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Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536161
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 564
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Book Description
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.
Author: Vaclav Smil
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536161
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 564
Get Book Here
Book Description
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.
Author: Simon Quellen Field
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613738080
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245
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Book Description
Black powder, the world's first chemical explosive, was originally developed during the Tang dynasty in China.It was a crude mixture at first, but over time chemists discovered the optimum proportion of sulfur, charcoal, and nitrates, as well as the best way to mix them for a complete and powerful reaction. Author and chemistry buff Simon Quellen Field takes readers on a decades-long journey through the history of things that go boom, from the early days of black powder to today's modern plastic explosives. Not just the who, when, and why, but also the how. How did Chinese alchemists come to create black powder? What accidents led to the discovery of high explosives? How do explosives actually work on a molecular scale? Boom! The Chemistry and History of Explosives reviews the original papers and patents written by the chemists who invented them, to shed light on their development, to explore the consequences of their use for good and ill, and to give the reader a basic understanding of the chemistry that makes them possible.
Author: Luis Burnay
Publisher: The Crowood Press
ISBN: 1785003151
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 178
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Book Description
Many student private pilots don't realize at the start of their course that many hours of study are required on top of the in-class schedule. This book will help those trainee pilots without science backgrounds, or those that need a refresher, to brush up on the necessary theory. It covers subjects that will be encountered many times during the PPL course, such as principles of flight, aircraft general knowledge, flight performance and planning, meteorology, navigation and human factors. The content is organized around two main groups of information, namely core knowledge, concentrating more on the concepts; and a practical toolbox, dedicated to some techniques that will be required during the course. Aimed at those trainee pilots without science backgrounds or those that need a refresher on the necessary theory, this handy reference book is illustrated with 170 colour photographs10 black & white photographs.
Author: Samuel J. Ling
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789888407613
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 818
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Book Description
University Physics is designed for the two- or three-semester calculus-based physics course. The text has been developed to meet the scope and sequence of most university physics courses and provides a foundation for a career in mathematics, science, or engineering. The book provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of physics and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and to the world around them. Due to the comprehensive nature of the material, we are offering the book in three volumes for flexibility and efficiency. Coverage and Scope Our University Physics textbook adheres to the scope and sequence of most two- and three-semester physics courses nationwide. We have worked to make physics interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the mathematical rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from fundamental to more advanced concepts, building upon what students have already learned and emphasizing connections between topics and between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses and future careers. The organization and pedagogical features were developed and vetted with feedback from science educators dedicated to the project. VOLUME II Unit 1: Thermodynamics Chapter 1: Temperature and Heat Chapter 2: The Kinetic Theory of Gases Chapter 3: The First Law of Thermodynamics Chapter 4: The Second Law of Thermodynamics Unit 2: Electricity and Magnetism Chapter 5: Electric Charges and Fields Chapter 6: Gauss's Law Chapter 7: Electric Potential Chapter 8: Capacitance Chapter 9: Current and Resistance Chapter 10: Direct-Current Circuits Chapter 11: Magnetic Forces and Fields Chapter 12: Sources of Magnetic Fields Chapter 13: Electromagnetic Induction Chapter 14: Inductance Chapter 15: Alternating-Current Circuits Chapter 16: Electromagnetic Waves
Author: William G. Wilson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226901475
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 283
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Book Description
As our world becomes increasingly urbanized, an understanding of the context, mechanisms, and consequences of city and suburban environments becomes more critical. Without a sense of what open spaces such as parks and gardens contribute, it’s difficult to argue for their creation and maintenance: in the face of schools needing resources, roads and sewers needing maintenance, and people suffering at the hands of others, why should cities and counties spend scarce dollars planting trees and preserving parks? In Constructed Climates, ecologist William G. Wilson demonstrates the value of urban green. Focusing specifically on the role of vegetation and trees, Wilson shows the costs and benefits reaped from urban open spaces, from cooler temperatures to better quality ground water—and why it all matters. While Constructed Climates is a work of science, it does not ignore the social component. Wilson looks at low-income areas that have poor vegetation, and shows how enhancing these areas through the planting of community gardens and trees can alleviate social ills. This book will be essential reading for environmentalists and anyone making decisions for the nature and well-being of our cities and citizens.
Author: James C. Squire
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128215038
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 289
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Book Description
Programming for Electrical Engineers: MATLAB and Spice introduces beginning engineering students to programming in Matlab and Spice through engaged, problem-based learning and dedicated electrical and computer engineering content. The book draws its problems and examples specifically from electrical and computer engineering, covering such topics as circuit analysis, signal processing, and filter design. It teaches relevant computational techniques in the context of solving common problems in electrical and computer engineering, including mesh and nodal analysis, Fourier transforms, and phasor analysis. Programming for Electrical Engineers: MATLAB and Spice is unique among MATLAB textbooks for its dual focus on introductory-level learning and discipline-specific content in electrical and computer engineering. No other textbook on the market currently targets this audience with the same attention to discipline-specific content and engaged learning practices. Although it is primarily an introduction to programming in MATLAB, the book also has a chapter on circuit simulation using Spice, and it includes materials required by ABET Accreditation reviews, such as information on ethics, professional development, and lifelong learning. - Discipline-specific: Introduces Electrical and Computer Engineering-specific topics, such as phasor analysis and complex exponentials, that are not covered in generic engineering Matlab texts - Accessible: Pedagogically appropriate for freshmen and sophomores with little or no prior programming experience - Scaffolded content: Addresses both script and functions but emphasizes the use of functions since scripts with non-scoped variables are less-commonly encountered after introductory courses - Problem-centric: Introduces MATLAB commands as needed to solve progressively more complex EE/ECE-specific problems, and includes over 100 embedded, in-chapter questions to check comprehension in stages and support active learning exercises in the classroom - Enrichment callouts: "Pro Tip" callouts cover common ABET topics, such as ethics and professional development, and "Digging Deeper" callouts provide optional, more detailed material for interested students
Author: Mihai Nadin
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031439570
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 260
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Book Description
Reaction to breakdowns is more expensive, by many orders of magnitude, than prevention. This again became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic and is evinced in the sustainability crisis. The dynamics of living matter transcends deterministic reaction. Embodied in machines, determinism empowered the human being, providing the path to prosperity. However, in conjunction with reductionism, it does away with complexity, in which life is couched. The living is by necessity anticipatory. Awareness of the future means preserving life not in reaction to, but in anticipation of change. Living entities, from the simplest bacteria, to plants and insects, to human beings, are adaptive, goal-oriented, and capable of self-healing. Anticipatory actions are expressed through non-deterministic processes that unfold in concert with reactions. They engage the wholeness of life, including its interactions with the environment. Awareness of consequences, together with memory of the past, informs actions that reflect the creative nature of human beings. Redefining science—and implicitly, medicine—is not a negation of its past, but rather an affirmation of trust in explaining life’s capacity to renew itself. As opposed to increasingly expensive medicine as a practice of repair, to prevent and to heal is to make life sustainable. The moment of truth can no longer be postponed. At stake is the future of humankind and even of life on planet Earth. Reductionist determinism informs the obsession with progress at any cost. Awareness of the fact that the human condition transcends that of the matter in which it is embodied explains, and indeed justifies, the call to Disrupt Science in its current state. The age of the digital machine, in particular of artificial intelligence, is one of opportunities that pale when compared to its inherent risks. The record of breakdowns (including so-called natural disasters), by now global in scale, is part of the empirical premise for the call for completing the Cartesian Revolution. A “Second Revolution in Science” could unleash humanity’s remaking, free of surrendering to want. Science has the opportunity not only to measure everything—life included—and accumulate data and process it for its own sake, but also to realize its meaning. The future matters.
Author: John McGrail
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
ISBN: 1601636121
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
For far too many of us, modern life is a struggle. We are stressed, depressed, anxious, addicted, obese, terrified, and angry. Are we doomed to live this way? Dr. John McGrail answers with an emphatic: “No. Anyone and everyone can create the life of their dreams.” In The Synthesis Effect he shows you how, sharing his unique process in an engaging, friendly narrative that includes stories of real people overcoming real issues and empowering their lives quickly and profoundly. The Synthesis Effect will show you: How you became you—your personality, values, feelings, habits, beliefs, and behaviors—how you create your own reality, and why it’s so difficult to change it. That you already have everything you need within you to change and transform your life, and how to use the models, tools, techniques, and exercises of Synthesis to do so. How to reach “practical enlightenment,” living your life virtually free of suffering...and how to pass it on to others. The Synthesis Effect provides simple, powerful, and clinically proven techniques for creating personal change and transformation while outlining a realistic roadmap to help us rediscover our power, save ourselves, and save our planet.
Author: James C. Squire
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0443190089
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 361
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Book Description
Introduction to Python and Spice for Electrical and Computer Engineers introduces freshman and sophomore engineering students to programming in Python and Spice through engaged, problem-based learning and dedicated Electrical and Computer Engineering content. This book draws its problems and examples specifically from Electrical and Computer Engineering, covering such topics as matrix algebra, complex exponentials and plotting using examples drawn from circuit analysis, signal processing, and filter design. It teaches relevant computation techniques in the context of solving common problems in Electrical and Computer Engineering.This book is unique among Python textbooks for its dual focus on introductory-level learning and discipline-specific content in Electrical and Computer Engineering. No other textbook on the market currently targets this audience with the same attention to discipline-specific content and engaged learning practices. Although it is primarily an introduction to programming in Python, the book also has a chapter on circuit simulation using Spice. It also includes materials helpful for ABET-accreditation, such information on professional development, ethics, and lifelong learning. - Introduces Electrical and Computer Engineering-specific topics, such as phasor analysis and complex exponentials, that are not covered in generic engineering Python texts - Pedagogically appropriate for freshmen and sophomores with little or no prior programming experience - Teaches both scripts and functions but emphasizes the use of functions since scripts with nonscoped variables are less-commonly encountered after introductory courses - Covers graphics before more abstract programming, supporting early student confidence - Introduces Python commands as needed to solve progressively more complex EE/ECE-specific problems, and includes over 100 embedded, in-chapter questions to check comprehension in stages
Author: Rajshree Patel
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 1401956343
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 314
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Book Description
Now in paperback, a modern guidebook to the ancient wisdom from the Indian spiritual tradition of Vedanta to fuel your purpose and performance. "By contemplating and applying the precious knowledge in these pages, you will learn to make everything in your life easier than you think possible." -- from the foreword by Dave Asprey Why do some people thrive while others just get by? What's their secret? The ancient Indian spiritual tradition Vedanta calls it prana, or life force. We can call it vital force. By any name, it's the fundamental fuel that activates and optimizes all physical, emotional, and cognitive functions; including consciousness, perception, thinking, judgment, and memory. When we're fully fueled with this essential energy, it transforms our mind-set and moves us toward greater happiness, success, and self-awareness. Rajshree Patel is a former federal prosecutor who discovered Vedanta by accident and went on to become an internationally renowned teacher of its deep wisdom and dynamic practice. In this practical guide, now available in paperback, she gives you back your power with simple tools to take hold of the limitless energy of life itself--more swiftly and easily than you ever thought possible. You'll learn: What vital force is, how it influences every single aspect of your life, how to enhance it--and how your mind, the biggest energy hog, can drain it; Tools to dial down the chatter of your racing mind and resolve your personal energy crisis; Why traditional mindfulness meditation may not be your path to inner peace; Easy biohacking techniques, from breath work to meditation to movement, that reduce stress and maximize joy; and Ancient secrets to fuel your purpose and performance in every aspect of life.
