National Geographic Science of Everything: How Things Work in Our World

by National Geographic Society

National Geographic answers all the questions about technology, biology, chemistry, physics, math, engineering, computers, and mechanics--in an indispensable book that reveals the science behind virtually everything. How does the voice of a distant radio announcer make it through your alarm clock in the morning? How does your gas stove work? How does the remote control open your garage door? What happens when you turn the key in the ignition? What do antibiotics really do? Divided into four big realms--Mechanics, Natural Forces, Materials & Chemistry, Biology & Medicine-- The Science of Everything  takes readers on a fascinating tour, using plain talk, colorful photography, instructive diagrams, and everyday examples to explain the science behind all the things we take for granted in our modern world.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Reference

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Shahid · Rating 3 out of 5]

National Geographic Science of Everything: How Things Work in Our World is a book about different inventions that are used in modern times and how they work. It describes complex inventions such as nuclear reactors and particle accelerators, but also inventions as simple as the wheel. Nearly every topic has a diagram to go with it to further your understanding of the topic and make the book more interesting. Some parts I enjoy about the book is the wide variety of topics and straightforward explanations, however I dislike that the explanations are very rushed and not very detailed. I originally chose to read this book because it was a Christmas present from my grandparents and it looked interesting.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up from the library to see if its worth buying. It is! Short explanations about everything. Very cool way to introduce science to kids and stay interested as an adult! Buying this one!

[Vaishnavi Rai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its one of my favourites, the reading is easy and it is divided into sections . So it is really easy for anyone to read .
It tells about many concepts, personally I did'nt know.
A must for anyone who is interested in science and Natgeo gives and publishes so much beautiful and stunning books.

[William Schram · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Science of Everything" by the National Geographic Society is a beautifully illustrated book that describes how things work.

The book is separated into parts that are further subdivided into chapters. So chapter one is devoted to Mechanics, specifically the Laws of Motion and Energy. Alongside these explanations, we get little pictures that explain how things work. So in that section, we might find a part devoted to a jet turbine, with a cross-sectioned image of the little parts that go into it.

Now that I think about it, this book reminds me of Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe. This book is slightly thicker and does take the idea of not using comics, but Thing Explainer had its own charm. Speaking of which, I might revisit that book, it was pretty good from what I remember.

There are four parts in total and it covers a great deal of information. Part one is devoted to Mechanics as mentioned before, Part two is called Natural Forces and focuses on things like Gravity, Light, Magnetism, Electricity, and Radiation. So it covers the Four Fundamental Forces besides the Strong Force I think. Part three is called Materials and Chemistry. It covers the Elements, Polymers and Resins, and Nanotechnology. Part four covers Biology and Medicine.

The book is really interesting. Like I mentioned before, the illustrations are charming and well done. The little blurbs of text really explain the principles mentioned in the book and it is well-organized around the parts and chapters. It is organized according to the application rather than anything else. Take Ultrasound for instance; rather than being in the Biology and Medicine section, it is located in the section devoted to Mechanics. Rather than being in a section on Mechanics, the Elevator and Escalator are both in the section on Gravity. So that might be a little bit of an annoyance, but it shouldn’t be if you use the index I suppose.

[yuzzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOT EVERYTHING! THATS WHY 4 STAR BUT IF EVEERYTHING I GIVE 5 STAR

[Kevin Demel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just an interesting book to read about a whole bunch of different science topics.

[Grade 5LB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book told me about a lot of stuff like friction

[Shauntelle James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book as a review for what I learned earlier. I was very impressed with how it helped me. It is very easy to read and explains facts clearly for any reader. The pictures and model illustrations coherence the reading along well and I found it offered excellent reinforcement for what I already knew. I would recommend this as a must read for all entry-level, science undergraduates.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting bits of information. This is a jumping off kind of book. Nice to read to be informed on many subjects.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

[Brian Rector · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great appetizer for hundreds of topics. I found myself doing deeper research on some of the more interesting ideas. And thanks to the mighty internet, there is a wealth of information out there just waiting to be consumed.