Best Selling Books by John Gribbin

In 1915, Albert Einstein presented his masterwork to the Prussian Academy of Sciences - a theory of gravity, matter, space and time: the General Theory of Relativity. Einstein himself said it was ''the most valuable theory of my life'', and ''of incomparable beauty''. It describes the evolution of the Universe, black holes, the behaviour of orbiting neutron stars, gravitational lensing, and why clocks run slower on the surface of the Earth than in space. It even suggests the possibility of time travel. And yet we think instead of 1905, the year of Einstein''s Special Theory of Relativity and his equation E=mc2, as his annus mirabilis, even though the Special Theory is less far-reaching. Today the General Theory is overshadowed by these achievements, regarded as ''too difficult'' for ordinary mortals to comprehend. In Einstein''s Masterwork, John and Mary Gribbin put Einstein''s astonishing breakthrough in the context of his life and work, and make it clear why his greatest year was indeed 1915.

Everybody knows the names of the great scientists, but how many of us know anything about their work, let alone their private lives? This easy-to-read series enables each of us to become an instant expert

"The definitive illustrated history of time, detailing in clear text and spectacular images how the Universe was born."--Jacket.

Profusely illustrated text discusses the causes of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the possibility of predicting catastrophes, and the impact of major quakes and eruptions on the earth and on human society.

Este libro consigue la extraordinaria hazaña de hacer la cosmología accesible a todos. John Gribbin sobrevuela las últimas fronteras de descubrimiento científico para decirnos qué es lo que realmente sabemos de la historia del universo y cuáles son las cosas que sólo creemos saber. A lo largo del camino, describe como comenzó el universo y cómo era entonces, cómo se desarrolló a través del tiempo y qué fue lo que surgió para sostener el conjunto. El autor describe de dónde surgieron sus elementos, cómo se formaron las estrellas y las galaxias; y, dentro de nuestro sistema solar, la historia de cómo surgió la vida. Una vez que ha explicado nuestro conocimiento del universo hasta hoy día, Gribbin mira hacia el futuro y muestra cómo podría continuar el viaje. ¿Terminará la historia del universo con el Big Crunch (“gran colapso”) o el Big Rip (“gran desgarramiento”), o acaso el planeta Tierra será colisionado por algún impacto del espacio antes de que nosotros podamos averiguarlo?

Does one planet really matter among the immensity of the Cosmos? John Gribbin is here to persuade us that it does. In this ground-breaking and provocative new book Gribbin argues that we owe our existence to the impact of a ''supercomet'' with Venus 600 million years ago. But this is only part of the story, just one of the astronomical and geophysical reasons why the Earth is special. For the first time, he makes the link between the whole series of cosmic events that have affected the Earth and given rise to our intelligent civilization - a civilization, Gribbin argues, that is unique within our Milky Way Galaxy. Even if other Earths are common, and life itself may be common, the kind of intelligent, technological civilization that has emerged on Earth occurs only here. If humankind can survive the present environmental crises, the whole of the galaxy may become our home. And if not, our demise may be an event of literally universal significance.

A mind-warping excursion into the wildly improbable truths of science. Echoing Sherlock Holmes'' famous dictum, John Gribbin tells us: ''Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, is certainly possible, in the light of present scientific knowledge.'' With that in mind, in his sequel to the hugely popular Six Impossible Things and Seven Pillars of Science, Gribbin turns his attention to some of the mind-bendingly improbable truths of science. For example: We know that the Universe had a beginning, and when it was – and also that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. We can detect ripples in space that are one ten-thousandth the width of a proton, made by colliding black holes billions of light years from Earth. And, most importantly from our perspective, all complex life on Earth today is descended from a single cell – but without the stabilising influence of the Moon, life forms like us could never have evolved.

Traducere de Ines Simionescu Stephen Hawking nu este un om de știință obișnuit. El a reușit, poate mai mult decât oricine altcineva, să ne ajute să descifrăm enigmele universului. Cercetările sale cu privire la găurile negre și nașterea universului au fost cu adevărat revoluționare, iar boala care l-a țintuit într-un scaun cu rotile nu i-a limitat în nici un fel strălucirea intelectuală și cariera științifică. Mai mult, Hawking a contribuit din plin la popularizarea științei, iar cărțile sale s-au vândut în milioane de exemplare în toată lumea. Stephen Hawking: O viață dedicată științei are darul de a prezenta pe larg atât ideile științifice care l-au făcut un veritabil star la nivel internațional, cât și viața sa personală, cel puțin la fel de pasionantă din multe puncte de vedere. „Această biografie extraordinară ne dezvăluie dârzenia care l-a ajutat pe Hawking să răzbată în ciuda oricărei adversități.“ — Mail on Sunday „Povestea fascinantă a fizicianului ale cărui idei se pot dovedi la fel de revoluționare ca cele ale lui Einstein... Stilul plin de erudiție și căldură se potrivește de minune cu subiectul cărții.“ — New Statesman „Prezentând atât opera profesorului Hawking, cât şi viaţa sa personală, sperăm să-l ajutăm pe cititor să le poată vedea pe ambele din perspective diferite. Deşi există suprapuneri inevitabile, nădăjduim că acest lucru va da ideilor ştiinţifice o dimensiune umană; vom vedea că pentru Stephen Hawking ştiinţa şi viaţa sunt legate inextricabil.“ — MICHAEL WHITE, JOHN GRIBBIN

From 12 hand-picked authors, comes a new anthology of original short stories about robots, aliens, the depths of space, the astounding future and the sometimes troubling things that happen to the humans who must cope with all of it. Tales from the Perseus Arm will take you on an adventure through the universe, introduce you to new and questionable technology, and make you question the very things that drive human will and innovation.

A history of science distilled into 100 notable experiments - epic moments that have fuelled our understanding of Earth and the Universe beyond. The history of science is a fascinating and long one, covering thousands of years of history. The development of scientific experiments involves some of the most enlightened cultures in history, as well as some great scientists, philosophers and theologians. As the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman said, ''If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong'', the simplest summary of what science is all about. And science is nothing without experiments. Everything in the scientific world view is based on experiment, including observations of phenomena predicted by theories and hypotheses, such as the bending of light as it goes past the Sun. From the discovery of microscopic worlds to weighing the Earth, from making electricity to the accelerating Universe and gravitational waves, this stunning book by renowned science writers John and Mary Gribbin tells the fascinating history of science through the stories of 100 groundbreaking experiments.

A la question : qu''est-ce que la réalité ? ", la mécanique quantique apporte des réponses problématiques. Erwin Schrödinger, l''un des grands créateurs de la théorie, auteur de l''équation qui porte son nom, en était si intimement persuadé et choqué qu''il inventa un animal mythique, un chat, dont on ne pourrait dire si, placé dans certaines conditions, il serait mort ou vivant. Et de fait, jusqu''aux fameuses expériences d''A. Aspect, à Paris en 1982, la question de la réalité n''a cessé d''embarrasser les physiciens. Et pourtant, le succès de la théorie ne s''est jamais démenti, sa fécondité est remarquable, la mécanique quantique est véritablement l''épine dorsale de la science moderne. En voici l''histoire, contée par John Gribbin, avec un remarquable talent d''exposition.

O livro Introdução a hidráulica, hidrologia e gestão de águas pluviais – Tradução da 4a edição norte-americana conduz os leitores à compreensão dos conceitos de hidráulica e de hidrologia de águas superficiais aplicados à solução de problemas práticos da engenharia. Os tópicos apresentados são relevantes em trabalho de infraestrutura urbana, de uso e ocupação do solo e de planejamento. O conteúdo poderá ser útil para todo projetista (engenheiro ou técnico) que precise lidar com transporte de águas pluviais. O livro traz recursos que tornam o processo de aprendizado mais acessível. Por exemplo: • Muitos exemplos de fácil compreensão; • Vários diagramas, gráficos e mapas topográficos para ilustrar os conceitos desenvolvidos no texto; Estudos de caso baseados em projetos reais; Lista de objetivos no início dos capítulos, para ajudar o leitor a se concentrar no assunto; Gráficos de projetos nos apêndices, para relacionar exemplos e problemas a situações reais; Abrangente glossário de termos mais importantes.