Most Popular Books by John Farndon

What happens if I drop an ant? What books are bad for you? What percentage of the world''s water is contained in a cow? The Oxbridge undergraduate interviews are infamous for their unique ways of assessing candidates, and from these peculiar enquiries, professors can tell just how smart you really are. John Farndon has collected together 75 of the most intriguing questions taken from actual admission interviews and gives full answers to each, taking the reader through the fascinating histories, philosophies, sciences and arts that underlie each problem. This is a book for everyone who likes to think they''re clever, or who thinks they''d like to be clever. And cleverness is not just knowing stuff, it''s how laterally, deeply and interestingly you can bend your brain. Guesstimating the population of Croydon, for example, opens a chain of thought from which you can predict the strength of a nuclear bomb ...and that''s just the start of it.

Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom . . . your incredible heart beats more than once every second, no matter what you''re doing. And your lungs pull in up to 145 gallons of oxygen each day. So how are your heart and lungs connected, and what do they do? Join the Stickmen as they explore your body to find out how your heart pumps blood, how oxygen travels through your body, and how your body fights off germs. You''ll discover why you need two trillion red blood cells, how exercise affects the body, and what exactly is inside your lungs. Colorful diagrams and fascinating text show how your circulatory system works to keep you fit, warm, and alive!

Explore the structures you encounter in your everyday life and around the world that exist because of engineering. Discover how the world''s tallest building stays standing and more with full-color illustrations designed to keep young readers engaged and entertained while they learn.

Everything in the universe is made of elements. This series looks at the most important chemical elements and explains where they can be found, how they were discovered, their special characteristics and reactions, and their importance in the body and in everyday life. Understanding how the elements behave is the key to understanding chemistry. The Elements provides a fascinating and fact-filled introduction to this important subject. Book jacket.

Earthquakes can destroy entire cities in mere minutes and send shock waves rippling around the world. These devastating quakes become even more deadly when followed by monster waves. Tsunamis may travel faster than a jet across thousands of miles of ocean. Once they reach the coast, these huge walls of water can wash away everything in their path in one fatal whoosh. No place on Earth is entirely safe from earthquakes. But the technology to detect these hidden terrors is constantly improving. Discover the most fearsome earthquakes and tsunamis throughout history, as well as the science behind how and where these disasters strike.

How does a giant cruise ship stay upright? Just how big is an aircraft carrier? How are submarines powered? Join the Stickmen for a close look at how watercrafts work, though be careful—you may get into deep water!

This encyclopedia makes an ideal introduction to wild and domestic animals for young children. Fact boxes and captions provide older children with additional details. Full-color illustrations.

"Discover 1000 Facts on Animals, an amazing guide to the animal kingdom. Short, sharp facts combine with hundreds of pictures and illustrations to deliver information with punch. You''ll find all the things you ever wanted to know, plus so much more, in one fascinating book. Key subject areas are clearly highlighted; finding information is effortlessly simple with the use of buttonlike icons. Compact and easy to use, this really is the complete references resource for the fact hungry. --Ten bulleted facts on every spread --Fascinating fact panels --Highlighted subject areas --Hundreds of color illustrations and pictures."--Back cover

Discusses the origin, discovery, special characteristics, and use of nitrogen in such products as explosives and fertilizers.

Jump back in time to discover what was happening during the mysterious Middle Ages. Some people occupied themselves with putting crowns on their heads, others kept busy discovering and spreading new religions, and some focused on invasion and conquest. Follow along as warlords carve out kingdoms in Europe, China''s only empress comes to power, Vikings set foot in America, and Mongol hordes create the greatest land empire. Fun, illustrated maps sweep you across the world from the Incas'' Machu Picchu to medieval Mali and shogun Japan and on to the court of Kublai Khan. What a ride!

What is light and where does it come from? Can light be slowed to a stop? How do scientists plan to make an invisibility cloak? This book explains how scientists realized that all light comes from atoms and how one day they might use light to teleport obje

Find out how atoms fit together and how our solar system spins. Take a look at Earth''s biomes and then explore the human body and more with full-color illustrations designed to keep young readers engaged and entertained while they learn.

Looks at rockets, lunar modules, shuttles, satellites, and probes, in terms of basic space travel theory, gravity, drag, sources of power, design, and steering.

People have always needed doctors. But the doctors of the past might not look like the doctors you are used to seeing! Sometimes their healing methods were weird, disgusting, or even dangerous. Doctors in the Middle Ages sniffed patients'' urine to diagnose disease, and barbers might cut off a person''s injured arm or leg. The ancient Chinese fought smallpox by blowing powdered pus up the nose. Many of these old remedies turned out to be dangerous, but others paved the way for modern blood transfusions, vaccines, and anesthetics. If you''re not too squeamish, read this book to learn more about the history of doctors!

In just a few seconds, a spark can turn a forest into a rapidly spreading inferno of intense heat and suffocating smoke. Firefighters try to control the wildfire—a battle that might last for months. Water can be used to fight wildfires, but too much water can cause deadly floods. Floods reduce land to swamp and sweep away houses and bridges. In their wake, they leave food shortages, contaminated drinking water, and diseases like cholera and typhus. Follow the scorched trail of the worst wildfires ever, learn what causes flash floods, and discover the technology that helps predict these devastating disasters.

Just think, every single thing you do is handled by an amazing computer inside your head—your brilliant brain! And it''s helped by your body''s internet—your nervous system. Join the Stickmen to discover how spidery nerve cells send messages to the brain in seconds, how quick reflexes keep you safe, and how different parts of your brain are in charge of different thoughts and actions. Learn how all the parts of your body work together with the brain to help you to see, hear, smell, and make memories. Fun illustrations and fact-filled text reveal the mysteries of your brain and what it is that makes you so smart!

It''s 1718 and the world goes dark for Jamie Flynn, who''s been snatched from the docks to join Blackbeard''s crew of the fearsome pirates. Join him on board as he learns to fight with a cutlass and pistol, and follow him as he storms a treasure ship and shares in the spoils. You''ll need your sea legs and strong nerves to live like a Caribbean pirate!

Muscles help you run, jump, play sports, and even sit still long enough to read this book. Your bony skeleton holds you up and keeps everything in its place. Let the Stickmen give you a tour of your incredible body! Find out why muscles are strong and how they get even stronger, how many bones make up your skeleton, and how your body twists, bends, and moves. Along the way, you''ll discover the world''s oldest skeleton, the longest and strongest muscle, and more. Colorful illustrations and fascinating facts reveal the inner workings of your muscles and bones.

A collection of experiments that explore the nature of sound and how we hear it.

Text and illustrations examine galaxies, stars, planets, telescopes, rockets, and more.

Learn how number systems and measurements allow us to make sense of the world. Discover how important addition and subtraction are and look at cell division with illustrated spreads designed to give readers fast, digestible facts that keep them engaged.

Presents information on chemicals and chemistry, providing instructions for relevant scientific experiments.

Discusses the physical properties of various rocks and minerals and gives instructions for experiments that identify their unique characteristics.

How do planes stay in the air? What is vertical takeoff? How does a pilot control altitude in a hot-air balloon? Join the Stickmen to find out how mechanisms work. Get an insider''s view of these airborne wonders!

"In consultation with The Cousteau Society."

Climb into the cabs of the world''s fastest trucks. They may be big, but these machines can really move! Roar off in the three jet engines of the Shockwave—powered to 376 mph (605 km/h)! Ride in the Banks Sidewinder Dodge Dakota, which set a world record at 217 mph (349 km/h)! Go off-roading in the fastest off-road terrain conqueror, the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Colorful illustrations capture these swift, powerful beasts on the road and off, while interesting text features highlight jet propulsion, turbocharging, and great truck racers past and present.

It''s easy to take a pill when we aren''t feeling well. But did you know that the art of making medicines goes back thousands of years? Early remedies weren''t always so easy—or effective. Some seemed downright disgusting. Wine infused with a venomous snake was used to cure fatigue and hair loss. Snail slime soothed burns, and a mixture of ear wax and mud treated headaches. Discover more about how medicine was practiced centuries ago and how, eventually, scientists discovered some truly amazing remedies, from the magic bullet that treated syphilis to the insulin used for diabetes.

Discover how the earth works and what it is made of, with 30 exciting step-by-step projects.

Provides information about eight different habitats around the world and the various animals that live in each.

It''s the year 1492, the height of the Aztec Empire, and Ten Vulture is learning to become a priest—and a deadly warrior. On his adventures, he has to learn a secret language and rituals and make human sacrifices to the gods. Visit the largest city in the Americas and take part in the ultimate bloodletting ceremony alongside Ten Vulture. You''ll need a courageous heart and a strong stomach!

In Touch with Nature provides exciting introductions to the amazing world of nature, built around hands-on experiments, observations, and projects. The series helps children to find out about the natural world in a way that no amount of reading alone could match.Each book in the series provides a fascinating way into a particular aspect of nature, from mammals to flowering plants. Lively, concise explanatory pages are interwoven with a series of safe, practical activities for children carry out in the home or close by. Specially commissioned photographic sequences and step-by-step instructions how clearly how to perform each activity.

A visual encyclopedia with 1000 facts thematically organised into nine sections: space, the Earth, the living world, human body, science and technology, transport, the world, people, society and history. There are time-lines and cross-referenced connected topics to support school study.

Discusses the history of flight and suggest experiments to explore the subject.