Things I did not understand at all prior to reading this book: why static electricity works, how microscopes and telescopes work, gravity, electricity, how cameras work, why airplanes fly, how telephones work, roller coasters, the advent of cinema, x-rays, “blackbodies”, relativity, rockets, photocopies, atomic bombs, foams, Velcro, lasers, fractals, microwaves, all of whatever Chapter 33 is about, and string theory. Things I still don’t understand after reading this book: “blackbodies” and Chapter 33. Things I partially understand, but not completely: relativity, electricity, string theory.


Ouelette’s text is intelligible, though, even to a layperson such as myself. By incorporating examples from popular media, she is able to apply things one is already familiar with to a completely unfamiliar subject. The only difficulties I had were in understanding terminology that was born from physics and been subverted to refer to more simplified and common experiences. For example, my concept of the word ‘frequency’ has to do with the number of times a certain thing occurs, i.e. the frequency with which I am able to wear jeans to work. In physics, frequency apparently refers to the lengths of waves and oscillations in electric currents.


The chapters are relatively short, and cover an entire theory or invention, and the order is loosely chronological. The earlier chapters, because they dealt with simpler inventions such as the telescope and cameras, were easier to digest. I was able to make it about a third of the way through before I had to put it down and read something else, just to give my brain a rest. For this reason, I suggest reading it in small chunks, but not, say, in a waiting room or on the subway because it does require concentration and distractions can cause a person to have to start the whole chapter over. I hate to tell people 'read this on the toilet,' but that seems to be the best place I can think of in this instance.


As always, extra points go to any book that references Buffy the Vampire Slayer which this one does twice. Bonus! ( )

This is a generally interesting book that will most likely be enjoyed by people with at least a basic background in Physics, but its attempts to make complex concepts understandable to the lay person don't always succeed. Sometimes the explanations are far too general, other times far too technical. ( )

Jennifer Ouellette, a journalist specializing in science topics, has assembled a wonderful collection of essays highlighting some key points in the history of physics. There’s the development of the microscope, Nikolai Tesla’s work with wireless communications, and Benjamin Franklin’s infamous experiment involving a kite, a key, and an electrical storm. Ouellette does a wonderful job of explaining scientific concepts like Einstein’s theory of relativity in terms normal people can understand. In the process, she makes a topic many people have gone to lengths to avoid uniquely interesting.