Why the Wheel Is Round PDF Download
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Author: Steven Vogel
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226381039
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
There is no part of our bodies that fully rotates—be it a wrist or ankle or arm in a shoulder socket, we are made to twist only so far. And yet there is no more fundamental human invention than the wheel—a rotational mechanism that accomplishes what our physical form cannot. Throughout history, humans have developed technologies powered by human strength, complementing the physical abilities we have while overcoming our weaknesses. Providing a unique history of the wheel and other rotational devices—like cranks, cranes, carts, and capstans—Why the Wheel Is Round examines the contraptions and tricks we have devised in order to more efficiently move—and move through—the physical world. Steven Vogel combines his engineering expertise with his remarkable curiosity about how things work to explore how wheels and other mechanisms were, until very recently, powered by the push and pull of the muscles and skeletal systems of humans and other animals. Why the Wheel Is Round explores all manner of treadwheels, hand-spikes, gears, and more, as well as how these technologies diversified into such things as hand-held drills and hurdy-gurdies. Surprisingly, a number of these devices can be built out of everyday components and materials, and Vogel’s accessible and expansive book includes instructions and models so that inspired readers can even attempt to make their own muscle-powered technologies, like trebuchets and ballista. Appealing to anyone fascinated by the history of mechanics and technology as well as to hobbyists with home workshops, Why the Wheel Is Round offers a captivating exploration of our common technological heritage based on the simple concept of rotation. From our leg muscles powering the gears of a bicycle to our hands manipulating a mouse on a roller ball, it will be impossible to overlook the amazing feats of innovation behind our daily devices.
Author: Steven Vogel
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226381039
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Get Book Here
Book Description
There is no part of our bodies that fully rotates—be it a wrist or ankle or arm in a shoulder socket, we are made to twist only so far. And yet there is no more fundamental human invention than the wheel—a rotational mechanism that accomplishes what our physical form cannot. Throughout history, humans have developed technologies powered by human strength, complementing the physical abilities we have while overcoming our weaknesses. Providing a unique history of the wheel and other rotational devices—like cranks, cranes, carts, and capstans—Why the Wheel Is Round examines the contraptions and tricks we have devised in order to more efficiently move—and move through—the physical world. Steven Vogel combines his engineering expertise with his remarkable curiosity about how things work to explore how wheels and other mechanisms were, until very recently, powered by the push and pull of the muscles and skeletal systems of humans and other animals. Why the Wheel Is Round explores all manner of treadwheels, hand-spikes, gears, and more, as well as how these technologies diversified into such things as hand-held drills and hurdy-gurdies. Surprisingly, a number of these devices can be built out of everyday components and materials, and Vogel’s accessible and expansive book includes instructions and models so that inspired readers can even attempt to make their own muscle-powered technologies, like trebuchets and ballista. Appealing to anyone fascinated by the history of mechanics and technology as well as to hobbyists with home workshops, Why the Wheel Is Round offers a captivating exploration of our common technological heritage based on the simple concept of rotation. From our leg muscles powering the gears of a bicycle to our hands manipulating a mouse on a roller ball, it will be impossible to overlook the amazing feats of innovation behind our daily devices.
Author: Richard W. Bulliet
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780231173384
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
A visually rich, analytical history of the key cycles in a revolutionary technology.
Author: Jessica Helfand
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
ISBN: 9781568985961
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 164
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Book Description
A delightful look at the history of the information wheel
Author: JOHN FOSTER. FRASER
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781033238820
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Author: John Foster Fraser
Publisher: Рипол Классик
ISBN: 587913380X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 577
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Book Description
Author: Frances Willard
Publisher: Ravenio Books
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 41
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Book Description
Frances Willard (1839 –1898) was an American educator and women's rights activist.
Author: William Simpson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 320
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Book Description
Author: Meindert DeJong
Publisher: Turtleback Books
ISBN: 9780808538127
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Dutch schoolgirl Lina's composition about storks began the children's campaign to bring storks back to their village
Author: Kathryn Gibbs Davis
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0547959222
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 45
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Book Description
Examines how the engineer George Ferris invented and constructed the amusement park ride that bears his name for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
Author: Steven Vogel
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393352951
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 388
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Book Description
"Full of ideas and well-explained principles that will bring new understanding of everyday things to both scientists and non-scientists alike."—R. McNeill Alexander, Nature Nature and humans build their devices with the same earthly materials and use them in the same air and water, pulled by the same gravity. Why, then, do their designs diverge so sharply? Humans, for instance, love right angles, while nature's angles are rarely right and usually rounded. Our technology goes around on wheels—and on rotating pulleys, gears, shafts, and cams—yet in nature only the tiny propellers of bacteria spin as true wheels. Our hinges turn because hard parts slide around each other, whereas nature's hinges (a rabbit's ear, for example) more often swing by bending flexible materials. In this marvelously surprising, witty book, Steven Vogel compares these two mechanical worlds, introduces the reader to his field of biomechanics, and explains how the nexus of physical law, size, and convenience of construction determine the designs of both people and nature. "This elegant comparison of human and biological technology will forever change the way you look at each."—Michael LaBarbera, American Scientist
