Meditations at 10,000 Feet: A Scientist in the Mountains

by James S. Trefil

A scientist looks at the world around him from a mountaintop and tells the reader what he sees and answers many complex questions for nonscientific readers--where do all the rocks come from? why do eagles glide in circles among the peaks? how old is the earth? how does glacial snow in August lead to a prediction of the next ice age? and much more, in an interesting and readable fashion

Genres: Science, Nature, Nonfiction, Natural History

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

James S. Trefil (born 9/10/1938) is an American physicist (Ph.D. in Physics at Stanford University in 1966) and author of more than thirty books. Much of his published work focuses on science for the general audience. Dr. Trefil has previously served as Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia and he now teaches as Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University. Among Trefil's books is Are We Unique?, an argument for human uniqueness in which he questions the comparisons between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. Trefil also regularly gives presentations to judges and public officials about the intersections between science and the law.

Reviews

[Nick Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun excursion into physical sciences that I don’t typically read. Just the right mix of observational imagery, scientific explanation, and charactered history of science.

From a readers perspective, the narrative charm that Trefil commands in the first half of the book (e.g, in discussions of tectonics, convection cells, mineral cycle) is lost in the latter half (where was this charm in his discussion of fluid dynamics and chirality?)

Enjoyed this one overall, but it did not leave me with newfound wonder the way it was promised to. Fun to see the state of fundamental physical sciences a quarter of a century ago.