Absolute zero and the conquest of cold

Description

*from publisher:* In this engrossing scientific chronicle, a perennial paperback favorite, Tom Shachtman combines science, history, and adventure in the story of our four-centuries-long quest to master the secrets of cold. Now a documentary based largely on Shachtman’s acclaimed book promises to bring these exhilarating scientific accomplishments to a new audience. Underwritten by the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and set to air on PBS and the BBC, the documentary was produced by British Emmy Award winner David Dugan, in collaboration with Meredith Burch of Meridian Productions in Washington, D.C. Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold demonstrates how temperature science produced astonishing scientific insights and applications that have revolutionized civilization. It also illustrates how scientific advancement, fueled by fortuitous discoveries and the determination of individuals, shapes our understanding of and relation to the world.

Description

"In a sweeping science adventure story, rich with historical characters, including Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, Tom Shachtman takes us on a journey in which the extraordinary secrets of cold are teased apart and mastered, bringing advances in civilization and comfort. Starting in the 1600s with an alchemist's attempt to air condition Westminster Abbey and the invention of thermometers and scales (where should zero be set?), the story unfolds as nineteenth-century merchants sell Walden Pond ice to tropical countries and competing scientists pursue absolute zero with as much fervor as the races toward the North and South Poles aroused."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Absolute zero and the conquest of coldHoughton Mifflin Co.1999-01-01
• Absolute Zero and the Conquest of ColdHoughton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company2000-01-01
• Absolute Zero and the Conquest of ColdPaperbackMariner Books HarperCollins (formerly Houghton Mifflin)2000-01-01
• Absolute Zero and the Conquest of ColdHoughton Mifflin Harcourt Trade & Reference Publishers2000-01-01