neuroscience today. From this research-based platform, DiSalvo draws out insights that we can use to identify our brains' foibles and turn our awareness into edifying action. Ultimately, he argues, the research does not serve up ready-made answers, but provides us with actionable clues for overcoming the plight of our advanced brains and, consequently, living more fulfilled lives. Newly revised to include the latest research on the workings of the brain, What Makes Your Brain Happy is an essential tool for understanding yourself.
What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite
by David DisalvoWhy do we routinely choose options that don't meet our short-term needs and undermine our long-term goals? Why do we willingly expose ourselves to temptations that undercut our hard-fought progress to overcome addictions? Why are we prone to assigning meaning to statistically common coincidences? Why do we insist we're right even when evidence contradicts us? This book reveals a remarkable paradox: what your brain wants is frequently not what your brain needs. In fact, much of what makes our brains "happy" leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which make getting out of our own way extremely difficult. The author's search includes forays into evolutionary and social psychology, cognitive science, neurology, and even marketing and economics--as well as interviews with many of the top thinkers in psychology and neuroscience today. From this research-based platform, DiSalvo draws out insights that we can use to identify our brains' foibles and turn our awareness into edifying action. Ultimately, he argues, the research does not serve up ready-made answers, but provides us with actionable clues for overcoming the plight of our advanced brains and, consequently, living more fulfilled lives.
What The Moon Is Like
by Franklyn M. Branley True KelleyImagine that you're walking on the moon. What is it like? For thousands of years people looked up at the moon and wondered about it. Now we know what the moon is like. There is no air on the moon and nothing grows, but there are towering mountains and deep craters--and much more! Colder than the desert, the hotter than the desert, the moon is an amazing place to explore.
What My Sister Taught Me About Magnets
by Jacqueline Barber John Erickson Stacey SchuettNIMAC-sourced textbook
What Nostalgia Was: War, Empire, and the Time of a Deadly Emotion (Chicago Studies in Practices of Meaning)
by Thomas DodmanNostalgia today is seen as essentially benign, a wistful longing for the past. This wasn't always the case, however: from the late seventeenth century through the end of the nineteenth, nostalgia denoted a form of homesickness so extreme that it could sometimes be deadly. What Nostalgia Was unearths that history. Thomas Dodman begins his story in Basel, where a nineteen-year-old medical student invented the new diagnosis, modeled on prevailing notions of melancholy. From there, Dodman traces its spread through the European republic of letters and into Napoleon's armies, as French soldiers far from home were diagnosed and treated for the disease. Nostalgia then gradually transformed from a medical term to a more expansive cultural concept, one that encompassed Romantic notions of the aesthetic pleasure of suffering. But the decisive shift toward its contemporary meaning occurred in the colonies, where Frenchmen worried about racial and cultural mixing came to view moderate homesickness as salutary. An afterword reflects on how the history of nostalgia can help us understand the transformations of the modern world, rounding out a surprising, fascinating tour through the history of a durable idea.
What on Earth?: 100 of Our Planet's Most Amazing New Species
by Quentin Wheeler Sara PennakA chameleon so tiny it can fit on your thumbnail? A spider named after David Bowie? A fungus that turns ants into zombies? What on Earth? What on Earth? is a compendium of the 100 coolest, weirdest, and most intriguing new species of this century as determined by the International Institute for Species Exploration. From animals to plants, fossils to bacteria, What on Earth? is an accessible, informative, and offbeat look at the creatures that also call our planet home, including:• A dangerous cobra that can spit its venom almost ten feet • A miniscule orchid that is less than a half-inch wide • A rainforest mushroom named after the cartoon character Spongebob Squarepants • A beautiful seahorse that changes colors to protect itself from predators • A stick insect that is as long as a man&’s arm Featuring visually striking images alongside surprising facts about each new species, What on Earth? is a testament to the incredible and ever-evolving diversity of our planet.
What Poo Can Do: How Animals Are Fighting the Climate Crisis (Orca Footprints #29)
by Yolanda RidgeWe all know animals are affected by the climate crisis. But did you know the climate crisis is also affected by animals? From whales to dung beetles, What Poo Can Do explores how animals big and small are helping the planet every time they do a number two. Come on a journey to different parts of the world to see how animals are fertilizing plants, storing carbon, preventing fires, reducing methane and even creating color-coded maps—all through their feces! Readers will discover how animal defecation makes a difference when it comes to the climate crisis. It's time to embrace the power of poo! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
What Pushes? What Pulls?
by Margie Burton Cathy French Tammy JonesThis book is about the difference between pushing and pulling, and how force moves things from one place to another.
What Radiology Residents Need to Know: Chest Radiology
by Ronald L. EisenbergThis book is an introduction to chest radiology, specifically designed for the needs of first-year residents. On the first rotation in chest imaging, radiology residents are asked to learn significant amounts of information at a fast and unrelenting pace. However, most current books are densely written and contain far more material than residents need to know. Moreover, the number, variety, and quality of images is often limited. What Radiology Residents Need to Know: Chest Radiology answers these needs by presenting the important information in bullet fashion, divided into convenient sub-units, such as “clinical information,” “imaging findings,” and “management.” In most cases, an individual pathological condition can be presented in one page or less. This book covers such topics as volume loss, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, inhalation diseases, and pulmonary, mediastinal, and pleural tumor imaging. In addition, it contains tips on approaching and interpreting chest radiographs and CT based on decades of practical experience and teaching residents at the work station. With liberal use of illustrations in the text and an online bank of many more high-quality images, this book gives readers a comprehensive library of chest imaging scans and serves as an ideal guide for radiology residents.
What Radiology Residents Need to Know: Musculoskeletal Radiology (What Radiology Residents Need to Know)
by Ronald L. EisenbergThis book is an introduction to musculoskeletal radiology, specifically designed for the needs of first-year residents. On the first rotation in musculoskeletal imaging, radiology residents are asked to learn significant amounts of information at a fast and unrelenting pace. However, most current books are densely written and contain far more material than residents need to know. Moreover, the number, variety and quality of images is often limited.What Radiology Residents Need to Know: Musculoskeletal Radiology answers these needs by presenting the important information in bullet fashion, divided into convenient sub-units, such as “clinical information,” “imaging findings,” and “management.” In most cases, an individual pathological condition can be presented in one page or less. In addition, it contains tips on approaching and interpreting radiographs, MRI and CT based on decades of practical experience and teaching residents at the work station.With liberal use of illustrations in the text and an online bank of many more high-quality images, this book gives readers a comprehensive library of musculoskeletal imaging scans and serves as an ideal guide for radiology residents.
What Really Counts: The Case for a Sustainable and Equitable Economy
by Ronald ColmanPoliticians and economists fixate on “growing the economy”—measured by a country’s gross domestic product. But this yardstick counts harmful activities such as greenhouse gas emissions, plastic waste, and cigarette sales as gains, and it ignores environmental protection, voluntary community work, and other benefits. What we measure is a choice, and what is and isn’t counted determines what sorts of policies are enacted. How can we shift the focus to well-being and quality of life?What Really Counts is an essential, firsthand story of the promise and challenges of accounting for social, economic, and environmental benefits and costs. Ronald Colman recounts two decades of working with three governments to adopt measures that more accurately and comprehensively assess true progress. Chronicling his path from Nova Scotia to New Zealand to Bhutan, Colman details the challenge of devising meaningful metrics, the effort to lay the foundations of a new economic system, and the obstacles that stand in the way. Reflecting on successes and failures, he considers how to shift policy priorities from a narrow economic-growth agenda toward a future built on sustainability and equity.Colman has taken the critique of GDP outside the academy and attempted to realize an alternative. The lessons he offers in What Really Counts are vital for anyone interested in how we can measure what matters—and how better measures can help build a better world.
What Remains: Bringing America’s Missing Home from the Vietnam War
by Sarah E. WagnerNearly 1,600 Americans who took part in the Vietnam War are still missing and presumed dead. Sarah Wagner tells the stories of those who mourn and continue to search for them. Today’s forensic science can identify remains from mere traces, raising expectations for repatriation and forcing a new reckoning with the toll of America’s most fraught war.
What Science Is and How It Really Works
by James C. ZimringScientific advances have transformed the world. However, science can sometimes get things wrong, and at times, disastrously so. Understanding the basis for scientific claims and judging how much confidence we should place in them is essential for individual choice, societal debates, and development of public policy and laws. We must ask: what is the basis of scientific claims? How much confidence should we put in them? What is defined as science and what is not? This book synthesizes a working definition of science and its properties, as explained through the eyes of a practicing scientist, by integrating advances from philosophy, psychology, history, sociology, and anthropology into a holistic view. Crucial in our political climate, the book fights the myths of science often portrayed to the public. Written for a general audience, it also enables students to better grasp methodologies and helps professional scientists to articulate what they do and why.
What Science Is and How It Works
by Gregory N. DerryHow does a scientist go about solving problems? How do scientific discoveries happen? Why are cold fusion and parapsychology different from mainstream science? What is a scientific worldview? In this lively and wide-ranging book, Gregory Derry talks about these and other questions as he introduces the reader to the process of scientific thinking. From the discovery of X rays and semiconductors to the argument for continental drift to the invention of the smallpox vaccine, scientific work has proceeded through honest observation, critical reasoning, and sometimes just plain luck. Derry starts out with historical examples, leading readers through the events, experiments, blind alleys, and thoughts of scientists in the midst of discovery and invention. Readers at all levels will come away with an enriched appreciation of how science operates and how it connects with our daily lives. An especially valuable feature of this book is the actual demonstration of scientific reasoning. Derry shows how scientists use a small number of powerful yet simple methods--symmetry, scaling, linearity, and feedback, for example--to construct realistic models that describe a number of diverse real-life problems, such as drug uptake in the body, the inner workings of atoms, and the laws of heredity. Science involves a particular way of thinking about the world, and Derry shows the reader that a scientific viewpoint can benefit most personal philosophies and fields of study. With an eye to both the power and limits of science, he explores the relationships between science and topics such as religion, ethics, and philosophy. By tackling the subject of science from all angles, including the nuts and bolts of the trade as well as its place in the overall scheme of life, the book provides a perfect place to start thinking like a scientist.